So here I'm going to walk through taking apart the spare engine from the red Honda 150 Benley that I knew I would be using for parts. The motorcycle was sold to me with the owner basically telling me that he didn't remember anything wrong with it and he even thought it should have turned over when he tried to move the kickstarter... ummmm yeah. In this thread you will see exactly why the kickstarter wouldn't budge.
Here is a quick explanation of what should be done (the minimum at least) in preparation of taking a small engine like this apart and some of my favorite tools that have never let me down.
A brass hammer is one of the BEST tools to use when working on engines as it is much more forgiving on the parts it comes in contact with. Not only the immediate surface but there is much less shock transferred throughout the object and fewer broken, cracked or sheared parts as a result. The inertia is still transferred to the part but the shock is much more gentle. Got it? Good.
I have actually hammered a bent lip of an aluminum racing rim back into shape with this same hammer and it did not crack at all! Broken rare parts are no good.
If you are even thinking of taking apart an old engine such as this...
GET YOURSELF A NICE NEW IMPACT DRIVER!! The bolts that hold this whole engine are mostly capped with phillips heads... and old ones made of a softer alloy than you are used to dealing with. If you already have one make sure and look at the tips and verify that they are perfect. If the bits that contact the phillips head are not perfect in form then they WILL damage the phillips bolt and you will have problems. The bolts will deteriorate quick and you might not be able to even use them once you wear out the head. Parts of the head will chip away as you hit it with the impact trying to free it and this is bad. PLUS people will be able to tell that the engine was worked on by a hacker. Get some new bits for the end of you impact and the bolts will back out much easier and you won't be able to tell that you wrenched on them. New bits = about $4.00! If you ruin a bolt where are you going to get another one?
Using the impact:
- First select the correct sized bit so maximum surface contact is made in the phillips depression
- Make sure the impact is set in the counter clockwise rotation when struck
- Insert the impact on the bolt and twist it slightly so there is not rotational slack before it's struck
- Make a mental note of exactly what degree the bolt is at so you can tell if it moved when you hit it
- Give it a good and square hit in order to "pop" it free
- A strong first hit to free it is much better than 3 whimpy hits :lol:
Also be super careful with your gaskets if you plan to reuse them. They will stick to one surface or the other when you pull them apart so make sure you have a nice sharp blade to cut around the gasket surface once you initially pop them apart. If you use caution you shouldn't have any problem. The gaskets are not under much stress when you re-assemble so you can basically use a gasket sealer if you do break one. I've done this and it holds perfect
I cleaned my engine quite a bit so that when I do start exposing the inside of it, there will be no contaminates falling inside. You want the inside to remain dirt free and this can only be done once you thoroughly clean the outside. Now let's see what makes this thing tick...