Opinions on rebuilding a 550 (And finding parts)

[Guest]

A few years ago I bought an '86 GSX 550. I put a bit of work into it over a winter, mainly cleaning up the electrical system and painting things. After straightening out most of the problems, I discovered it had low compression. I posted it for sale, but didn't get any offers that were worth getting it out of the shed for.

I recently bought the rest of the tools I needed to rebuild 2 stroke engines, after running into problems with a Seadoo. Now that I have that running strong, I'm craving a bit more. The engine turns over without making any funny sounds, so I'd really like to rebuild the top end on this GSX to build my confidence in 4 stroke engines.

The problem I'm running into is with parts. I'd ideally like to bore the cylinders, but pistons seem impossible to find. I've settled on a hone, new rings, then addressing the valves and timing. The problem is that I'm not really sure it's worth going that far.

I've only had luck finding parts on eBay. Things like gaskets, valves and shims, and rings seem to be either used and unusable, or very overpriced NOS. Are there any other sources for parts, or should I scrap this idea and look for another motor to rebuild?

[Fjbj40]

Have you tried your local Suzuki dealership for parts? There are also several online OEM part dealers.

Where are you located?

[Buffalo Bill]

Yeah, like a hone and new rings is a piece of cake, you can leave the engine in the bike.
Valve train, need a machine shop to do the valve guides, grind the valves.
All the gaskets and rings, bikebandit.com and other sites too.

[JEEPRUSTY]

hmmm try buying a low mileage haed off ebay
I got one it int he basement lurking till its needed if its ever needed
got the cyl block too cos you know it may be needed
and heck my pistons were in good shape when the vales died int he first engien so the lump us sitting int he corner covered in plastic


Wiseco made a kit for this engine way back when though I have only seen one or two single pistons avaiable on ebay at a time and had no expectation of every collecting four plus rings.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Apparently A given year range of I think 600 Hondas have pistons that can be modded to fit I read it long ago in the archives.

[Nessism]

Doubtful the engine needs to be bored. Pull the cylinder and measure everything. If it truly is worn out look for a low mileage cylinder/pistons off ebay. It shouldn't be difficult to find. Same thing about the head. Remove the valves and check everything out. Typically a good clean up, replacing the valve guide seals, and reassembly is all you need to do.

Tons of places to purchase OEM Suzuki parts. Guess the obvious source is the one that gets overlooked. Google Parts Outlaw and check them out if you want to order online. Your local dealer is also a choice. There are also some aftermarket parts, but whatever you do don't get Athena gaskets (the green ones). Consider this your warning.

Good luck.

[ryguy425425]

Thanks for the advice! I think I'll pull the head and go from there.

I don't think I have a Suzuki dealer nearby (New Brunswick, Canada), so I'm limited to online sources. I think my next step from here will be to tear it down, and price up what it needs. I'll check what running bikes are selling for locally before pulling the trigger, but I'll probably end up doing it anyway.

Will post back with my progress!

[JEEPRUSTY]

You're in NB? Whereabouts?

[ukjules]

If its any help I am no tech wizard but I have done similar to what you are doing.
Tooling is the essential item ! and take time and if stuck have a coffee.
I read up for ages on ring compressors to get my cylinder back on - the guys here told me they were totally unecessary
for my bike and they were right - on in minutes no hassle at all by myself.

I found doing my head - or heads as it now is enjoyable and as long as you
have the tools - valve compressors ........ etc is simple. (buy em off ebay)

The knowledge is right here with these guys !
To hell with reboring if not absolutely necessary get it done and back on the road .....

[JEEPRUSTY]

I have a head and jugs
jugs still have cross hatch
head like new
oh well

[ryguy425425]

I'm glad to have a forum talk me out of boring!

My Seadoo forum convinced me to go from pulling one jug to remove a snapped head bolt to a top end rebuild with new crank seals!

I was busy all last weekend trying to get my Jeep ready for paint, but hopefully I'll be able to tear into this engine this weekend!

I'm located in southern NB, on the St. Stephen/Calais border.

[tkent02]

Low compression? It probably only needs the valves adjusted.

[ukjules]

Ill just add - be sure you have removed all the bolts on the Cylinder head before you try to remove it !
ALL of them ! As I had forgotten this and the process it cost me dear. (read my other post)
Dont take that the wrong way - I wish someone had forced me to think of that.

The second head I got for my bike also had signs of the last owner having left the front bolt in
and levering it causing small cracks. Its not only me that makes this mistake, but possibly only me
that uses such force to get a head off.

If you have parts and tooling you can turn it around easily in a weekend - easily.
Cleaning of the surfaces took me the longest. They are now perfect (its easy when you know the process) and I am hoping my
cheap as I could buy gasket set will be ok. I reckon it will.
The risk is worth knowing .... ill report.

Good luck on your 550.What wonderful bikes.

[BigD_83]

Ryguy,

I'm going to second that it is worth trying to fix up, but do hold off on pulling the head until you've gone through a proper valve adjustment, if you haven't already. Thankfully, no shims on your 550 so you don't have to wait around for the parts. Those nuts on the adjusters can be a PITA however, so make sure they don't slip when locking them down.

There are more than a few roads down your way (in NB and Maine) that are worthy of ripping that 550 through.

Did you do a leakdown test in addition to the compression test? Are you SURE you did the compression test properly (WOT)?

[John Park]

[QUOTE=BigD_83;2197963]Ryguy,

I'm going to second that it is worth trying to fix up, but do hold off on pulling the head until you've gone through a proper valve adjustment, if you haven't already. Thankfully, no shims on your 550 so you don't have to wait around for the parts. Those nuts on the adjusters can be a PITA however, so make sure they don't slip when locking them down.

The square end of the screw is the same size as a #2 [I recall] Robertson screw. It's easy to make a tool by bending one at a right angle and screwing it into a bit of wood. Or whatever sort of contraption you can come up with. I think the nut is a 9…?? Anyway, always recheck after you've tightened the locknut and don't go crazy with tightening as it's fine thread. APE makes some allen head screws, and it's nice having a hex instead of a square, but not worth the bother unless you need new ones.