My '04 basket case build

[Henryrifle]

Nice work!  I see some notching on your outer  clutch basket.  Mine looked like that and I filed it down a little.  It seems okay just messing around in the neighborhood.  Frame and swing arm look great where you cleaned it.  What kind of scotch bright pad?  The kind you get at the grocery store?  My frame looks terrible.  Is you piston a Honda piston?  It looks different to me but  I have only seen 1 and 1/2 of them.  Believe it or not you could have the rest of the case split and bagged in about 30 minutes.  Good work today.  I am looking at my '04 now and thinking about taking the engine out tonight...

 

The pictures are awesome.  Thanks for taking the time to do that.

[darkfader]

I love photography. I'm not very good at it, but I love taking pics so this thread will be full of them!

The basket is really smooth to the touch, I think the marks look like grooves in the pics but feels smooth to the touch. I used the red scotchbrite pad and simple green non toxic version so there's no acids in it. I'm considering picking up a soda blasting gun for the smaller parts. Harbor freight has them cheap and baking soda is a safe material as well. My rockymountainatv order should be here tomorrow so I'll have all the tools I need to finish tearing down the bottom end. I've started my list of parts I need to order but won't put the order in until I have it apart so I'm not waiting on anything to reassemble.

[darkfader]

Oh, and I don't know what piston that was, it could be aftermarket, I'm not sure what markings are on the OEM pistons.

[darkfader]

I couldn't sit still, so I decided to yank the rear off so I could take it to work with me tomorrow and clean and polish as time permits. I don't think the rear axle had ever been greased. It took some work to get it out.

[Henryrifle]

I took the engine out of m '04 project tonight and experienced some of the same stuff.  I guess it was inexpensive because it wasn't taken care of but it won't be inexpensive to restore.  Most older bikes need some attention around the wheel bearings, swing arm bearings, multi-link bearings and shock bearings.  Those items function in a particularly harsh environment.  Do you have a muffler for yours?  I have the stock muffler but it was abused pretty badly.  I've been searching eBay for a new -used- one.

 

Keep up the good work; you'll be finished before you know it and then what will you find to work on?

 

Henryrifle

[darkfader]

Yea I have an FMF powerbomb header and MRD can. I'd never heard of the MRD so I checked out the site online. Looks like it was a pricey unit when new. I'll probably use it for the time being and possibly upgrade to something else down the road. I'm always into some kind of project so there's no telling. My girls want a 4x4 quad so that may be next after this bike is done.

[Henryrifle]

Funny!  I just rebuilt an '06 TRX90 for my 9-year-old boy but my 4-year-old girl loves it.  She can't reach the shifter or rear brake pedal and she drives pretty slow in first and second gear but she loves it.  They are nice little bikes!

 

If you see an '04 muffler at a reasonable price (< $100) let me know.

[darkfader]

I'll keep my eyes out

[Henryrifle]

I spent a little time with my '04 project this afternoon.  I found one of those yellow on one side green on the other Scotch Bright pads in the kitchen.  That and some Simple Green works very well on the aluminum swing arm and frame.  Thanks for the tip and inspiration

 

I split the case and inspected the internals.  I have decided to build the '08 end rather than rebuilding the '04.  That is going to raise some questions, I'm sure, if I sell the bike but I am building it for me and the boys.

 

Like you, I am putting together my parts list for the big Rocky Mountain ATV order.  I am going to track costs this time!

 

Henryrifle

[Henryrifle]

I learned something today.  Gasket Kit A (for the cylinder and head) and Gasket Kit B (for the lower crankcase) look like pretty good deals!  Now if only there was a Honda Bearing Kit and Seal Kit!

 

Purchasing the gasket kits are less expensive than purchasing the individual items by about $15 each.

 

Henryrifle

[darkfader]

Nice! My tools came today so I can really dig into my engine tomorrow. I'm about to get to work scrubbing my swingarm. Did you use a bearing puller set at all, or were you able to get by without it?

[darkfader]

Swing arm cleaned up quickly with the green scotchbrite. I thought it might have been too abrasive but it was fine. I used the automotive 'goo gone' to remove the sticker glue and then simple green and scotchbrite pad to scrub and then a clean water rinse. The battery in my good cam is dead so these are iPhone pics.

Filthy

Looks like the chain made contact at some point

As clean as it's going to get

I'm back to concentrating on the engine now that I have the necessary tools. I anticipate some downtime waiting on various parts and that's when I'll continue cleaning other bits and pieces.

[Henryrifle]

I did not need a bearing puller for any of the crankcase bearings.  I sure could have used a blind bearing puller for the main shaft bearing in the left case half though.  I did need a flywheel puller to get the flywheel off the crankshaft.  If you are pulling bearings, heating up the case halves really helps.  200 degrees for 45 minutes worked for me.

 

I have not messed around with any of the bearings or seals in the wheels, swingers or pro link.  Still need to do that but wanted to make sure I could rebuild the engine before putting any more money in it.

 

I have added up costs for parts and am sure that I am missing a few.  I spent approximately $900 at Rocky Mountain and Southern Honda Powersports on parts, another $600 on the head and $800 on the bike.  So, about $2300 to get to a running bike.  That does not include brakes, chain, wheels or sprockets.  That's really close to the ~$2500 to buy a running bike but the engine is essentially new.

[darkfader]

Yea I figured I'd be around those numbers also. But we will be able to say we built that. And who knows if either of us bought a 2500$ running bike, when a rod or valve would let loose and end up spending the bucks anyway. I'm having too much fun shopping and wrenching anyway!

[darkfader]

This bolt won't budge. Half inch drive breaker bar, small impact, large impact. Nothing. Any ideas?

[Henryrifle]

How are you holding the gears while trying to remove the nut?  If you put gears back on the balance shaft you can use a small socket (some people use an aluminum washer) to jam the gear teeth and then the impact should zip it right off.  Just as a spoiler alert, if you decide to change the water pump oil and water seals, that impeller-nut is left handed...

Edited August 5, 2015 by Henryrifle

[darkfader]

I got it. I put the engine back in the frame so I could hold it still better and get a little more leverage. That bolt was way over torqued though. The engine is completely broken down.

I have bad news though. I found JB weld under a bunch of filth on one of the case halves. I guess I'm going to check the prices on that part. Bums me out for sure.

[Henryrifle]

Glad you got the bolt off.  It is really hard to torque those bolts by yourself when reassembling.  I had to hold the engine and get my wife to use the torque wrench once I showed her how.  I had the exact same issue with a case half on the '08 I just finished.  I purchased a new case half which took over a week to get it in.  I know it can be a mixed bag, but you might be able to find the part you need on eBay.  You have to be careful though because not all cases are the same.  Some years have bigger journals and take bigger seals.  The case halves are not line bored or paired in any way.  You can just buy a new half and it all lines up close enough.

 

By the way, is the JB Weld in any place important?  Maybe it is a no factor?

 

I haven't looked today but there are always case halves for sale on eBay/Craigslist.

 

Interested to hear what you find.

[darkfader]

It's around the bottom of where the clutch actuator goes inside the case. I can take a pic. I wonder if it's something I could let slide. I was disgusted when I found it and quit for the day. I'll post a pic and see what you think.

[darkfader]

I can't see any damage from the inside although it's only a small hole back there to look through. It was so dirty I just didn't see this until this afternoon. What do you think? Find a new case half?