GS550 skipped chain - how bad is it?

[kevinoneill]

ps. you guys have been the mos the most helpful by far. Its appreciated.

[Junkie]

Glad you made it over here, I figured there would be a bit more knowledge about a GS here than on BARF. Hope you manage to get it working again.

[TheCafeKid]

Yeah "loaded" would a huge understatement. When was the last time you guys turned in a 50 page homework ? haha, all MATH!!!!!!!

I did get to tinker with it during the week. I'll take photo's and show what I can see.

I can't get to the other end though, I got the casing off, and took out the, dunno the technical name, the 10 or so rings that push together for your clutch, friction plates maybe? but I can't remove their encasing to get behind it, the tranny casing itself, prevents me from pulling it out. So i'm a little stuck.

And I tugged, apparently, too hard... on the clutch rod... and it kinda broke snapped right inside the casing.

1 step forward, 2 steps back

Yeah sorry, I completely missed the aution, I want to make sure i'm able to repair it before I go spending money on parts.

Good chance it was already cracked and you just pushed it over the edge. Dont feel too bad man, the one nice thing about our GSs is they arent TOO awfully hard to repair. Press on! :-D

[kevinoneill]

Spring break! Ok some time to work on this.

Here are some more photos.

First photo, i started pulling of everything i could from the opposite side. Came to a hault here. You can see in the 2nd photo, the gear/clutch/pressure plate assembly, will not pull out, the gear hits the tranny case on the the way out.

I believe the other end of the clutch actuator attaches somewhere behind this assembly? it almost seems as though it goes right threw the center of it?? I don't know where to proceed from this point. Do I have to pull the motor out completely??

Also in the first photo, there was nothing attached to "A"... is that bad?

Point B... that is a whole, part of which looks factory, and other corner of it looks like it was cut, or def. scraped, the metal is scuffed/curled off... something to worry about?





From the other side, you can see where i managed to snap the clutch actuator off. It now resides within...



And a picture of all the parts I took off.



I dunno guys. Don't know how to proceed...

[Calvin Blackmore]

hole A is for a kick starter i believe
as for the shaft it does indeed hit dead centre on the clutch assembly

who has a manual for this bike?

also can you drop the sump cover to see if any thing is accessible from the underside

[Calvin Blackmore]

sooo did the pushrod actually break off?
is it stuck in the hole?

I recall years ago my trusty mechanic waarned me that if the chain broke it would break or warp this rod requiring the cases to be split.

however i know that the rod can be pulled out and re inserted with no problems at all if intact and straight.

If there is enough rod left inside you may be able to force it through to the other sside through the hole in the centre of the clutch basket.

Did you cut it off and deburr it or did it snap off?

[tkent02]

ssure plate assembly, will not pull out, the gear hits the tranny case on the the way out.

I believe the other end of the clutch actuator attaches somewhere behind this assembly? it almost seems as though it goes right threw the center of it?? I don't know where to proceed from this point. Do I have to pull the motor out completely??

The broken pushrod actually goes through the center of the hollow clutch shaft and pushes the clutch pressure plate away from the stack of clutch plates from the inside when you squeeze the lever. You can see the end of the shaft in the second picture, inside the hollow shaft. Use a suitable drift from the right side to push the pushrod back out to the left. May take a bit of tapping if it is very bent, the shaft it is inside of is steel and will take a little force without getting damaged. Might use the replacement pushrod as a drift to push the old one out, hopefully you won't have to hit it too hard and mushroom the end of the new one.

Also in the first photo, there was nothing attached to "A"... is that bad?

You have no kickstarter, but the place for one is still there from previous models. Suzuki went cheap.

[kevinoneill]

I got the rod out!

I just purchased one on e-bay, thanks for posting the link earlier. Here's what i bought...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150226677157

So with any luck, I'll have it by the end of the week, and next weekend, I can get it running again!

I did manage to snap it off (in half rather) on the left side, and then just pushed it threw, and it popped out on the right side with no effort at all really. Came right threw the center like you guys said.

I'm getting excited now

[Calvin Blackmore]

can we have a picture of the offending dead pushrod please?

[mf70]

I got into this part of my 250 many moons ago. There was a redesign from a single piece, oil leaking design to a two-piece oil-tight design.

Since it is a low-stress element, you might [have been] able to get away with straightening it. I'd first gently try straightening it in place before pulling it out. Once out, I'd use a reference surface (heavy plate glass, etc.) and get it as straight as possible.

About impact drivers:

• Make SURE the driver bit exactly fits the screw
• Hold it with a LOT of pressure in on the screw head
• Pre-torque the driver in the direction you want to go (Don't forget the directional collar)
• Replace those screws with SS sockets. Various ads on this site. I haven't, but it sounds like a good idea.
• At least lube or anti-seize the threads when replacing the screws.

About drive chain: I'd look carefully into chain wear and sprocket wear. That shouldn't happen. If the sprocket is worn, the chain is too. Replace all three elements.

About diving into unknown mechanics. Bike Bandit and others have factory parts microfiche images on their sites. It can REALLY help with getting an overview of what you'll be getting into.

[kevinoneill]

I'll try and get a photo of the clutch actuator when I get home. The actuator is actually currently in 2 peices so straightening it won't be an option

thanks for the info.

I need to see about new seals. Not sure if i'm going to need some new ones or not...

[kevinoneill]

Hmmm well i got the Push-rod... it is thinner than the one i took out...

eBay Auction said it was for 1980 GS550E, i have a 550T, i left them a note when i put my order in, to let me know if there was a difference between these models, would this part be good? didn't hear anything.

i put it in, and you kinda have to screw it a bit, when i turn it from the left side of the bike, i can hear parts rotating on the inside

[kevinoneill]

is there a special technique to putting the push rod in? with that screw on the end of it? you put it in i assume, and "twist it on" to whatever is inside the casing?

i put it on, but there is no pressure behind the clutch. i was able to get it to switch gears once or twice, but as i tightened down the clutch wire bolts, i lost all pressure and it won't change gears...

[tkent02]

Maybe your new rod is too short, or maybe the screw gismo is not on the correct "thread"??
When it's in right the little cable arm should be about 90 degrees to the cable?
I think there is also a steel ball in there, to allow the clutch to spin and not spin the rod. Is that ball missing?
Look at a parts diagram, I haven't had one apart in quite a while.

[kevinoneill]

Hmmm well i got the Push-rod... it is thinner than the one i took out...

eBay Auction said it was for 1980 GS550E, i have a 550T, i left them a note when i put my order in, to let me know if there was a difference between these models, would this part be good? didn't hear anything.

i put it in, and you kinda have to screw it a bit, when i turn it from the left side of the bike, i can hear parts rotating on the inside