XR650L (2000) engine teardown & rebuild??

timberguy

Member
May 10, 2006
19
0
XR650L edit - it's a 2001- engine teardown & rebuild??

It looks like I'm going to tackle this job. Bad metal-meeting-metal noise.

I probably won't be able to check back on this thread for a day or two.

I'm not getting deep into this job right away, going to study the manual, very limited wrenching, and do some research and maybe sourcing first.

Got the Honda manual - will probably get the Clymer one as well.
Hand tools - pretty good set, 3/8 and 1/4 drive, (1/2 is in inch) sets. combo & offset box end, but limited - no swivel sockets, etc. Some specialized tools like torque wrenches, and 'odd' size sockets.

My plan is to check valve timing and inside the jug before going further, then start the disassembly.

What size is the head on the flywheel / magneto bolt?
Do I want to pull this before removing the engine?

The reason I ask is, on my KLR, it was pretty tight. A nice miracle would be if the head (AND the thread on the puller) were the same as for the KLR - I can dream, right? Same for the wrench to hold it in place.

Are there any unique tools that I am going to need?
I expect to be doing plenty of parts-washing in kerosene and rather than replacing every possible part, will be cleaning and inspecting them and doing some checking of them against the specs in the manual. There's only around 5000 miles on the bike.

One question about the crank - is the connecting rod available separately (assuming the journal isn't bad)? The fiche only shows the crank as an assembly - $$$$$!!. The manual usn't handy right now.

And are there any areas of special difficulty that I should know about that might not be adequately covered in the manual?

Or sequences (like with the flywheel, it seems it would be a 'bear' to deal with that bolt with the engine on a bench.

Would fabricating a jig / stand to hold the engine in place be very useful or not?

One observation about the manuals on Japanese bikes -
while they've improved since the days of the 305 (lousy pictures to show you how to not put the crank in backwards, but little narrative or pictures on important stuff that's not obvious), they still have plenty of gaps and are short on narrative, compared to factory manuals on US autos.

I should mention my experience - a couple of years as paid mechanic for autos, lots of wrenching on my own vehicles over the last several decades, and some on a couple of bikes. I learned from my father who was a machinist. However, I've only done a couple of overhauls, on autos, and on bikes it's been stuff like putting in a racing cam & stiffer valve springs, installing the "doohickey" on my KLR, checking-adjusting valve clearances, etc.

There will be lot of parts tagging and picture-taking since I will have plenty of interruptions - got to earn a living, you know.

The good part is that the owner, my son, is paying for all the parts and additional tools needed.


Thanks in advance for whatever good advice you have for me... :cool:
 
Last edited:

Ol'89r

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 27, 2000
6,958
45
timberguy said:
It looks like I'm going to tackle this job. Bad metal-meeting-metal noise.

I'm not getting deep into this job right away, going to study the manual, very limited wrenching, and do some research and maybe sourcing first.

Got the Honda manual - will probably get the Clymer one as well.

My plan is to check valve timing and inside the jug before going further, then start the disassembly.

What size is the head on the flywheel / magneto bolt?
Do I want to pull this before removing the engine?

One question about the crank - is the connecting rod available separately (assuming the journal isn't bad)? The fiche only shows the crank as an assembly - $$$$$!!. The manual usn't handy right now.

Or sequences (like with the flywheel, it seems it would be a 'bear' to deal with that bolt with the engine on a bench.

Would fabricating a jig / stand to hold the engine in place be very useful or not?

One observation about the manuals on Japanese bikes -
while they've improved since the days of the 305 (lousy pictures to show you how to not put the crank in backwards, but little narrative or pictures on important stuff that's not obvious), they still have plenty of gaps and are short on narrative, compared to factory manuals on US autos.
:

Timberguy.

Sounds like you have all of your ducks in a row. :cool:

Good idea to loosen the flywheel bolt first. I think it is a 17mm but, not sure. If you have an impact wrench, use that on the flywheel bolt. If not, use a breakover bar and put the bike in 5th gear while standing on the brake.

For an engine stand take a 2X4 and cut 2 pieces about 12 to 14" long and 2 pieces about 8" long and nail them together in a rectangular shape. Set your engine on this.

Check the cam and cam journals for the metal to metal noise. Good idea to start at the top and work your way down.

The crank journal is a replaceable pin. Check with lasleeve.com for a rod and crankpin kit and a dealer near you.

Try to find a factory manual like they use in the dealerships. The Clymer manuals are good but, not as good as the factory manuals. Might be able to find one on fleabay.

Find yourself some small plastic trays, like the ones microwaveable side dishes come in. These make great parts trays. You can label them for different sections of the engine and keep each section divided.

Good luck and come back if you have any questions.
 

adam_co

Member
Apr 16, 2007
23
0
Would fabricating a jig / stand to hold the engine in place be very useful or not?
i dont know much about this kind of stuff as i i get mine done off my mate but i remember when he was doing mine ages ago he had my engine in one of those big clamps that you use to hold wood while you saw it, worked quite well
 

jason33

Member
Oct 21, 2006
655
0
a electric impact is great for these jobs- 30-70 from harbor freight-

take pics with a digital camera if you can- books dont show everything
or cam corder-

the crank can be rebuilt check the back of dirt rider magazene for some shops- its cheeper than a new crank-
metal to metal sounds like your rod needs replaced-
you deffinately need a feeler gauge- for the valves- ring gap/piston clearance ect...
-- new stuff---
timing chain-
timing tensioners-
rings-/or piston kit-depends on the cyl ware-
red locktight-!!!
a performance cam ,and springs while your in there- -you wont regret it-( web cams)
 
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