[PowerPickle]

Hello, I've been having trouble removing the cylinder. I've done as the manual says and have removed what needs to be removed. The cylinder moves freely by about 4mm until it stops. It feels as though as though it's coming into contact with another piece of metal, but looking at diagrams and photos, there shouldn't be anything in the way. I don't want to break anything by forcing it. It's worth noting that the reason I'm removing the cylinder is because while I was removing the cylinder head, one of the cylinder bolts (marked by a screwdriver in the video below) broke off. Now I need to take the cylinder off to remove what remains of that bolt. I thought that bolt may have been the cause of my trouble, but the cylinder should just slide over it, shouldn't it? Thank for you reading.

 

[longdistancerider]

Description sounds like it's hanging up on the locating dowels. There are 4 tabs at the base of the cylinder, 2 front & 2 rear left/right, that are acceptable for using a pry bar on. Do Not insert something between the case and cylinder to pry with. There is a method to do that if absolutely needed but most of the time the 4 tabs will do.

 

[PowerPickle]

I've been prying at those tabs for a while now and haven't made even 1mm of progress (no exaggeration). If I lift the cylinder up as high as it will go, I can spin those dowels around easily, so I'm thinking that the cylinder isn't tight against those. If I move the cylinder while looking into the bolt hole, the remaining part of the bolt moves with the cylinder. If I move the cylinder while looking into the crack between the cylinder and the crankcase, the bolt down there stays put and doesn't move with the cylinder. This is very frustrating and doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. I'm going to go back to prying those tabs for a bit. Thanks for the reply.

 

[TOOLS1]

Did you remove the cam chain tensioner and guide?
TOOLS

 

[PowerPickle]

Did you remove the cam chain tensioner and guide?
TOOLS

Yep. Both are removed.

 

[longdistancerider]

Try turning the crank and see if that changes how high the cylinder can be lifted. It's possible the rings are sticking at the bottom of the bore. If that does happen then get as much clearance as you can and fit a block of wood under the cylinder, then turn the crank to pull the pistons down.

 

[PowerPickle]

Apologies for abandoning the thread for a while. I ending up getting plastic shims and a piece of wood to separate the cylinder from the crankcase. I think the piston rings were getting stuck at the bottom because I couldn't even turn the crank past a certain point when I had the cylinder held up as high as it would go. Now that this cylinder ordeal is over with, I have a couple more questions. Is it worth it to take the cylinder head apart to clean it? I've read that certain parts need to be replaced (cotters) if I do take it apart. I've looked online and haven't found any, so I'm thinking that it may not be worth it. Is there a good way to clean it without disassembling it if that's the case? Thanks again. Here's some photos of what I did:

 

[TOOLS1]

You do not need to replace anything if you take the valves out of the head unless something is worn/damaged. I just use low odor mineral spirits, brake clean, and soap and water to clean engine parts. If there is a lot of carbon build up I will bead blast out the exhaust ports and combustion chamber. None of this requires disassembling the head.
TOOLS

 

[PowerPickle]

You do not need to replace anything if you take the valves out of the head unless something is worn/damaged. I just use low odor mineral spirits, brake clean, and soap and water to clean engine parts. If there is a lot of carbon build up I will bead blast out the exhaust ports and combustion chamber. None of this requires disassembling the head.
TOOLS

Thanks. I've gone ahead and disassembled the cylinder head. Everything looks good so far. No excessive scoring or marks.