Turning 79 GL1000 engine over manually

[LLRelease]

I picked up a 79 GL1000 project bike that hasn't run since 2001. I have owned a GL500 since 1991, and I am hoping this GW is a good candidate for a restoration. The left side intake tubes were removed years ago, and I am assuming the engine may be seized. I used a syringe to insert Marvel Mistery Oil in the cylinders and let it soak for several days. I am now ready to try to spin the motor. According to the shop manual, I can manually rotate the crank shaft using the generator rotor bolt on the left side. However, it is not clear what direction to turn it in. Is it CW (as if tightening the bolt) when viewing from the rear of the bike? - Thanks!

[Rambozo]

You may have to go back and forth to get a stuck motor freed up. Because you might be using a fair bit of force, my preferred method is to put the trans in high gear and turn it over with the rear wheel. Some things like rotor and crank bolts can't take the torque required. Much better to work it a bit at a time back and forth over forcing it in one direction. That's a good way to break a ring. The rear wheel also gives you a little mass and some flywheel effect.

[Track T 2411]

What he said...

[LLRelease]

Thanks @Rambozo for the advice and explanation! It makes perfect sense to use the drive train to try to free up a stuck motor. With these transmissions, is it possible to determine what gear it is in? I am sure I can find 2nd and keep lifting from there. What would be a good gear for trying to free the motor by rotating the rear wheel back and forth?

[Rambozo]

High gear gives you the most leverage. You might have to turn the wheel forward and backward while shifting to get it to go through the gears, since they are not spinning.

[LLRelease]

I put it in feels like 5th gear. The motor is definitely locked up. I sprayed some PB Blaster in the cylinders and will give it time to do its magic.

[cfairweather]

Remove the belt covers and see if you have a broken belt. If so, you have bent valves and maybe other damage like bent rods or damage to pistons.

[LLRelease]

I removed the head covers, and 2 of the intake valves seemed to be sticking. I freed them up and backed off the screws in the tappets. The motor still won't turn, so I will remove the belt covers next to see if one of the belts is broken. I will need to replace the belts and set/confirm the timing anyway. Should I also remove the starter? Some YouTube videos suggest the starters are prone to locking up.

I am very grateful for the help and suggestions! I was very disappointed when I confirmed the motor was seized... I was hoping for a bit of luck. On the plus side, I am learning about the motor.

[Rambozo]

Since the intakes were open, for years (outside?) this is probably not a good candidate to get running, beyond getting experience. It most likely will not run well and will smoke like a stove. Your task is made more difficult because many parts range from hard to impossible to get. At this point you can find better examples to start with and this can become a parts bike. Having said that, the first thing to do is pull the heads and see what it looks like. My guess is water got in a cylinder and it is rusted solid. Soaking with various chemicals and persuading the stuck piston with a block of wood and a BFH may get it moving. The rings may or may not live to tell the tale.
Is the bike complete?
How do the carbs look?

[LLRelease]

Hi Rambozo,

The bike sat in a garage for all those years, so I am hoping no water got into the cylinders. It is possible that some spray from rain got in, and the PO lives on a lot next to a brackish river. I knew going into this project that it could end up as a parts bike, but it would be disappointing none the less.

The bike is complete, though it will need a lot of work (front brake master cylinder and carbs will need to be rebuilt, needs paint and lots of TLC). The motor has less than 20,000 miles, so it should have lots of life if there if the rings aren't corroded to the cylinder walls. After removing the timing belt cover, I am thinking I will remove the heads next to get a better idea of what I am working with. Can I remove the head with the engine in the bike? Should I also remove the starter just to rule it out?

Thanks!

[Rambozo]

That is one of the nice things about a flat four. Getting the heads off in the frame is a cake walk compared to an inline.
Do you have a factory service manual? If not, get one.
If it's complete, that is a big plus. You can pretty much count on replacing anything made of rubber, just from the years.
Since it was stored inside, you still have a chance. You can look in the cylinders with a borescope, but since many of these have bad head gaskets, you might as well just pull the heads if it won't turn over. Since you had stuck valves, the heads should come apart anyway. A sticking valve on this engine will get bent or worse if not fixed before starting.
The starter has a clutch drive on it, so even if it was locked up, it would still turn one direction.
Any idea why it was parked or other history on the bike?
As with most GoldWings the mileage means nothing, it's the years of neglect that will be the trouble. I would rather start with a runner with 220,000 miles than one that has sat so long.

[LLRelease]

I removed the radiator and timing belt covers. The belts look ok. I may try removing the them just to rule out a stuck valve or interference in case the belt jumped. I will also remove the heads to see what the valves and cylinder look like.

[LLRelease]

The motor is unstuck . With the timing belt cover off, I couldn't resist the urge to put a small breaker bar on the camshaft bolt. To my surprise, it moved a little in the reverse direction and I was able to gently work it back and forth until it rotated a full 360 degrees in the CW direction. I didn't put much torque on it all (I purposely used a small 14" breaker bar). However, I heard 2 pops from the right side during that first rotation. This is the side where the intake tubes were removed. I think 2 valves may have been stuck. It now rotates freely and all valves are opening and closing. Should I stop and do a compression test, or go ahead and pull the right side head off to inspect the valves and seats and cylinder wall?

[Rambozo]

Up to you. I would probably pull both heads to clean everything up and make sure the valves are free. Especially if this is going to be a restoration project and not just a get it running and ride. No point in doing a compression test until it has been run in a bit. You will know more when the heads are off. You can check the valve sealing by pouring solvent in the intake and exhaust ports and seeing if it leaks into the chambers. I would want to polish up the valve stems and brush out the guides to clear out any crud or corrosion. I'm sure it will need valve seals, too. You can line up all the valve springs and make sure they are all about the same length. Not as good as a spring tester, but if it had a few valves held open for years and years, you might have a few bad ones to change. Just look for any short ones.

[LLRelease]

Hi Rambozo! I think you're right. I will feel better knowing the valves, valve seats, and springs are all in good condition. I will also clean any carbon from the cylinder head and replace the valve seals and head gaskets. I was getting a little ahead of myself after a small win!

[LLRelease]

I made good progress over the past week despite my full time job! I pulled the right hand side head off (this is the side that had the intake tubes removed for 20 years). There was a small bit of rust in cylinder #3, which I was able to wipe out. There appears to be some slight discoloration, but the cylinder wall looks better than I expected. There is no indication that the ring was stuck to the wall. Should I try to remove the stain and smooth it with some fine 600 or 800 sand paper or buy a cylinder hone? I think it would smooth out pretty easily. Cylinder 1 has some scoring along the piston's direction of travel.

I am hoping that I don't have to pull the engine and split the case as this may be beyond my skillset and budget.

Cylinder 3 as I found it

Cylinder 3 after wiping it out

Cylinder 1