[suejenn]

I removed the oil pump/screen from my ca77 for the first time in 57 years. The screen was shot so I'm replacing it with a nice used one from Ebay. The old screen was covered in think oily crud. I reached my finger up inside of the opening where the pump installs to the bike and ran my finger around to see if there was more crud laying inside. YES, thick crud anywhere my finger would reach, probably 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Is there a way to "wash" this old oily crud out before I replace the pump/screen?

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

[DD23]

Yep, read AL's "Making progress" thread I have just replied to. I suspect you two may be similar and get on well.

Flushing out all that SLUDGE, Black death...


This applies to air cooled bettles also...

Half inch thick, no real supprised as the oil is very old and may never have been changed, ever !

Do you have access to compressed air and a liquid spray Lance ?

A Lance with a liquid pick up tube is better than the Lance with a screw on liquid container, but both are better than a squeeze bottle.

I am UK based so trade names are different.

Good solvents are either extremely flammable, especially in mist spray form, or highly damaging to your health, carbon tetrachloride chloride, add water, ww1 poison gas !!!!!!

So, with your chosen "safe" solvent, well away from property, face mask on, flush down from engine top via those 4 valve cover holes collecting the liquid that rains down.

Low pressure spray for low parts of engine to avoid splatter.

Clutch side access holes, oil ways and any oil troughs. Genny side will have sump access holes.

Then, Lance up and about oil pump hole.

The more crap you get out now the better, so do a really good job.

When all crap flushed out, allow liquid to drip for a few hours, tipping bike side to side ( and front to back ) to get all that flushing liquid out. Make sure any oil troughs are flushed out of crap and flushing liquid.

When you are satisfied all crap and all flushing liquid is out of the engine, fill your squirty oil can with engine oil.

Prime all oilway to make sure they are all clear, particularly to the cylinder head and crankshaft areas.

Prime until new oil is seen ooooozing from valve/camshaft areas, and crank.

Allow to stop dripping.

Repeat priming process.

I assume you have got the 4 alloy valve covers off ok ?

If not say so.

You are now ready for reassembly.

When assembled and oil added, spark plugs out, ign off, turn engine over on Kickstarter for 100 turns.

Plugs in, start engine, check for good continuously oil flow to cam area via an open valve cover hole, or two.

Some will say all this is over the top, I say best practise, it's your bike not Thiers. It will bill your bills not Thiers....
valve cover or three.

Dd23🤓open

 

[Bill H]

I would go farther than DD23 . I have a CA95 thats in the same shape. I tore it clear down. Once inside I dont see any way to get it clean with just flushing it . No disrespect to any one. Some of that junk had hardened and needed scraped off. You do whats best for you.

Bill H

 

[suejenn]

Yep, read AL's "Making progress" thread I have just replied to. I suspect you two may be similar and get on well.

Flushing out all that SLUDGE, Black death...


This applies to air cooled bettles also...

Half inch thick, no real supprised as the oil is very old and may never have been changed, ever !

Do you have access to compressed air and a liquid spray Lance ?

A Lance with a liquid pick up tube is better than the Lance with a screw on liquid container, but both are better than a squeeze bottle.

I am UK based so trade names are different.

Good solvents are either extremely flammable, especially in mist spray form, or highly damaging to your health, carbon tetrachloride chloride, add water, ww1 poison gas !!!!!!

So, with your chosen "safe" solvent, well away from property, face mask on, flush down from engine top via those 4 valve cover holes collecting the liquid that rains down.

Low pressure spray for low parts of engine to avoid splatter.

Clutch side access holes, oil ways and any oil troughs. Genny side will have sump access holes.

Then, Lance up and about oil pump hole.

The more crap you get out now the better, so do a really good job.

When all crap flushed out, allow liquid to drip for a few hours, tipping bike side to side ( and front to back ) to get all that flushing liquid out. Make sure any oil troughs are flushed out of crap and flushing liquid.

When you are satisfied all crap and all flushing liquid is out of the engine, fill your squirty oil can with engine oil.

Prime all oilway to make sure they are all clear, particularly to the cylinder head and crankshaft areas.

Prime until new oil is seen ooooozing from valve/camshaft areas, and crank.

Allow to stop dripping.

Repeat priming process.

I assume you have got the 4 alloy valve covers off ok ?

If not say so.

You are now ready for reassembly.

When assembled and oil added, spark plugs out, ign off, turn engine over on Kickstarter for 100 turns.

Plugs in, start engine, check for good continuously oil flow to cam area via an open valve cover hole, or two.

Some will say all this is over the top, I say best practise, it's your bike not Thiers. It will bill your bills not Thiers....
valve cover or three.

Dd23🤓open

Thanks for the info. Your tips give me a place to start.

 

[DD23]

I totally agree with Bill, that way you know it's totally clean inside, and any issues like stuck rings, vales needing attention, stitches in time saving 900 dollars or similar...is well worth doing.

Bikes are made to be ridden with little and often loving maintenance rather than an ornament or investment realisation...

This bike is worth the money involved, hopefully but sadly no pictures.....if I remember correctly...

 

[Boomer343]

Cleaning it up without taking it apart is risky but I have done it by filling the crankcase full with diesel fuel, kerosene will work too. Agitate but do not turn engine over. Let sit for 3 or 4 days. Drain and flush with more diesel then refill and let sit for 3 or 4 more days. Some kerosene is low odour but it all stinks. Drain and flush again. Fill crankcase with cheap oil, doesn't matter if car oil it won't be circulated much. Let sit for 2 days, drain and fill to usual oil level then rotate motor slowly, plugs out and pushing in gear works. Let sit again, drain and flush with more oil. See what you end up with crud wise.

 

[suejenn]

Cleaning it up without taking it apart is risky but I have done it by filling the crankcase full with diesel fuel, kerosene will work too. Agitate but do not turn engine over. Let sit for 3 or 4 days. Drain and flush with more diesel then refill and let sit for 3 or 4 more days. Some kerosene is low odour but it all stinks. Drain and flush again. Fill crankcase with cheap oil, doesn't matter if car oil it won't be circulated much. Let sit for 2 days, drain and fill to usual oil level then rotate motor slowly, plugs out and pushing in gear works. Let sit again, drain and flush with more oil. See what you end up with crud wise.

Thanks for the info. I'll try that and post the results.

 

[mike in idaho]

Just take it apart and clean it properly, that will take less time than an endless stream of flushing and refilling. With the bottom crankcase removed, you can also check out the low gear bushing and the kickstarter pawl, at that kind of mileage they are likely needing to be replaced.

 

[DD23]

Hi sj,

Can't find your "can't get gears" thread....

Mike has said that's it's best to strip down engine for thorough clean and since you cannot select a gear, that may be the only option.

You know that bikes or machinery in long hibernation suffer and stuff sticks.

Study your manual and the CMSNL.com exploded views of the gearbox and gear selection mechanism to suss out how it works, and why I doesn't work at the moment.

Your clutch was in a poor state not to mention the black death and rotten oil filter screen.

Look at the gear selection forks and how they work. You will see that the forks have a large round hole were the gear selection " drum" fit through. These may well be corroded/stuck to the selection drum. Notice the rollers on the fastening bolts. Also the neutral switch mounted outside the engine.

Pictures of the selection mechanism would be good.

You sure the for and aft gear pedal is not fouling anything ?

The gearbox selector forks live inside the engine as does the selection drum. You may be able to spray penetrant onto the selection forks and drum, which may work.

Pictures pictures pictures...

You may be able to coaxe the drum to move....but be gentle...

Pictures....

If you have to remove and strip the engine down, check on parts availability like gasket sets, piston rings, alloy valve covers and the parts Mike mentions before you go in.

It may be possible to just remove the sump, the lower c/case, leaving the crankshaft and pistons and cylinder head untouched, but that's for a bit later.you said you are not afraid on learning new stuff, you may have to.

Since she is a runner now, I think I would let the engine run for a while with a little two stroke oil in the fuel, and use mains electric fans for cooling.

Several heat cycles may free things off a bit.


Dd23