Cylinder prelube

[planebuilder]

O.K. so this '83 1100L has sat since '95 without running. I want to pull the plugs and pour something into the cylinders to loosen up the rings and maybe melt some possible rust before I use a breaker bar and socket to turn the crank. Does anyone have a recommendation of what to pour in? My thoughts are Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam.

Any body?

P.S.
I searched for a previous post on this question and came up blank.

[t3rmin]

My thoughts are Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam.

Yep. ;-)

..........

[txironhead]

Marvel Mystery Oil worked great for me, but I'd also recommend Corrosion X, it's a little lighter weight and gets into the nooks and crannies better. Maybe a good shot of C X in each cylinder, wait overnight then pour a bit of MMO in there, then wait a few days before breaking out the BMF wrench.

[planebuilder]

Yeh, I've got one of those BMF wrenches...and a MBF hammer, too. The U.S. Government spent a lot of money issuing us a (heavy!) tool box full of every tool you can imagine and all we really needed for most jobs (U.S.A.F. jet engine mech) was those two tools.

Thanks, all for the affirmation & advise.

[Dark Jedi]

I just filled mine with WD-40 and let it sit a bit. Marvel works, and you can improve it's effect by heating it before pouring it. (I soaked it in boiling water for a bit to loosen it up for a car project)

[Clone]

You guys and your WD40](*,)
You can fill the combustion chambers with any oil, but a thinner one is usually best. With seized engines we usually used deisel or ATF and let it seep down into the pan. Then drained it out put in some cheap 30W and started it up. Let it run for a bit, then drained it out and put in the good stuff I would normally use. Just remember to let it sit and drain down.

[twistedwankel]

You guys and your WD40](*,)
You can fill the combustion chambers with any oil, but a thinner one is usually best. With seized engines we usually used deisel or ATF and let it seep down into the pan. Then drained it out put in some cheap 30W and started it up. Let it run for a bit, then drained it out and put in the good stuff I would normally use. Just remember to let it sit and drain down.

Ditto. My trusty old mechanic always used ATF and it worked great even on a Ford motor siezed for years with a mouse family living in one cylinder.

[Billy_Oliver880]

I have heard good things about using diesal as well.

[gremlin]

diesel is for cleaning out the sluge build up. drain oil add diesel, let set then run the oil pump for a bit with a drill. works wonder on old cars.

[Jaguarjoe]

How do you run the oil pump on a bike? In particular my '79 GS550E which hasn't ran since 1986. The cylinders aren't seized up and it has compression (in one cylinder anyway) but I'd like to circulate oil through the valve train before I start it up.

Thanks,

Joe

[Calvin Blackmore]

remove the spark plugs
make sure you have clean oil in the sump

motor wont start without plugs so crank it over with short cycles on the starter button

as long as the oil light goes out the system should be pressurized and therfor eoil should have traversed through the system.

[Jaguarjoe]

I was hoping to run the oil pump by itself before I cranked it over with the starter motor and worked the valves when they are dry. Some Ferari's can do that- circulate the oil first then crank it over. The bike's been sitting for 21 years. There can't be any oil up in the valve train anymore.

[txironhead]

Seems like there would be a way to rig up an electric pre-oiler if you had an oil cooler fitted. With a small heat- and chemical-resistant pump, relayed somehow to turn on with the key and shut off while the engine's running, something like that could really cut down on startup engine wear.

It would also allow someone to pre-lube an engine that has been sitting a while.

[Jaguarjoe]

Seems like there would be a way to rig up an electric pre-oiler if you had an oil cooler fitted. With a small heat- and chemical-resistant pump, relayed somehow to turn on with the key and shut off while the engine's running, something like that could really cut down on startup engine wear.

It would also allow someone to pre-lube an engine that has been sitting a while.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Older cars with distributor driven oil pumps would let you spin the oil pump with a drill motor.
I don't recall seeing any external oil lines on this bike. This would be hard to do without them.
I'm prolly going to take 5 years off the life of this motor just in the short time it takes to get the oil circulated through it

[rapidray]

You can remove the clutch hub & pull off the oil pump gear from the pump & spin the oil pump shaft to put oil through it. After you spin it for awhile you can turn the crank 90 degrees & spin the pump some more to make sure it goes everywhere. Then put the pump gear back on replace the hub & go from there. This is all with the bike on the side stand of course & maybe even 2x4s under the tires to lean the bike a little more so you don't dump oil out. Make sure this is also NEW oil of course. Good luck, Ray.