Tracking down a knock on a '78 GS400. Need help getting the cylinder off.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I'd be hosing down that gasket crack a few time a day with PB Blaster.

[Gorminrider]

I'd be looking at the parts diagram awfully closely.

meanwhile here's an entertaining video..
Kawasaki ER5 engine Full Restoration | Kawasaki ER5, KLE, EX500 Engine Restoration in18 minutes

it's a slightly more complicated engine so you should be able to do it in 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Y2xq2L5xo

[ItsBork]

Update: Success!

Archimedes once said "Give me a lever long enough, and a fulcrum in which to place it, and I will move the world."

Well I don't know about that, but I know a 3 foot pry bar can crack open a 40 year old cylinder!




I did have one concern that may or may not be anything at all. I noticed that if I grab the main output shaft and wiggle it back and forth I get a little bit of a knock/rattle. It's not super bad or anything and I do have to really jiggle the crap out of it to get it to make noise, but since this whole thing started over a noise investigation and this is right about the area it was the loudest I figured I'd ask if it's normal. Video attached.

https://i.imgur.com/lDbaAog.mp4

There's no resistance or grittiness to the shaft movement. It's very smooth and doesn't seem to make a lot of noise when spun in one direction. But if you move it back and forth there is definitely a sound, but this might just be normal.




Not sure if it's the factory gasket, but it's definitely been here a while.

Pistons are clean and new rings are on, cylinder re-installed.

Waiting on a new thrust bearing and clutch springs tomorrow as well as a valve compressor so I can check/clean those. If everything goes well I'll have her all buttoned up tomorrow night and ready to ride this weekend!

[Gorminrider]

Hurray! but looks kind of risky. I hope it is worth it in the end. The cam chain guide looks pretty good. One of mine had cracks in it when revealed and is hard to replace....

A bit of play in gear trains is not unusual.

PS I only hear valves in your uploads. Why not make an mp3* of the noise you hear in the location you hear it? Do not make it too short and do not jerk the microphone all around-find the best spot BEFOREHAND and stay there so people have time to listen closely.Someone may recognize it and save you some time.

* an mp3 =a much faster upload/download, being only the audio

[ItsBork]

Hurray! but looks kind of risky. I hope it is worth it in the end. The cam chain guide looks pretty good. One of mine had cracks in it when revealed and is hard to replace....

A bit of play in gear trains is not unusual.

PS I only hear valves in your uploads. Why not make an mp3* of the noise you hear in the location you hear it? Do not make it too short and do not jerk the microphone all around-find the best spot BEFOREHAND and stay there so people have time to listen closely.Someone may recognize it and save you some time.

* an mp3 =a much faster upload/download, being only the audio

I use videos so people can see what I'm looking at/manipulating. I know it's easier for me to diagnose things I when I can see them, plus I'm very likely to use a wrong word or describe something poorly being so new to bikes so a video gives people more information. I'll admit I was a bit all over the place on the last one, but my problem isn't play in the shaft. I shouldn't have used the word wiggle. What I mean is when I spin the shaft back and forth like you can see in parts of the video I get a sound that I'm not sure is normal, which wouldn't concern me if it wasn't in the location where the original sound I am investigating was coming from.