engine replacement for 1982 GS650GL

[William Groebe]

OK. So I've been working a lot of weekend OT this past month so I'm making slow progress, but here I am ready to order a new set of crankshaft bearings and connecting rod bearings.

I've done a bunch of research and I think I've got my list together. It's a time consuming and mind numbing process figuring out which bearings to buy. I'm going to show the process partly to show others how it's done, partly to get feedback from anyone who notices if I did something incorrectly, and partly to type it out as a tool to double-check my work.

I ordered a replacement crankshaft from another forum member. It looks to be in good condition. Though I am going to replace all the connecting rod bearings anyways, just in case. The connecting rods are all marked with the ID code "2". The corresponding crank pin OD codes are all marked "2" as well. I used the chart on page 3-41 of my service manual to determine that the correct bearings would be the brown bearings. part#12164-34210-030.
So I need to order 8 bearings for the four rods.

The crankcase journal IDs marked on the rear of the upper crankcase starting left to right are BBBBBB. The corresponding crankshaft journal ODs are BAAAAA. Using the chart on page 3-44 of the service manual I determined that I need

1 Brown bearing for the upper first journal. #12229-45410-030
1 Brown bearing for the lower first journal with an oil groove. #12229-45400-030
3 Black upper bearings #12229-45410-020
7 Black bearings with oil grooves mostly for the bottom, (two go on the upper 3 and 4th journal) #12229-45400-020

I measured the oil clearance for all rods and crankshaft journals which were all within spec at between .27-.50mm. Again, I'm going to order all new bearings anyways as I'd like to go another 50,000 without having to crack open this crankcase again.

And I measured the connecting rod big end thrust clearance for each rod which were also within spec at .1mm for each rod.

I'm going to order my parts through Partzilla unless anyone has a better option. Also, is there a promo code I can put into Partzilla for a deal on orders? I thought I remembered someone posting a promo code on the forum before. I can't remember if it was for Partzilla or not, though.

Thanks

-Will


Here's a pic showing the rod ID codes.


Here are the bearing selection tables.



Here are my notes. Yikes. This is a lot of information.


Measuring the oil clearance of the crankshaft bearings with plastigage.


Here's the crankshaft diagram. I'm buying parts 3, 5 and 6.

[tom203]

"Yikes" is an understatement! I'm still digesting this but I include a link to parts outlaw page which shows updated part numbers along with their prices for comparison.

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d3fdb9f8700230d8b4daf0/crankshaft

[60ratrod]

Glad to see you're still plugging away and not giving up. My g's motor is back together waiting on valve shims. And damn you get really indepth with this stuff. Great stuff here Will

[William Groebe]

I just ordered $154 in bearings this morning using the promo code BANG from Parts Outlaw for free shipping. I am looking forward to putting my engine back together in a couple weeks.

It's raining today, so maybe that's a good sign. We need it here in California.

[tom203]

Yes, you guys need rain cuz the rest of us need our veggies! But all the stuff that I read says your water situation is getting worse.

As you move along,make sure you clean/inspect the pressure regulator part #26 in pic - I have yet to think of simple way to check oil pump pressure (before buttoning things up ) but the pump looks well made.

http://www.alpha-sports.com/spst/1982%20GS650GL/34.gif

[barnbiketom]

VERRRRY GOOD Will.. the last time I did this was for a CB750 but these days I am lazy and don't want to do it again lol. but brings back memories to say the least. good work. I 'm sure it will be fine!!

[William Groebe]

I'm having somewhat of a topsy turvy day today. First it was great to come home to my order at my doorstep from Parts Outlaw (or Deland Motorsports as it states on the invoice). I was excited to think I may be putting the beast back together this weekend. Imagine my concern when I realized I hadn't received the full order. I'm missing seven lower crankshaft bearings. I'll call them tomorrow to find out what happened. Maybe they're sending the bearings in two packages. No big deal if that's the case.

A bigger deal is that none of the new bearings look like the bearings they are replacing. They either have no oil hole where they should, have an extra oil hole, or have an oil groove where there shouldn't be one.

For example, the new rod bearings don't have oil holes in them, but all the rod bearings from all three crankshafts I have in my garage all have oil holes in the rod bearings, and the diagram on the ordering form show them with oil holes. The new bearing is on the right, and the old one with the oil hole is on the left in the photo.


As far as my understanding six of the eight upper crankshaft bearings should have no oil grooves or holes. Whereas the the inner two upper bearings are the same as the lower bearings with both a groove and two holes. Again, just like in the diagram below.



But the upper crankshaft bearings I received have oil grooves. The original bearing is to the left while the two in plastic are new.


And the one lower bearing I received so far has three holes. The original bearing is below it. The new one is in plastic




I can't imagine that I messed up this bad. Have bearings changed over the years? What did I do wrong?


help

[tom203]

What fun! Been a while since I played with this stuff and I haven't looked at a 650 crankshaft.
since you said....
"For example, the new rod bearings don't have oil holes in them, but all the rod bearings from all three crankshafts I have in my garage all have oil holes in the rod bearings, and the diagram on the ordering form show them with oil holes. The new bearing is on the right, and the old one with the oil hole is on the left in the photo."

does the crank have oil passages drilled in to feed the rod bearings?

[William Groebe]

Thanks for the response, tom203. The answer is that yes, the crank has oil passages for each bearing location which definitely implies that the bearings should also have oil holes in them which they do in the bearings I took off the crank. Check out the image below

[tom203]

Great pic! Yes, oil feed holes on rods too! Something is very wrong-oil needs to get to contact surface of those bearings in order for them to do their job (splashing is not acceptable) . I assume the lower crankcase receives pressurized oil thru holes adjacent to each main crank bearing and this gets pass thru drilled holes leading to rod cranks.
Ask Deland why? Maybe suzuki screwed up, but something is seriously wrong.

[William Groebe]

I sent Parts Outlaw an email with the same pics and info as in my last post. I will call them tomorrow to discuss. I've got to get this worked out.

[tom203]

Here's a link to a Ct. eBay seller who deals with a lot of old suzuki stock. He has various gs650 bearings, some with old part numbers and some with revised numbers. Needless to say, it's confusing.... Search his store for gs650 stuff. I noticed that some of his boxes have been marked up. The pics don't offer clues to holes and grooves

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-GS750-GS650-1980-83-oem-crank-bearing-metal-12229-45410-010-/170968739572?hash=item27ce87eef4&vxp=mtr

[William Groebe]

Thanks.

Corey from PartsOutlaw.com called Suzuki and couldn't get confirmation as to why the parts were changed, but apparently some parts are modified over the years. Suzuki insists these are all the correct parts for my bike and should work in the bike just fine. I'm a little nervous about putting the rod bearings in without an oil hole. Corey said I could return them for no restocking fee if I want. That's pretty cool.

I'm going to check on ebay for replacement parts with the original part number and if all else fails, I'll machine my own holes where necessary.

I'm also going to try a post specifically regarding bearings in case anyone else here has noticed the change in bearings and has any advice.

[eil]

Seems like this bike has been one hurdle after another for you. You have my sympathies but I'm sure it'll be on the road again soon.

I'll machine my own holes where necessary.

I have the feeling this is the path of least resistance. It sounds like someone at Suzuki goofed when they superceded the old parts with these ones. Wouldn't be the first time, although this one has the potential to lead to catastrophe.

[William Groebe]

I am so grateful that the GSR forum exists. If it weren't for you I wouldn't know what the hell I was doing.

I posted on another thread my issue with the bearings and it looks like we've come to a conclusion that the new bearings do not have holes in them on purpose. A member called prays4u noted that on page 25 of the supplemental manual on BikeCliff's site http://www.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/GS650GManual.pdf it shows the new bearings lacking oil holes and mentions that improvements have been made in the design to increase durability. Maybe the oil holes in the rod bearings were causing the bearings to wear out prematurely.

Anyways, now that I've got that figured out, I just have to wait for the rest of my crankshaft bearings to arrive and I'll be putting the girl back together.