Kris01 wrote on 10/01/16 at 09:27:46:


Thanks,  the little thing spun quite a few times..

And the price keeps going up.  

Both chain tensioner guides are cracked.  Photo's  have been added to the set at: http://imgur.com/a/RhTYO
Some cracks are almost all the way through.  The plastic feels brittle.

Anybody have gently used ones laying around?  

The cylinder and piston look OK:
No scoring on the piston skirt.
No scoring on the cylinder.  No detectable ridge on the cylinder at TDC, just expected discoloration.

Even so, consensus from my mechanic friends say to bore and hone it out to the next ring size (10 over?) to avoid any possibility of future problems.
Plan is to take it to a reputable place that does such things for motorcycles and see what they say.

I re-arranged the order of the images so most recent ones are at the top.

This engine build would cause me to do some thorough soul searching.

On the one hand - the motor is most likely the highest mileage Savage engine on the planet.  It would be nice to do as little as possible and see just how long the other parts can go.  If the cylinder is good, and the piston is good...maybe the rings are just worn out or the tension has relaxed a bit.  Clean and inspect things, throw in some rings, valve seals and other rubber parts/gaskets and head plug to stop any future leaks, and get it back on the road so you can start racking up more miles ASAP.

On the other hand - if you want to go for another 150,000 miles before you pull it apart again....maybe more parts need to be removed/replaced.  Rings grooves in the piston do wear and change shape which makes it so the rings don't work as well as they used to.  Exhaust valve stems do stretch over time, and ultimately the valve can come apart.  Your rocker arms are the old 1 piece style - and they are not as durable as the newer 2 piece style on the 2005 and later bikes (although your choice of oils has proven the 1 piece rockers can hold up to a lot of use).  I have no idea how long crank and counterbalance shaft bearings can last.  And.....I can't leave well enough alone and I am sure I would be using a new 94mm Wiseco rather than using a stock piston with 150,000+ miles on it.

Some of you kids won't get this but...



And I know what Dave is saying.  I would probably do the minimum and see how long I can run it.  Just because.

On the other hand, my OCD would kick in and I would invest more money into the motor than the bike is worth only to have it blow up a month later.  

Dave wrote on 10/04/16 at 06:36:23:


My intent is the first hand.  I will be doing as little as possible so it stays "stock" and on original parts.  At the same time, I will be doing all that needs done to make a fix "right" and not just a half fix to save a few $.
I.E.
Replace the rings, but not the piston unless it needs to go up a size or is out of spec.
Yes, hone the cylinder, but not bore it unless it is too far out.
Those will be decided by the machine shop.  Just dropped it off today.  They will call and let me know.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 10/04/16 at 11:11:54:


I did a bunch of pushing pulling shoving and smacking to check the bottom end bearings.  Everything rotates super smooth.  No bearing "click" in the smack test.  There is no vertical play in the crank or connecting rod that I can detect.  Minimal side play where the connecting rod connects to the crankshaft.

I'm not going to open it up any further.

verslagen1 wrote on 10/04/16 at 11:35:44:


I left the piston with the machine shop as well.. and a copy of the engine specs.  I will not go cheap on the piston.  If it is worn out of specs, it gets replaced.