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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> General Advice - where to start wrenching /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1241748995 Message started by DrunkenDwarf on 05/07/09 at 19:16:35 |
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Title: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by DrunkenDwarf on 05/07/09 at 19:16:35 I'm no mechanic. I can change the oil in my car. My lawn mower engine doesn't run smoothly and I don't have the faintest clue where to start diagnosing. I swear my S40 was louder on the ride home from work yesterday than it was on the ride to work, but the muffler was still attached. I'm hallucinating, right? I know which end of the wrench to use and expect to damage something while working (already chipped the gas tank getting the brass plug out of the carburetor), but I'd like to do as much of my own maintenance on my S40 as I can. Where do I start? I got the 2007 S40 with 700 miles on it. The previous own had: - oil change at about 600 miles - new jets in (0.055 pilot and 0.155 main) - installed a "Harley Dyna" exhaust I currently have 1200 miles on it. I do have the Clymer's manual, so feel free to tell me to RTFM when necessary. Here's a list of things I should have done: 1) check exhaust for leaks - I've got a bit of a backfire on throttle close - Removing the muffler seems easy. What do I need to make sure I install it correctly? 2) "Cylinder Head and Cylinder Nuts and Bolts Tightening" - The instructions read more like I'm removing and reinstalling everything. Is this correct/necessary? 3) Decompression cable/valve clearance - The instructions on this forum are excellent. I'm confident I can do this one, once I purchase the required tools. 4) Idle speed adjustment - I've got a tachometer, I just need to pull the tank off to get to the spark plug cable. 5) "Nuts bolts and other fasteners" - On page 54 of Clymer's. It lists 8 categories of things to tighten. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell me where those things are or how many or what I have to take apart to get to them. Any suggestions on how to handle this? Here's a list of things I will have to do: 1) 1500 mile oil change - Any suggestions on where to buy filters? 2) White spacer mod - I've got some #4 stainless flat washers. I'm hopeful I'll be able to do this without removing the carburetor. Random question: 1) Based on what I've read, the jets are probably a bit rich. However, it runs fine (as far as I can tell) and still gets around 55 mpg. I wasn't planning on doing anything about it. Concur? 2) Any other annual or "new engine" things I should plan on doing? I realize I've asked a lot of questions. As a new rider and a new wrencher I'm a little nervous about putting myself into danger. I appreciate your help. -D. Dwarf |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by PTRider on 05/07/09 at 20:17:45 Backfire is unfortunately normal. Adjusting the idle mixture jet will help with that, as may fiddling with the jet needle spacer. Removing the tank is somewhat easy. Remove the seat (two bolts with 10mm heads toward the back), then remove the two bolts for the seat hold-down clip in front. This also bolts down the tank. Be sure the fuel petcock in in "ON"; remove the two hoses from the petcock. Remove the speedometer cable from the transmission and keep track of where the little black grease seal washer rolls. Lift the back end of the tank as you pull it backwards and swear mightily as the fuel petcock snags under the frame and you don't get the tank off. Wiggle the tank just right and it'll pull up & back. Disconnect the electrical connector under the tank that feeds the lights in the instrument cluster. Buy HiProFiltro brand oil filters from any non-Suzuki motorcycle shop, about $5 each. My choice for oil is any synthetic 5W-40 diesel engine oil; I prefer Mobil Delvac 1. The white spacer is accessible with the tank off. Remove the four screws holding down the top of the carburetor diaphragm housing, note the tab on the diaphragm fitting into a matching groove in the top, remove the diaphragm and all the bits attached. Note exactly how the little brass plate with two tiny screws is situated down inside the black cylinder. The white spacer is inside this, along with a spring that will make things interesting. I found that four 3mm washers gave me the needle lift that works very well for me, about 2mm of thickness. If your #4 washers work for both ID and OD, OK. Put everything back exactly like you found it with the diaphragm edge in the groove and the big spring in the middle of the cap. Yep, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Put one of these R1106 magnets on the top of your oil filter to catch the iron particles that are too small to be trapped in the filter. This will help reduce engine wear. http://www.supermagnetman.net/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=404 I like the addition of a fork brace to smooth out the front end. Either the $92 Tkat Special (http://www.tkat.com/forkbrace.html) or the prettier $165 SuperBrace (http://www.superbrace.com/proddetail.asp?prod=3335). Build yourself a lift out of two 2x8s nailed together http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/bikelift.htm |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by abotech on 05/07/09 at 21:07:00 You need to renew the brake fluid in your front brake system. This needs to be replaced once a year. Cover the tank to protect the paint, take off the brake reservoir lid and suck out the old fluid with a turkey baster. Don't let the wife see this. Open a new can of dot 3 or 4 and refill the reservoir. While the misses holds pressure on the brake lever open the bleed screw and watch the old fluid squirt. Re-tighten the bleed screw and pump the lever until pressure returns. Do this several times until fresh fluid starts squirting out. Refill the reservoir, don't over fill, and button the lid back down. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by savagedml on 05/07/09 at 21:43:18 LOL. Thanks PTRider. You just reminded me where that little black washer goes that I spotted on the garage floor as I triumphantly parked my bike back in the garage after my white spacer and Sporty muff mod. I just now came back in from the garage where I ran out and promptly dropped the washer 2x under the starter. Too late to fire up the compressor and blow it out now (Mother Bear is sleeping). I'll get it tomorrow. BTW I also have a '96 I just put the tank back on w/o the black washer---who knows where that one went. Live and learn. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by verslagen1 on 05/07/09 at 21:49:25 Brake fluid not a bad place to start, totally optional if you're not sure of yourself. Here's a tip, the battery overflow tube fits on the end of the bleeder. feed that into a little jar. For a totally easy fluid replacement job and if this is your 1st time get a friend to help. It'll take about half of the small bottles, so buy a fresh one. as said put the tube on the bleeder and into the jar. Turn the bars to level out the top of the master cylinder. You might want to put a couple of bricks to keep the wheel there, it usually wants to move. Now open the top and set it aside. Open the bleeder and once it's open enough the fluid will drain by itself. Watch the top very carefully. Just before it starts sucking air add fluid and then keep the reservour full. I'd estimate the size of the jar and when about half of the fluid is in the jar, close the bleeder. If you kept it full and didn't hear any sucking sounds at the top, you should be good to go. No need to bleed any further. Even if it did suck alittle at the beginning, it shouldn't break the syphon and go go go. Just let a little more thru. Now I've reasoned this out after changing out 2 brakes lines on 2 different bikes. So while I'm pretty confident this will happen exactly as I described it. It may be different for you. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by marshall13 on 05/07/09 at 23:50:11 gravity bleeding, it's called... for changing fluid fine, but the end of the hose in the jar should be submerged in fluid... it wont replace regular bleeding when you change a caliper, say, but for fluid changes a very good method |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by DrunkenDwarf on 05/11/09 at 16:58:28 02051A490 wrote:
Is this the filter you mean? http://www.hiflofiltro.com/17.0.html?sel_uid=1290 02051A490 wrote:
Got one made. Haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Thanks for the info. Got a few follow up questions: 1) "Cylinder Head and Cylinder Nuts and Bolts Tightening" - Has anyone followed these instructions from the Clymer's manual? Is it important? 2) I've seen people occasionally suggest replacing fasteners (bolts, nuts, etc) (for example, the "Adjusting your valves" thread). Is there a consolidated list somewhere? 3) I've also seen suggestions on how to treat different fasteners - loctite, anti-seize, motor oil, etc. Is this something that mechanics just know or is there a rule of thumb or recommendation list somewhere? -D. Dwarf |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by marshall13 on 05/11/09 at 17:43:21 if you're planning on doing the cylinder head re-torque yourself, there is no need to dis-assemble further than needed to get to the cylinder nuts, and the 2 bolts below the plugs.... you would skip all the other junk in the clymer, until you hit the sections dealing with torqueing order, and re-assembly from that point.... im guessing that was what your question was.... |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/11/09 at 17:59:48 You should replace your brake fluid as often as you do in your car,I had one bike over 20 years never replaced the brake fluid,Never had a problem with the brakes. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by verslagen1 on 05/11/09 at 18:08:28 It's a wonder you do any maintanance at all bill. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/11/09 at 18:13:20 I changed the oil in a snowmobile shock once. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/11/09 at 19:32:49 First thing Id do is slap a fork brace on it. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by DrunkenDwarf on 05/12/09 at 09:18:08 2A353334292E1F2F1F27353972400 wrote:
Not to be confrontational, but is there any evidence (other than anecdotal) that a fork brace does anything? -D. Dwarf |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/12/09 at 09:27:26 Yes,It keeps your forks from going bowlegged when you hit a bump,Look up super brace they show forks moving without a brace and with one,I have had both brands of braces on different bikes, They do help. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by marshall13 on 05/12/09 at 11:07:47 575E5B52485F5B3A0 wrote:
Is this the filter you mean? http://www.hiflofiltro.com/17.0.html?sel_uid=1290 02051A490 wrote:
Got one made. Haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Thanks for the info. Got a few follow up questions: 1) "Cylinder Head and Cylinder Nuts and Bolts Tightening" - Has anyone followed these instructions from the Clymer's manual? Is it important? 2) I've seen people occasionally suggest replacing fasteners (bolts, nuts, etc) (for example, the "Adjusting your valves" thread). Is there a consolidated list somewhere? 3) I've also seen suggestions on how to treat different fasteners - loctite, anti-seize, motor oil, etc. Is this something that mechanics just know or is there a rule of thumb or recommendation list somewhere? -D. Dwarf [/quote] the list of fasteners to replace is simple... all of them... get a kit on ebay, or any of the retailers that sell the model specific kits... the OEM bolts and screws are dead soft to prevent stripping the case threads during factory assembly(nobody wants to buy a new bike with helicoils in it)..... over time, they will stretch from load... they will break when you try to re-use them... they will fail from vibration...any right handed thread fastener that rotates counterclockwise in use(as viewed from above the head) that has no locking device should be thread-locked.... ditto in opposite direction for lh threads.... use threadlock compounds suitable to the frequency of dis-assembly(ie: dont use "permanent assembly" locker on an oil-filter cover bolt).... any fastener that goes into a non-bottomed hole should be sealed... copper washers handle that duty, and just like all crush washers, should be replaced whenever removed....all threads without locking compound should get anti-seize compound... and dont forget "rebuild lube" on bearing surfaces when re-assembling.... it seems mysterious at first, but it's really common sense... if a screw gets oil on it, it needs sealing, if it has a rotational load, it needs locking, if it has threads, they need lubing if no locking compound is used.... ;D |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by PTRider on 05/12/09 at 12:57:21 Yep, that's the oil filter. HiProFiltro makes the motorcycle oil filters that wear the K&N label, although I don't know if the filter elements are exactly identical. They may also make the Suzuki branded air & oil filters...somebody's gotta; Suzuki doesn't make filters. My experience with a fork brace is that it makes the front suspension smoother even at city speeds, so evidently there was some fork flex and binding. It also makes my bike run more smoothly at highway speed. My Tkat brace won't be taken off until I sell the bike. Renewing the brake fluid is very important. Brake fluid is hygroscopic...it absorbs moisture, from the air in our case. The wet boiling point spec on brake fluid is the temperature it boils at with 3.5% water content. The lowered boiling point can cause sudden loss of braking when the heat from hard braking causes the brake fluid to vaporize. Corrosion in the calipers and other parts of the system is also greatly accelerated with moisture in the brake fluid. CHANGE THE BRAKE FLUID IN YOUR CARS PERIODICALLY FOR THE SAME REASONS. Why make brake fluid hygroscopic?...so the water that WILL get in there is dispersed, not pools at the bottom to cause heavy corrosion in those spots. H-D uses silicone DOT5 brake fluid. The rest of us must not use silicone fluid. DOT4 has a higher wet boiling point than DOT3. Buy synthetic brake fluid...'cuz all brake fluid is synthetic ;)...there is nothing natural about polyglycol ether. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/12/09 at 13:42:53 In that case you should change your brake fluid every 2 weeks,Cut the BS |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by verslagen1 on 05/12/09 at 14:27:47 40494C455F484C2D0 wrote:
Not to be confrontational, but is there any evidence (other than anecdotal) that a fork brace does anything? -D. Dwarf [/quote] Nothing will wear out faster or break cause you don't have one. But the forks on the savage are whimpy. Ever pull up hard to a stop and feel the bike jump to the side when you released the front brake? Do you feel every ridge or crack in the pavement that you're riding on? I can. I have 2 savages now, 1 with and 1 w/o (soon to change). Riding around on the 1 w/o is an eye popping experience. Borrow a set and I'm sure you'll have trouble getting them off. ;D |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by Skid Mark on 05/12/09 at 15:32:00 Got my fork brace on this spring & I 2nd Verslagen's comment. Easy to install, inexpensive, and makes a big difference on the hiway |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by Charon on 05/12/09 at 17:11:10 I have had a vehicle on which the brake fluid was apparently never replaced, and did indeed get the corrosion. It was a Winnebago LeSharo, on Renault chassis. It had a hydraulically actuated clutch, which shared a reservoir with the brake system. I never had brake problems, but always had a problem with the clutch on long uphill pulls. The clutch free play would increase until the clutch would not release on pedal application. The clutch slave cylinder was very near the exhaust pipe, and I figured the fluid was boiling. I bled the system a couple of times. Then one cold day there was no clutch pedal. Replaced the fluid, and it worked for a day or so. When I took the slave cylinder off there was a big corroded spot on the bottom, allowing the fluid to leak past the piston. My guess is that water got in there, and is heavier than brake fluid, so bleeding it did no good. Quite likely there was water in one or more of the brake cylinders, too, but they never got that hot. I had had enough other problems with it, including parts availability, and I traded it off. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by BillTheRat on 05/13/09 at 18:36:32 Renewing the brake fluid is very important. Brake fluid is hygroscopic...it absorbs moisture, from the air in our case. Indeed, but where is the air coming into play? Is the braking system not closed? |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/13/09 at 19:44:36 When your brake fluid starts boiling thats when it time to change the fluid. Thats when I'm going to change mine. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by verslagen1 on 05/13/09 at 19:49:09 where do we send the flowers? |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by bill67 on 05/13/09 at 19:57:22 I must be lucky I don't seem to have the problems that some people on here have with motorcycles. |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by verslagen1 on 05/13/09 at 20:01:57 We're just trying to catch up to you bill |
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Title: Re: General Advice - where to start wrenching Post by Phelonius on 05/14/09 at 16:28:58 In the garage. Phelonius If you get good at it, move to the living room. |
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