Project The Dying FZ

Ok so here we go with an update...

The rings arrived from AHL and they fit fine. Bore went straight on so no issues there and I'm pretty satisfied. The FZR250 rings are top and the Phaser the bottom for comparison (both new sets from AHL). The only difference I could tell is in the middle oil right (far right in picture) for the phaser it is thicker in height. The other notable item is that there is no silver ring for the phaser, it's black with a silver lining - AHL confirmed that full black is second ring and black with silver edge is first ring. Installation is with AHL marking facing up.



Some of the boys from the club had an idea to get baby bottle cleaner brushes for thread cleaning. Some of the cheapo shops have them for like $2.50 a pack and these things are gold. Bristles are quite rigid and you get varying sizes.. given the metal shaft I can throw it in the drill and sparkle things up with a bit of WD40 or whatever cleaner I wanted.



I used this stuff from supercrap auto to do the lapping. It comes with fine and coarse paste, I only ever use the fine stuff. Thinned with water it works quite well.



Here is one of the laps I did. Mostly the intake valves and seats were good with some minor pitting but the exhaust valves were a bit of a mess. I polished them up with 2000 grit sandpaper once I had got all the carbon/build up off and it wasn't easy. I think next time I'll buy some brake cleaner and give them a soak.

Honestly a lot of the valves look like they're very close (or at) wear limit. I haven't measured them as I don't have the reliable tools to do so at the moment, but as the bike runs I'll leave it for now. Ideally I should be replacing the valves and have new ones cut in which I might have to look at. The seats were moderately pitted and I lapped until I was comfortable but it was not an ideal result.



You can see some minor pitting still remains after the lapping was done.



This is my dodgey lapper... the valve tool I had worked for the larger intake valves but not the exhaust valves as the suction cap was too large... so I stickied up some blue tack to the back end of a screw driver which gave me enough friction to spin them round... she'll be right mate... LOL



Now I have a question... This little plastic bit on the stator... what should I glue that back on with? I'm inclined just to throw normal 2 part epoxy on it. It seems to shield part of the magneto but it's nothing but a bit of plastic... leaving it off is probably unwise.... Any thoughts?

 

Hmm well I might see what I can find... a high heat resistant epoxy might do... or I could use JB weld which is definitely rated for the temperature I just wonder if it being a metal epoxy if it would be a problem.

 

I epoxied it back on with JB weld, seems to be holding fine. It looks like someone had attempted to melt it in place before so it must have come loose somehow.

As for the comments on the lapping yes I used a piece of rubber hose around the stem when I inserted it into the drill to prevent damage and it worked well. I could not get the drill around the valve when it was recessed in the head though... how did you guys do it?

I'm not sure I'd ever attempt it though, i can see some benefit in doing it that way in terms of time saving but I prefer the control I have lapping by hand (personal preference I suppose). As a lot of the work is in removing/reinstalling the valves a few extra minutes to lap by hand doesn't bother me.

 

The drill chuck doesn't reach far enough into the head to be able to grip the end of the valve... maybe it's just the type of dril I have. The tip of the valve is almost flush with the top of the recess in which it sits so if I was to attempt it I'm not sure I could ever grip it.

Update: After 4 hours of much cursing I finally got the bloody thing timed properly. I have no idea why it was seemingly so difficult... when it was all lined up with the CCT in etc and you turn the crank it preferred to skip up on top of the teeth then miss them rather than rotate the cams like it should as the tension set in. Hard to explain but I think @MashtX was very relieved that it wasn't his 600 and he's not the only one who enjoys a bit of fun haha....

How I resolved it was well... a bit of luck and an unorthodox approach. I don't know what it is with this engine but getting the cams in and aligned was tricky and it preferred to rotate itself out of TDC than it did move everything together as tension was applied to the chain. Sounds stupid and is difficult to explain but for those who saw my struggles I am confident will back me up that I was at least trying to do the right thing....!

 

Thar she blows... the timed FZ engine is a rare treasure these days... arrrrrrrrrr

 

Update time! Starting to look like a bike again wheee! hoping to start her up tonight once I sort out a couple of electrical things...



The manual is a bit confusing and I'm not sure these wires are all original... maybe the missus and I just missed them but I'm sure they'd be the same on the FZR there's so many similarities so maybe @GreyImport @Linkin @my67xr might be able to point me in the right direction...



The above is a dark blue sheathed black/dark wire coming from the pickup. I can't find it's friend. The above light blue/white stripe connects to the starter coil, I know about that one.



This wire also comes from down below somewhere. It doesn't seem to reach the dash so I'd bet it goes back towards the CDI on the rear of the bike. I can't find a matching one...



This black/red stripe hangs off the right of the bike. Can't find a partner for it either.



These wires come from the dash. The two plugs on the right I'd bet are the front indicators however the other two.. who knows. They don't seem to connect to anything.

Any thoughts appreciated

 

Hmm good thoughts, thanks. The fan/thermostat etc is all covered but you prompted me to check the dash and the two lights that are missing when it is on is (1) neutral and (2) oil light. Hmm...

 

Ok well took a gamble and neutral light sorted... colours were different.



I love the minor setbacks... keeps you on your toes. Starter coil connection repair.





It seems now the oil switch is the only thing not connected...