Jump to content

Kelvin's Not So Old Yahama Zeal Project


kws

Recommended Posts

DSC09649.jpg?fit=1280%2C851

So this is what happens when I’m on Trademe at midnight…. I accidentally the whole motorcycle.

Yup, once again trademe is to blame for this. This had been on my watchlist since it was listed, with a low start reserve. When it came to the day it was closing, and the bidding was still really low, I couldn’t help but watch and see what happened. Sure enough, being midnight, no one was around to bid. One person had set an autobid, so once I exceeded that, it was mine.

The photos showed a complete bike, and one that didn’t actually look bad. The seller had this to say

I had a skid on this and got spooked, so it ended up sitting in the yard until the registration lapsed. It’s was running when I parked it up, but has been sitting so long now it’s probably only good for parts. So, so sad :(

So yes, the rego is lapsed, and it hasn’t been on the road for 4 years. Apparently it last ran 2 years ago, but not since. It’s also been sitting outside this whole time, and it’s taken its toll.

This is the photo that caught my eye
581006840.jpg?resize=800%2C450

It’s a pretty cool looking bike.

So, what is it?

It’s a 1993 Yamaha FZX250 Zeal.

It’s a JDM only (except for a few late-model ones released new into the Aus market) high revving four-cylinder, four-stroke bike. It has about 40hp, 6 gears, and a slightly more upright, relaxed riding position. Despite what my better half says, it’s a fairly small bike but should suit me well.

I finally had the bike transported from another suburb, to my house today. I couldn’t do it myself as my only car with a towbar was the S401 and that’s now gone.

The transporter was very good, and kept me updated on when it was picked up
18191006_1438721659522507_366661436_n.jp

And when it was delivered (since I was at work)
18159491_1438755836185756_1320383846_o.j

I came home after work and after getting it into the garage, had a good poke around it. The first issue was immediately obvious; either the front, rear, or even both, brakes are seized and binding. This makes it a real dog to push around.

I got there though
DSC09625.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09644.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Cosmetically, it’s not bad. Some paint fade, some scuffs and scratches, and a badly torn rear seat are the bulk of it. Theres also some surface corrosion, and general grot (and lots of spider webs and spiders)
DSC09651.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09650.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09641.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

A quick check of the basics was in order.

Oil? Check. Black and thick, but it has some.

Front brake fluid? Check, it has some, but it’s gross.
DSC09633.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Rear brake fluid? Check. Also has some, but a spider tried to come at me bro when I went to take the cap off. I presume it’s also gross.

Coolant? I saw something sloshing around in the bottle, so I guess so.

Fuel? Once I  freed up the lock on the cap, and pried that open, yes, its half full of the most rancid smelling petrol ever. Will turn it into a 50:50 new:old mix for the mower. Free fuel, and better than disposing of it. The Mustang will love it.

The tank opening had some rust (and grot), as did the cap. It’ll clean up OK though. I can’t see much inside the tank, but the fuel wasnt obviously full of flakes of rust, and what I could see in there appeared to be nice clean metal. Hopefully it’s not all rusty.
DSC09631.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09632.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Unfortunately the front forks will need rebuilding too. One seal is completely buggered, the other is leaking, and the forks are really soft.
DSC09630.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Once I worked out how to get the seat off (key on the side. Turn it one way and the helmet holder slides open and closed, turn it the other and the rear seat pops up. One 8mm bolt to release the front seat) I opened it up and checked the wiring and battery.
DSC09634.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09635.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09636.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09637.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Battery is flatter than a flat thing. Will try reviving it with my charger, but it’s likely toast now.

The clutch lever has a lot of play, and doesn’t seem to be disengaging the clutch. The lever looks like its been rotated forward too.

 

The plan?

Drain and replace ALL fluids.
Recondition/replace front and rear braking system (hoses appear OK, no swelling or cracking)
Free up clutch and gearing
Rebuild forks
Remove, strip and rebuild carbs
Drain and inspect fuel tank
Replace fuel filter
Replace spark plugs

I want to try to fire it up sooner rather than later, so I can check that the engine isn’t complete junk, so I wont be doing it in any real order. Brakes, fluids and fuel will be the priority.

It should be a nice rewarding project. Eventually I’ll get it back on the road, legally, and enjoy winding that engine up to the 15,000rpm redline.
DSC09628.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

First things first though, I need to tidy up Scooty and get that sold.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

DSC09627.jpg?fit=1280%2C851

I couldn’t help myself, I had to do some more digging on the bike and see what’s what.

First port of call tonight was to remove the battery and see if it could be charged. Seat off, and out came the battery. Before taking it out though, I had to connect a jump pack and see what happened. The good news is that it didn’t burst into flames, and when the key is turned the dash lights come on. The bad news is the fuel pump is making some ugly noises.

The battery is dead dead though, the charger didn’t even recognise that a battery was connected. Will need to look for a cheap replacement.
DSC09652.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Since the seat was off…. it was only another couple of screws to remove the side trims for further digging (battery on the floor is the new one for the Fit, since that packed a sad the other day)
DSC09653.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09656.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Taking these trims off allowed me access to some critical things.

One of which is the radiator. It wouldn’t be an automobile of mine if it didn’t spill coolant on the ground….
DSC09654.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

This was great news though, it’s filled with sweet sweet green coolant, not rusty water. Mean.
DSC09655.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

One of the other things it revealed, was the rust on the frame. Its ugly. Very ugly, but thankfully even with some hard-core digging and scraping with a screwdriver, it’s all solid metal. No holes. It will need to be stripped back, rust killed, prepped and painted though. This bike sat for 4 years, outside, in a suburb near the ocean. Surface rust is to be expected I guess.
DSC09661.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09662.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09676.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I got a good view of the carbs and surrounding area. Its filthy and has some surface rust in various places, but should tidy up. The carb manifold joins are cracking though.
DSC09667.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09670.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

First real view of the sweet four banger
DSC09665.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Hard to believe this is an oil filter…..
DSC09664.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Some more good news, is that the gear selector has freed up a bit, and I can now drop it down into first gear and pop back into neutral, and the lever now springs back how it should. The stand also springs a bit freer too. Good old WD40, working magic.
DSC09666.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I’ll try to remove and drain the fuel tank tomorrow. I want to try get the engine running before I go too much further, but I don’t know what to do with the carbs. They will be full of old stale fuel and varnish. I will need to rebuild them, but I don’t want to go to that effort and cost until I know the engine runs.

I’ll grab some oil and a filter tomorrow and get that gross old scum out of the engine. At least then I know that’s good.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before I could commit to any further work on the bike, I needed to know if the engine even ran.

Before I can even see if the engine runs I need to remove the fuel tank, drain it and see if im getting fuel to the carbs.

The tank is pretty easy to remove once the seat is off. You need to remove the little cubby box at the front of the tank
DSC00037.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Under that, and at the rear of the tank under where the seat would be, are four bolts. Two long at the rear and two shorter at the front (they are removed in the photos already)
DSC00038.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The guide I was using said to take the handle off the fuel tap. Not sure why, maybe just to reduce the chances of breaking it.
DSC00039.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The top fuel hose on the fuel pump is the inlet, so off that comes, and then it’s a matter of lifting off the tank.
DSC00040.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I forgot to take a photo, but under the tank is the air box (big black box in above photo). The filter in it was in good shape, so that’s one less thing to buy. I pulled the air box off, and finally had access to the carbs
DSC00041.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00042.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Before doing anything else with the carbs, I drained the fuel tank. I had issues draining through the fuel tap and filter, there just wasn’t any flow, so I resorted to just tipping it out the filler. This was a bit messy, but quick. The bad news? The tank is rusty. What I thought was half a tank of gas, turned out to be about a litre of petrol and half a tank of rusty water. Guess that explains the flow issue.
DSC00053.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00054.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The inside of the tank is rusty. Not too flaky, but will need to be worked to get rid of the rust. It doesn’t look deep, and there are no signs of it coming through that I have noticed. I can still see patches of clean metal around the place, which is a good sign.
DSC00052.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

There are a few different methods for removing the rust. You can fill the tank with water, nuts, and bolts and shake like mad. The preferred method (because I like to make everything more difficult) is electrolysis, or removing the rust using a sacrificial bit of metal and lots of electricity. I’ll look further into this, but I think the tank can be saved.

The other thing I had to do before I could crank the engine, was to drain the oil and fill with fresh oil and a new filter.

Remember the old filter?
DSC09664.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Yeah that’s been replaced
DSC00044.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And although the oil was thick, black and really bad smelling, it had no chunks or metal flakes in it.
DSC00043.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I filled up with 2.7L of Penrite MC4ST 10W50 semi-synthetic motorbike oil. Nice golden colour.
DSC00051.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Now, because I still haven’t purchased a new battery (don’t want to invest $100 into a battery if the engine is poked), I had to use the big 500CCA one I removed from the Rover…… Lets just say I don’t have a photo as it was bit of a dodgy setup using really long home-made jumper leads and clips just hanging on the bikes battery terminals…. but it worked :P

We have power!
DSC00047.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

All the lights work, even the hazards
DSC00049.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00050.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Speaking of dodgy, this was my “fuel tank” to try to supply fuel to the carbs
DSC00045.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Yeah, that’s probably not that safe. Oh well, fire extinguisher was near by!

Anyway, the carbs didn’t take much fuel at all during the testing. Whether that’s because they need to be fed with the fuel pump, or because they just aren’t in good shape, I don’t know, but I ended up feeding fuel straight down the throat of the carb.

After much cranking, something amazing happened….

It made vroom vroom noises. First start in at least 2 years (if not 4, depending on when the owner last started it). Engine ran good for the couple of seconds it was running, with no bad noises. Exhaust sounds awesome, even when it’s only hitting 5000rpm or so. Cant wait to hear it at 15,000rpm!

So the engine runs. The carbs are in dire need of a rebuild and the tank needs the rust removed, but otherwise its all fairly straight forward now. I don’t know if the gearbox does gearbox stuff, but I’ll deal with that later.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since the Wellington train system can’t help but try to fall into the ocean each time there is some weather, I had some spare time today to do some more work on the bike.

Since attempting to drain the fuel tank the other day I was left with a small amount in the bottom of the tank that I just couldn’t get out of the filler neck (due to its design). The only way to get it out was to remove the fuel tap, and drain through that hole.
DSC00052.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Removing the tap was easy enough. Two really tight, rusty screws and out it came.
DSC00056.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Another screw on the filter and the lot comes off. That’s a tasty looking filter.
DSC00058.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00059.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And this is what the fuel tap looked like. The tube is nice brass and cleaned up well, and the filters are intact and also cleaned up well.
DSC00057.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

This is what was sitting in the bottom of the tank
DSC00060.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00061.jpg?resize=681%2C1024

After draining it out, I took the tank out into the garden and hosed the utter shite out of it. Lots and lots of orange water poured out, so I kept flushing until the water ran clean. This is what came out of the tank. Chunky.
DSC00065.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The great news is the inside of the tank looks awesome now. Minimal surface rust left, and there are no flakes left. Not much work to finish it off now.
DSC00063.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00064.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

It’s a damn sight better than it was.

The next part that got my attention was the fuel tap.
DSC00066.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I cleaned off the outside of it, and then removed the two front screws and pulled the front off
DSC00067.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And this is what greeted me inside the tap
DSC00069.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Clearly the fuel level was at the reserve height for a while, as it was almost completely blocked with rust and scum. This is what came out of just that side of the tap
DSC00072.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

All the seals and O-Rings were flat and hardened, so out they came. New ones have been ordered from Litetek along with a carb seal kit.
DSC00073.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

When my ultrasonic cleaner arrives the tap will go in there for a proper clean, in the meantime I cleaned it up with WD40 and brake clean.

I wanted to have a quick look at the fuel pump. When I first got the bike the pump sounded like a tin of gravel being shaken and then it stopped working at all. I disconnected the pump and left it. Today I removed it for bench testing.
DSC00074.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

It seems it has an internal short. Whenever power is applied, it results in sparks and nothing else. I disassembled it to see if I could work out where the short is. Unfortunately I hit a dead-end, where I cannot access the windings for the main solenoid, so it’s a dead duck. Will try to source a good used one.
DSC00076.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Traces of water inside the electrical cap
DSC00077.jpg?resize=681%2C1024

With that out of the way, I had to look at fixing the gauges. The tacho was almost falling off, and the chrome caps on both arent attached.
DSC09629.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

It looks like the tacho had a bump at some point, as one mount is broken off and the bracket is twisted. I pulled the gauges off and checked out the damage.
DSC00078.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00079.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And the reason the caps aren’t attached. The mounts for the screws have been broken off both.
DSC00080.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00081.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00084.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00085.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Some creative superglue work sees all the broken off parts re-attached. Will need to be careful with them in the future, but the superglue is pretty strong stuff.
DSC00082.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00083.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00086.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Looks a bit naked without them
DSC00087.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And the last fun task today, was to see if I could get a charge in the battery. Previously my charger wouldn’t even detect that a battery was connected, the voltage was so low. Today I cheated, and “jump started” the bike battery from the old Rover battery. I connected them with correct polarity (like jump starting a car). Left it for a minute or two, and then connected the charger. Zing, the charger detects it and is charging it. I checked before and with the charger disconnected im now seeing 12v at the battery.
20170501_145107.jpg?resize=1024%2C57620170501_145112.jpg?resize=1024%2C576

If i can get the battery to hold a charge it’ll save me some money whilst i build the bike up. It will be replaced later on, but this will buy some time.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the tank thread lol. 

My 2c is just get the por 15 kit, follow the instructions and don't spill half of the metal ready. Oh and triple check you haven't sealed up any vents. 

Bloody good work on getting it running and good call on giving the carbs a birthday. 

I think the battery will be stuffed if it's been sitting for years but it doesn't hurt to try

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the offer but i have a few car batteries here that i can use in the mean time to start the engine etc, ill buy a proper new battery when the bike is ready to ride.

Will look into the Por15 kit. The remaining rust isnt too bad, so im looking at easier (and cheaper) alternatives first.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
DSC00118.jpg?fit=1280%2C851

What a week. Everything was put on hold, because I got married! But now that I’m home again, and going back to work tomorrow, I thought I would have a quick catch up on the Zeal.

Whilst I was away I left about a litre of white vinegar in the fuel tank to see if it would do anything to the rust. Unfortunately even after a week it had done very little. This is what I poured out. It had started to strip some of the lighter rust, but wasn’t working quick enough.
DSC00089.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I was going to try electrolysis, but it just seemed like a lot of faffing about to set up. I was doing some research and came across a product called Evapo-Rust. It’s safe for the environment, safe to touch, reusable and safe on paint… but it monsters rust. A few people have used it for tanks, and it seems to do a good job.

So, I scoured the local Supercheap Autos, and picked up 15L of the stuff.
DSC00094.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Before I could pour it into the tank, I had to seal the fuel tap hole in the tank better than the leaking duct tape I had used with the vinegar. To do this I used some scrap aluminium, a drill and the old gasket. I smeared some sealant on both sides of the gasket, and bolted the plate to the tank. So far, touch wood, it’s sealed tight.
DSC00091.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00093.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00092.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

With some strategic placement of some wood and a tub, I got the tank as flat as possible and filled with all 15L of the Evapo-rust. The tank has a 15L rated fuel capacity, but it didn’t quite fill the tank.
DSC00095.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

DSC00134.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00135.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Whilst I was away I also got some sweet packages from overseas. The first was a set of legit JIS screwdrivers from Japan. These are to Japanese standards, which is very slightly different to the Phillips cross profile. The difference is subtle, but enough that if you try to use a standard Phillips driver in a JIS screw, it’ll strip out like it’s made of cheese (as the screwdriver tries to “cam-out” by jumping out of the slots). JIS drivers will slot in and fit perfectly. The carbs on this bike (and most bikes) use JIS screws and are super common for stripping out when JIS drivers aren’t used.
DSC00096.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Revlimiter has an awesome write up on the differences between Phillips and JIS.
post-297194-0-10691700-1393492211.png?re

Another package I got was the set of LiteTek carb and fuel tap gaskets. This means I can put my fuel tap back together, and start work on the carbs.
DSC00098.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00097.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I started putting the fuel tap together
DSC00099.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I used a small bit of 2000 grit wet/dry paper to smooth out the rough edges on the pitting, so it wouldn’t damage the new gasket. Happyface.
DSC00100.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And in goes the new gasket. Scaredface.
DSC00101.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Bits
DSC00102.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The completed fuel tap. So this has been stripped, ultrasonic cleaned, new seals, and the screws treated in Evapo-Rust (which worked really well for a couple of hours soaking. The screws where heavily rusted, with thick coating of crud). Now it’s ready to go on the tank again when that is done.
DSC00123.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00125.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00126.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00127.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And what it looked like before
DSC00039.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00057.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00069.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Next I took the carbs off the bike. Not hard to do, once the airbox is off it’s only 4 hose clamps and 3 cables to disconnect. So much grot by the starter that I need to clean out too.
DSC00103.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00104.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00106.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00107.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I tried draining the float bowls, and only liquid came from cylinders 1 and 2. And I say liquid, because you can’t call it fuel. It was yellow, and smelt like paint stripper.

Using my awesome new JIS screwdrivers, I then removed the float bowls. Most of the screws cracked ok, but some needed a little help (and one needed the help of some vice grips). It turns out the flats on the driver are perfect for a spanner.
DSC00108.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00111.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

With all of the bowls off it was easy to see why I was doing this. Cylinders 2 through 4 had gritty sandy stuff in the bowl, and cylinder 1? Well, that’s where all the fuel in the rail drained to when the bike was sitting (leans to the left on its stand).
DSC00112.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00113.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00115.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00116.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00117.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00120.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00122.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The carb jets will obviously need cleaning, and the bodies are filthy. They will need stripping and soaking in the ultrasonic for a bit.
DSC00130.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00131.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00132.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I need to work on my plan of attack. The LiteTek site has an awesome write-up on how to rebuild the carbs, so I’ll go over that and get cracking on it.

I also need to work out what to do with the frame. I’m slightly leaning towards stripping the bike and getting the frame blasted and powder coated, but it’s a lot of work, time and money.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who would've thought that bleeding a motorbikes brakes was so easy..... Its all just, right there (except the rear brake res, which is tucked up under the frame and has to be unbolted to get the cap off. The designer of that needs a shooting).

Brake fluid was a gross cloudy brown, and now both brakes are firm. No more spongy pedal or lever. Not sure if brakes are still stuck on as bike is stuck in garage, but its promising that i wont need to immediately rebuild the system.

Having some issues with the carb rebuild, waiting on a couple of replacement brass screws that self destructed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s taken a bit of working to get the motivation to write this post. Work on the bike has kinda slowed to a crawl, but I stripped the carbs and have started putting them together again.

So I removed the carbs and took the float bowls off them in the last post, to discover that carb one had a lot of gunk in it, and the other three were a little crusty from sitting.

The next day I started to strip down carb one, to see how bad it was. I took the floats and jet housings off first
DSC00143.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00144.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00145.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

These are the jets from carb two. You can see the difference in size between the two jets. The pilot jet lives down the deep recess between the two other jets.
DSC00142.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Speaking of pilot jets, the pilot jet for carb one was completely blocked solid, and took a lot of soaking in carb cleaner and poking with a thick strand of wire to clear it. The other two jets on carb one also had debris in their holes, but the pilot was the worst.

Remember, this is what the jets looked like. It’s no surprise.
DSC00122.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I then started separating the carbs, as they are all linked together
DSC00150.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00154.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The seals on the main fuel feed were in very bad shape with multiple cracks in the rubber. Thankfully I ordered replacements from Litetek.
DSC00158.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00242.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I pulled the cap off carb one, removed the spring and needle
DSC00165.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00168.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And removed the slide. Under the diaphragm was this black stuff. Its been on all the carbs of the carbs so far. It’s almost like powered plastic shavings? Theres no obvious wear on the slides.
DSC00172.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00170.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I cleaned all the black stuff out and removed the choke needle
DSC00178.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00180.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00182.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Organisation is key
DSC00184.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

This first carb was a bit of an experiment on following the instructions to a tee. I’ll soon learn not to do that. Following the instructions I removed the throttle plate and shaft
DSC00185.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00186.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00187.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

This was to replace the shaft seal, which wasnt worn or hard anyway
DSC00194.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Next up I removed the pilot mixture screw. This was covered in some sort of oily mixture. Just FYI too, all my carbs had this screw set at 2 full turns from fully in.
DSC00188.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00189.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00190.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00191.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I purchased a small 2.5L ultrasonic cleaner, so gave it a shot with the carb body since it was stripped. It started out like this
DSC00195.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00196.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00197.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00198.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

I filled it with about 50:50 water:simple green, got the mix to 65c, and dropped the body in. I soaked it for about an hour and it came out like this, with no scrubbing. It was pretty effective, although im sure if I just used some brake clean I would have got the same results in minutes; and I did, on the other carbs (I scrubbed with a tooth-brush and brake clean whilst I waited on the cleaner to finish). At least I know the ultrasonic cleans out all the tiny little holes and channels in the carb.
DSC00199.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00203.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00204.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00205.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00206.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

My makeshift parts washer
DSC00202.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

You can see I didn’t remove the slide housing. I tried to pull it out earlier and it wouldn’t budge, so I left it.

Now, that’s where I left the carbs that day. The next day I finally had my syphon arrive (thanks to a run-around by the useless couriers), so I could drain the Evapo-Rust from the tank. It had done a pretty decent job of stripping the surface rust. The inside is mostly clean, but unfortunately it did spring a small leak at the back of the tank where there is a seam. This was the nail in the coffin, I had to do it properly.

I used the syphon to drain the tank back into the bottles. The liquid came out pretty dark, but I should be able to get a little more use from the solution.
IMG_0006.jpg?resize=1024%2C768IMG_0007.jpg?resize=1024%2C768

I also had some small bits just chilling in the bottom of the tub the tank was sitting on (to catch leaking liquid, which it did well), sitting in the fluid that had leaked out.
IMG_0008.jpg?resize=1024%2C768IMG_0010.jpg?resize=1024%2C768

All of these bits were really rusty, including the idle adjustment screw (which I thought was a write off). The idle screw came up really well
IMG_0011.jpg?resize=768%2C1024IMG_0012.jpg?resize=768%2C1024

Its pitted, but no longer rusty. Compared to how it was, it’s a miracle.
DSC00128.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC09672.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

All the screws and hose clamps that I left in the solution came out well too. It’s quite powerful stuff. Once its taken out of the solution I rinse in water and then coat in WD40 to stop it rusting again.

Since the tank was now leaky, I couldn’t just stop here and put it back on the bike. Looking around, I decided to purchase a tank refurb kit which comes with a cleaner, rust remover and a tank sealer. The sealer should stop it rusting again, and will block the tiny leak. I was trying to avoid having to seal the tank as it is likely messy to do, but this should mean it lasts a lot longer. It should arrive in a couple of days.

I was feeling a bit unmotivated so left the bike for a bit. A couple of days ago I decided to get back into the carbs and see if I could get one back together again. I tried a bit harder and got the slide housing out of carb one
DSC00213.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

This is where I should have gone off script and just left it alone, but I didn’t. I had the seals, so decided to do them. I removed the seal at the top and the square seal
DSC00215.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00216.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

The top seal was quite flat, but in decent condition really (not hard and no cracks). I fit the new seals and slotted the housing back into the carb body
DSC00218.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And then it all turned to custard. The instructions say to push the housing down and to nip up the screw, but don’t rely on using just the screw to pull it together…. clearly I didn’t push hard enough. The first screw went ping, and snapped into two pieces. Nuts. Because im a muppet though I forgot to use the washer under the screw, so I thought “hmm, maybe thats why it snapped”. So I grabbed the screw from carb two… and snapped that too. Good thing I purchased a set of Easy Outs a while back.
DSC00219.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00220.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

They are little hollow brass screws, so very little structural integrity.

I rage quit and went back into the house and left it there. I ordered three new screws out of the states for a few bucks each, so they should be here in a week or so. Sigh.

Yesterday I couldn’t be bothered with the carbs but wanted to do something to feel useful, so I bled the brakes. Both brakes had really bad feel. The front lever was really soft and spongy, and the rear wasnt much better. I had figured I was probably up for a rebuild of the cylinders and calipers anyway, so what harm is there in bleeding it and seeing what happens?

It’s funny how much easier bike brakes are to bleed than a car. I can lean on the lever whilst closing the valve to do the front, and pump the rear with my foot whilst working the valve. No need for a second person.

The res was full of slime when I got it, but I flushed that all through
DSC00224.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And both calipers played nice and bled well. Minimal air, but foul fluid
DSC00221.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Now both brakes actually have solid feel and feel pretty good. I don’t know if the calipers are still sticking as the bike can’t move, but at least I might be able to put off spending too much on the brakes immediately. All the hoses look visually good with no cracking.
DSC00225.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00229.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Whoever the bloody sadist is that designed where the rear brake fluid res is located should be slapped hard. Its located in such a way that to get the cap off you have to remove a side panel, unbolt the res and have it hanging in the air, otherwise the cap doesnt clear the frame, and there is no way you could pour fluid in it.
DSC00228.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Moving along; This morning I was considering just selling the damn bike for parts as it was pissing me off and I was getting pretty demotivated with it all. So much work to do, and nothing going right, but at the end of the day that’s not how I work.

So having a short day at work today, I shot home and went straight into the garage. I swapped the O-ring on the slide housing back the old one, and using the screw from carb THREE, I managed to get it nipped up nicely without snapping it.
DSC00230.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

All the jets also went back in after a thorough cleaning.

The float needle seat went in next, with its new O-ring
DSC00231.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00232.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

And then the needle, float and bowl
DSC00233.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00234.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Finally it was the slide, needle, springs and cap, to top it offDSC00235.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

That’s carb one, done and ready to go.

I then stripped, cleaned and assembled carb two
DSC00240.jpg?resize=1024%2C681DSC00241.jpg?resize=1024%2C681

Now I have a pair of carbs. Just need the screws to arrive and I can do the other two and then bench sync them. I’m hoping to have the carbs ready to go when the tank is ready, so that I can assemble and fire it up on my stand and see what the gearbox is like. After that, it’s a full tear down to do the frame.

Oh yeah, I think I forgot to mention that I got a rear stand. No room to use it where the bike is at the moment, but once the car is living outside and I’m stripping the bike it will have all the room for activities.
20170504_202748.jpg?resize=1024%2C576

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
DSC00399.jpg?fit=1280%2C719

I have been a tad lazy with the updates on this, but rest assured, progress is happening.

Slowly but surely, most days after work I have been plugging away at the Zeal.

Coming off the last post where I had started to reassemble the carbs, I got stuck in and cleaned the rest of the carbs, replaced the seals and reassembled them. I finally got my replacement brass screws, so took great care not to smash these ones to bits. Made in Japan, sent via USA to NZ.
DSC00319.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00320.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00321.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

I also received my cool little set of carb brushes from Aliexpress.
DSC00318.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

They were pretty good at cleaning out passages and jets. Most of them were clean, but I did manage to clear out a bit more baked on crud from the No1 main jet with them.

All the carbs mounted together
DSC00323.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

And with the choke rail mounted back on
DSC00326.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

The de-rusted idle adjuster looked much better
DSC00334.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00335.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

The only other thing left to do with the carbs was to bench sync them. Bench syncing the carbs is to make sure all the throttle plates open the same amount. The throttle cable acts directly on carb No3, with the other carbs all being triggered off that carb with a series of tabs and springs. There are adjustment screws on each carb linkage so that you can fine tune the interaction between the carbs.

There are many ways on the interwebs to bench sync a carb. I chose one of the easier ones, which is to use the idle screw to open the No3 carb slightly, and adjust the idle screw so there is a slight drag on whatever you use as a feeler gauge. In my case I used one of the carb cleaning wires.
DSC00336.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

Slightly open
DSC00338.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

And then use the same feeler gauge to slowly fine tune how far the throttle plate is open on the other carbs, working out from carb 3.
DSC00341.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

This should get the carbs all in the ballpark of being fairly similar.

Once I had finished that, I moved back onto the tank. Because the damn tank was now leaking, thanks to rust, I had to line it. I purchased a KBS tank repair kit off trademe. They seem to have good ratings and it was a good price.
Auto-Fuel-Tank-Sealer-Kit-14.jpg?resize=

I used the kit to degrease, and remove any rust the other rust remover missed. It seemed to do a good job. Then the tank sealer went in. I rolled the tank around a lot, to try to get a nice even coating. Unfortunately due to the design of the Zeal tank it was hard to drain the excess, so there is a little pooling and some runs in the tank, but it’s pretty well covered, which matters.
DSC00314.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00315.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

Once cured for a few days, I filled the tank with water and left it overnight to make sure it wasn’t leaking. Sure enough it was still dry on the outside the next morning, so the sealer has done its job. Yus.

In preparation for refitting the carbs to the bike, I wanted to attend to the nasty looking carb manifolds. They are a metal base with rubber top, and it was all cracking and flaking off. Not a good look.
DSC00350.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00351.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00352.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00354.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

I removed any flaking rubber, wire brushed the metal parts, and then used Sikaflex to seal them.
DSC00365.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00368.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00370.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00366.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

This is what I used. Sikaflex 227. It comes highly recommended for this job. Strong, fast curing, but stays flexible.
DSC00369.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

I smothered it all over, and filled the cracks
DSC00371.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00372.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00373.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00374.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

The old vacuum hoses were brittle and broke when removed, so I needed to make new ones.
DSC00376.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

And the refreshed manifolds were fitted to the engine
DSC00379.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00381.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

The carbs were great fun to refit… not. A lot of wiggling and jiggling got them in place, and then lots of fiddling got the damn throttle cables back into place.
DSC00387.jpg?resize=1280%2C719

Looks a little nicer than when I got the bike
DSC00042.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

I couldn’t help myself. I rigged up my trusty fuel tank syringe, used it to gravity feed the fuel bowls, poured some gas down the carbs, connected the battery and hit the starter. (yes, this video wasn’t the first first start, but it didn’t take much to fire up anyway)

 

It was a tad smokey, blowing plumes of smoke and even wisping smoke out when the engine was off. Filled my garage with smoke, even with both doors open.

 
 

DSC00382.jpg?resize=1280%2C851DSC00383.jpg?resize=1280%2C851

It sounds great though, so much noise from the carbs. It wont idle without choke at the moment, and isn’t running prefect, but the carbs do need some tweaking and tuning, and maybe a tweak of the idle screw. My latest purchase arrived the other day which will help with this, a Carbtune Pro
010_Carbtune.jpg?resize=777%2C518

The smoke was starting to clear up when I decided enough was enough, so that’s a good sign. The coolant was also warming up and circulating, and everything seemed to be going well… except one thing. The gearbox/clutch.

I’m suspecting this is an electrical issue, as there are a couple of them (like the engine run switch allowing the engine to start no matter which position it’s in, and not cutting the engine when set to STOP). When the engine is running in Neutral, it will idle and run happily, but the moment you put it into gear the engine will cut. I don’t think its related to the clutch, but feels like when it’s shifted from Neutral it cuts off.

With the clutch lever out, in gear, it won’t try to crank. With the clutch lever pulled in, the engine will crank over in gear but wont try to start (yet as soon as you shift to neutral it will start straight away). I’m guessing something weird going on with the neutral switch? Will need to investigate.

Now that I know the engine runs OK, hopefully I can sort the gearbox issue and make sure that works OK and then I will strip the bike down and deal with the frame. Fun Fun.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome dude!

Check that the wiring is plugged in properly. Make sure that the neutral switch plug hasn't got mixed with something like the side stand switch plug or something. I know a lot of modern bikes have a side stand switch and you cant start or even run the bike with side stand out. 

So that would be a place to look. Not necessarily the correct place, but something simple to check first... hah

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...