Dirt in the crankcase - splitting the cases? - need to remove the rotor?

[Guest]

I removed the cylinders and dirt fell into the crankcase. If I'm going to split the cases now, do I have to remove the generator rotor too? I have the factory manual but don't have the tools for clutch basket and generator rotor removal. And what about the gaskets/seals in the crankcase, which ones I could keep and which ones need definitely to be replaced?

[Brendan W]

What dirt and how much?
Before going to all the trouble and expense and hidden traps opening the cases I would explore each and every possibility of flushing the dirt out by dropping the oil pan and having a go.

[Cipher]

Damn sounds like a John Cougar song.

[Johnny]

What dirt and how much?
Before going to all the trouble and expense and hidden traps opening the cases I would explore each and every possibility of flushing the dirt out by dropping the oil pan and having a go.

Sand, rust and mud from between the inner four cylinder bolts. I saw what was happening only after I got the cylinder block off. Now I've read threads about it and that I should've turned the motor on it's side and so on. Now I have read about flushing the motor with diesel or kerosene too, but I've yet to find someone who could confirm that this method worked successfully for them.

[John Park]

What dirt and how much?
Before going to all the trouble and expense and hidden traps opening the cases I would explore each and every possibility of flushing the dirt out by dropping the oil pan and having a go.

A lot of the dirt will fall on to the baffle plates just below the crank. If you take the oil pan off and spray the crankcase mouth with a squirt bottle filled with solvent or kerosene[diesel], the dirt should end up in the drain pan. Use a light to see where the dirt is lodged.

Any remaining dirt will have to pass through the pickup screen and then lodge in the oil filter, so the system is designed to handle it. My motor has gone about 15,000K since I had the same problem.

I'd squirt some oil on the rod bearings before reassembly.

[hannibal]

I taped a clear rubber hose to my vacuum cleaner nozzle. The hose can reach most of the nooks and crannies inside the case. You could probably make something that can reach under the crank from the oil pan area.

[Kiwi Canuck]

I taped a clear rubber hose to my vacuum cleaner nozzle. The hose can reach most of the nooks and crannies inside the case. You could probably make something that can reach under the crank from the oil pan area.

I did the same as this, worked great and then just to be extra sure poured diesel into the openings and then some left over oil then drained the whole lot.

Before assembling the engine I gave everything a nice liberal squirt of engine oil from an oil can, probably half a liter total and made sure it got into the big end bearings by working the rods around as bit.

Good luck.

[Ric]

Definitely try these before splitting the case. I just went through that with our 300, and it was an adventure. But if you do decide to go that route, here's three things to remember.

First off, the clutch has to come off if you're gonna split the case - behind the basket is a retainer plate that screws into both halves, and at least one of those screws has to come out(also check your sprocket for a seal retainer that has a bolt in each case half). The clutch basket is relatively easy to take off - just put it in a high gear, stick a wrench on your sprocket nut and let it rest against the stator cover(put a piece of wood between the two to prevent dings), then use a deadblow hammer to help break the clutch nut loose with a ratchet.

Second, there is no gasket between the case halves. Just this stuff called Suzukibond. I used Permatex Ultra Grey on mine. Don't just slather it all over. Otherwise it'll squeeze out into moving parts and bearing surfaces. Bad news.

Third - and VERY IMPORTANT - DO NOT FORGET THE CASE BOLT IN THE STARTER WELL. I did, and almost warped my case before going back through the service manual and seeing where I'd forgotten about that bolt. It's on the right of the starter motor.

Was I you I'd flush it out instead.

[hannibal]

I like Kiwi's approach of vacuuming then flushing. Why is diesel or kerosene better than gasoline?

And to answer your original question, I was able to split cases without removing the stator rotor.

[gsrick]

I removed the cylinders and dirt fell into the crankcase. If I'm going to split the cases now, do I have to remove the generator rotor too? I have the factory manual but don't have the tools for clutch basket and generator rotor removal. And what about the gaskets/seals in the crankcase, which ones I could keep and which ones need definitely to be replaced?

Remove the oil pan and flush it with fuel three or four times or until you see no more debris in the catch pan. Completely clean the catch pan each time, so you know if everything has exited. it should be alright. A member here had sand in his crankcase and this is what I did to clear out his engine. If anything does happen to remain, it will get trapped in the filter once it going again.

[Kiwi Canuck]

I like Kiwi's approach of vacuuming then flushing. Why is diesel or kerosene better than gasoline?

Diesel is much less flammable and safer to work with, it's also less expensive than gasoline around here.

David.