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question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:50 am
by xivlia
okay, so here it goes. does anyone have a broken, non-working nc30 engine, that they can give it to me for free? :grin: il pay the shipping, i know there are companies that do heavy shipping for cheap. i just really want to learn, a lot of you guys know how to strip and rebuild these engines. and i want to learn as well. i do have a haynes manual too, but its too high a risk for me to try and dismantle my engine in case i totally mess it up.

im sure there is an engine out there some where thats just sitting and gathering dust ;)

thanks!

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:32 am
by VFRkieran
What is it your expecting to learn thats going to benefit sorting your bike out properly? Stripping an engine is pretty time consuming which IMO would be better spent trying to sort your bike.

Im not knocking you for wanting to do it btw, i got hold of a damaged motor which is half stripped at the minute. However i dont have a bike with issues as bad as yours so for me its time well spent.

Aswell as the time spent doing it the tools needed arent cheap either, for instance a valve spring compressor is going to set you back £20-50 clutch socket is £15 i think plus a rotor puller and various other bits which soon start to add up.

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 5:15 am
by lukemillar
I don't think taking a broken engine apart will teach you much I'm afraid! You won't put it back together, because it'll still be broken so there is little point! You need to have a purpose to do a full strip i.e refresh and rebuild so that you have something at the end of it. That will teach you far more than just un-bolting stuff until you end up with a big box of parts!

I'd recommend look for a high mileage, tired engine and refresh that. However be warned, this isn't a cheap exercise. Just the gaskets alone will set you back a pretty penny. You can use pattern gaskets to save $$, but I wouldn't. I think it is a very satisfying thing to do and at the end of it, making something run better is ultimately very rewarding. But at the end of the day, you still won't see the money you invest in a rebuild reflected back in the value of the refreshed engine. It is most definitely a labour of love!

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:40 am
by Sam-NI
Seriously? You can't follow simple instructions in the simplest form from other forum members on simple maintenance tasks, and you expect to be able to strip and rebuild an engine with a Haynes manual and no tools.

This guy must be trolling .

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:44 am
by arsey30
NC engines are very reliable, very rare to ever need to strip one, so you would be better off understanding the workings of the rest of the bike.
Most engine checks/repairs can be carried out by removing a cover [cam, generator, clutch, g/b sprocket]

Buy the Honda common service manual 61CM000C, it gives theory of operation and inspection and repair information. Sit down and study how the parts work, how the fit together and what they are supposed to do.

Apply some logic when fault finding. e.g If engine runs poorly, don't strip carbs or ignition, but first check for spark and fuel flow, [don't bother to strip the carbs if there is no spark].

Most problems are not engine faults, but things such as :-

Sticking brakes
Dirty/out of adjustment carbs [common]
Leaking hoses [vacuum]
Charging circuit [regulator/connectors/battery]
Ignition [plug, wiring]
Partly or completely seized parts/fasteners [ex studs, hub chain adjuster, rear wheel, brake piston.]
Leaking seals [front fork]
Wheel/head bearings

Keep the bike standard with original parts and settings so that you know where you are.
Pay attention to basic maintenance, oil, chain, brake calipers.

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:51 am
by ibby4585
arsey30 wrote:NC engines are very reliable, very rare to ever need to strip one, so you would be better off understanding the workings of the rest of the bike.
Most engine checks/repairs can be carried out by removing a cover [cam, generator, clutch, g/b sprocket]

Buy the Honda common service manual 61CM000C, it gives theory of operation and inspection and repair information. Sit down and study how the parts work, how the fit together and what they are supposed to do.

Apply some logic when fault finding. e.g If engine runs poorly, don't strip carbs or ignition, but first check for spark and fuel flow, [don't bother to strip the carbs if there is no spark].

Most problems are not engine faults, but things such as :-

Sticking brakes
Dirty/out of adjustment carbs [common]
Leaking hoses [vacuum]
Charging circuit [regulator/connectors/battery]
Ignition [plug, wiring]
Partly or completely seized parts/fasteners [ex studs, hub chain adjuster, rear wheel, brake piston.]
Leaking seals [front fork]
Wheel/head bearings

Keep the bike standard with original parts and settings so that you know where you are.
Pay attention to basic maintenance, oil, chain, brake calipers.
And young ignorant owners who can't follow any advice at all and end up bodging the jobs for an easy fix!!

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:40 am
by speedy231278
There's enough bits on eBay to build one from scratch. However, as has been said, if you're wanting to put it back together again and have it usable... well, the gaskets, seals and o-rings are probably going to cost you a couple of hundred quid, you'll need some decent tools which will cost a similar amount, and if you're not going to use it afterwards, you won't know if you've got it right....

Why not buy a fixer-upper and see if you can fix it and make it reliable! ;-) No, seriously, you're still having issues with the ignition on the bike according to your posts on facebook, so devote your enthusiasm to sorting that out, then find something to strip and rebuild once you have your NC30 sorted.

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:57 pm
by xivlia
im not expecting to use it. i just want to know how things go together etc. hence why i asked for a broken non working engine. and if i mess it up, it wont matter.

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 5:01 am
by Neosophist
xivlia wrote:im not expecting to use it. i just want to know how things go together etc. hence why i asked for a broken non working engine. and if i mess it up, it wont matter.
I think you've missed the point of what people are trying to say. (shocking)

Take the advice of arsey30.

There are very few 'broken' engines, most will have some useful parts, which is why I don't think you will get one for free.

If you want to see how things go together then look at the microfiche, that is what it is there for. Then buy a bag of nuts and bolts.

All stripping an engine will do is let you undo many bolts.

Without taking things apart with the view of repairing / overhauling something you won't know if you have fixed it or made it worse, hence not learning anything.

Your engine doesnt need stripping and rebuilding so stay away from it, I estimate that a simple strip and overhaul will cost at least 500gbp, if you take into account gaskets, valve stem seals, bearing shells.

You will also need specialist tools to take the engine apart.

Take arsey30's advice as he knows an awful lot, practice your service and maintaiance, oil and filter, cable adjustment, chain slack adjustment, cleaning and lubricating the bearings in the rear hub, adjusting the head bearings.

Instead of paying some shipping for an engine do the sensible thing, buy a decent set of feeler gauges for valve clearances, maybe some decent single spanners like 10mm, 12mm for adjusting nuts.

If you have the above then some decent oils and greases for lubcricating things.

Strip and clean the rear hub, lubcricate the chain and check the cables are clean and adjusted, learn how to change front wheel bearings without knackering them.

Strip and clean front forks / oil.

This is the kind of stuff that will give you a good reliable bike that is safe and not likely to break down, working forks, cleaned and lubricated parts with good bearings.

An old engine in pieces will not help, most VFR engines providing they are maintained regularly will easily cover over 100,000km before needing any internal work.

Re: question to everyone!

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:47 am
by speedy231278
Got 117,000kms on my RVF. It's always had services at Honda's recommended intervals. The only 'internal' work it's ever had has been having the clutch rebuilt some years back after it started slipping. However, in hindsight, perhaps the fact that the bike went to the Bulldog Bash in 2003 and had four launches off the line at well into five figures might have had something to do with that... lol (13.12@104 was my best time) Now my local mechanic is retired and I've decided it's up to me to learn how to wipe my own backside and do the work myself. Best way to learn, I figure.