What part(s) is missing here?

[thecdn]

The bike came like this, and although I thought it strange, it seemed to be working. Now after seeing oil come out of here and looking at the bikebandit schematic, it seems to be missing at least one piece.




As near as I can tell, I think it's missing part #18 here - http://www.bikebandit.com/2005-suzuki-gs500f/o/m16075#sch591360  but I'm not %100 sure. Would that part in itself be enough to stop the small oil leakage that is happening now?

[The Buddha]

Tach cable ... it has a nice O ring to stop that oil leak ... that it only leaks 1/2 the oil as this one is ...
Cool.
Buddha.

[thecdn]

Tach cable?! Ok, I see that, but how can the tach be working now? It's awkward to look under the tach housing with the fairings on (haven't had time to take them off) but I can see no traditional tach cable going into it. It's possible there is a smaller electrical cable going into it but I can't confirm until I lift the instrument cluster to look under it.

So, if I don't need a traditional tach cable on this beast what else could I do to close this up? Or would it be simpler to get a tach cable and hook it up there even if it isn't connected to the tach?

(If I ever meet the guy I bought this bike from again....  )

[reload]

looks like the tach was switched to the newer electronic version or the engine was swapped with the older version. what year is your bike?

any way there is a better way to plug up that seal. i believe there is a write up somewhere. if it were me i would fabricate a piece to cover it and use some rtv if possible.

[thecdn]

looks like the tach was switched to the newer electronic version or the engine was swapped with the older version. what year is your bike?

The bike is a 2005.

[reload]

ok nevermind my earlier comment. looks like suzuki updated the tach pickup but left the hole for the mechanical tach but just plugged it up.

part no's 16-19 pertain to your situation.
http://www.ronayers.com/Fiche/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki/YearID/47/Year/2006/ModelID/7851/Model/GS500F_2004-2006/GroupID/373025/Group/CYLINDER_HEAD_


it kinda looks like your po left the mechanical tacho assembly in the head if you look here.
http://www.ronayers.com/Fiche/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki/YearID/35/Year/1994/ModelID/6446/Model/GS500E/GroupID/268554/Group/CYLINDER_HEAD

do you have an earlier model engine? do you have an oil cooler? not a big deal just buy the plug for the newer models.

[thecdn]

do you have an earlier model engine? do you have an oil cooler? not a big deal just buy the plug for the newer models.

There is no oil cooler and I never thought to check the year of the engine before this - is there a separate marking on it that would indicate the year?

Will order the cap, part #16, that you mentioned. I've had more issues in one year of owning this bike than in my previous 31 years of motorcycle ownership.

Thanks a lot for everyone's help.

[reload]

order part 16-19 i dont think any of the old stuff would work cept for the screw. it gonna leak without the seal and nothing will hold it without the bracket. its not too much money for all 4 pieces.

i believe they added the oil cooler in 01 so if your 05 has no cooler then your po blew out the motor and did a lazy swap.

[thecdn]

order part 16-19 i dont think any of the old stuff would work cept for the screw. it gonna leak without the seal and nothing will hold it without the bracket. its not too much money for all 4 pieces.

Ok, makes sense.

i believe they added the oil cooler in 01 so if your 05 has no cooler then your po blew out the motor and did a lazy swap.

Where exactly would the oil cooler be? I can't look at it now, it's my son's bike and I'm at work. I can't say with total certainty it doesn't have one but I don't recall it. I'll wait till I confirm the oil cooler exists or not before I contemplate tracking down the previous owner to 'talk' to him.

Would it be legal to sell an 05 bike and not inform the new owner the engine has been changed for an older version? Probably not illegal, but certainly immoral.... must be patient for a few more hours.

[reload]

ok, so the oil cooler was added along with the full fairing kit, which is 04 in the US. if you have it, there would be a radiator in front of the engine right under the steering head w/ hoses running to the engine and oil pan.

i dont think you have it cause the rad should be right where your camera was when you took the pics.

a decent seller would have told you the bike was rebuilt. i would except that anyway.

[thecdn]

I'm not the most observant guy in the world, or blessed with the best memory, but I sure don't remember an oil cooler on this bike. And my strom has one, my previous bike and my son's previous bike so I know what they look like 

Is there any way to confirm what year an engine is by markings or anything?

Once again, thanks for all the help.

[reload]

maybe by deciphering the engine id on the right side case.

no problem glad to help

[mike__R]

It would make sense to me that the PO just didn't tell you, with the oil cooler (maybe) not being there and the tach cable not blocked off.  Those 2 combined make me think it's a pre-04 motor.

Without looking at it, that is.

[thecdn]

Definetely no oil cooler. Electric tach. So I've got an 05 bike with a pre 04 engine. And I wasn't told?     

Engine no starts with M501- which doesn't narrow it down much.

[mister]

Definetely no oil cooler. Electric tach. So I've got an 05 bike with a pre 04 engine. And I wasn't told?     

Engine no starts with M501- which doesn't narrow it down much.

Suzuki codes tell a lot...

Vin - tenth number Should give manufacture year (in the USA) using the following...

A = 80
B = 81
C = 82
D = 83
E = 84
F = 85
G = 86
H = 87
J = 88
K = 89
L = 90
M = 91
N = 92
P = 93
R = 94
S = 95
T = 96
V = 97
W = 98
X = 99
Y = 2000
1 = 01
2 = 02
3 = 03
4 = 04
5 = 05
6 = 06
7 = 07
8 = 08
9 = 09

Engine Code references....

Letter = Piston Displacement
First number = Engine type
Last two numbers =  design version of the engine

A = -49cc
B = 50-69cc
C = 70-79cc
D = 80-89cc
E = 90-99cc
F = 100-124cc
G = 125-149cc
H = 150-199cc
J = 200-249cc
K = 250-399cc
M = 400-499cc
N = 500-599cc
P = 600-699cc
R = 700-749cc
S = 750-849cc
T = 850-999cc
U = 1000-1099cc
V = 1100-1199cc
W = 1200-1299cc
X = 1300-1399cc
Y = 1400-1499cc
Z = 1500-

Engine Type
1 = Two-stroke, single
2 = Two-stroke, twin
3 = Two-stroke, triple or four
4 = Four-stroke, single
5 = Four-stroke, twin
7 = Four-stroke, four

So the engine code "M501" tells us...
It's a 400-499cc four stroke twin and the engine is the first design version. I believe the remaining digits are the number of engines of that type. So if your engine number was M501-19603 then it is the 19,603rd engine of M501 to have been built, or even of the type M5 to have been built (my either/or theory).

My K9 has M504 = 400--499cc four stroke twin and the 4th design version. Last digits are 153619 so I theorize it is the 153,619th version 4 engine to have been built, or the 153,619th M5 engine to be built. Either one.

So far I have found the 501 was still in use up until 2004 (if my info is correct). Still looking to see when it changed to a 502...

Maybe everyone can check their engine numbers to see if they have an M501 or other and we can collectively narrow down when the change from M501 occured. BTW, what are the last digits of your engine number (this might help too if people with older bikes have a close number for the rest of the digits)

Oil Cooler above the exhaust pipes leaving the engine on the outside of the frame, kinda looks like a radiator...





They ONLY come on the faired bike. So if your bike is naked and you have them, then the fairings have been removed - probably after a crash cause it's cheaper to make the bike naked than buy new fairings. If your bike is faired - they started making faired bikes in 2003 - and your engine has no oil cooler, then it is from Before then.

Hope this helps...

[thecdn]

Thanks for the info. It's a faired bike, a GS500F manufactured in 05 according to the vin place. The engine number is M501-176216. There is no oil cooler.

[reload]

ill go home tonight and get the engine code. we'll figure out this suckers history

[Toogoofy317]

Flick is an '04 and M504 on the engine if that helps. 

Mary

[mister]

Thanks for the info. It's a faired bike, a GS500F manufactured in 05 according to the vin place. The engine number is M501-176216. There is no oil cooler.

Ok. So you have an engine from a naked bike - or - the oil cooler has been removed from yours. But, seeing as you have an M501 it's looking like the engine was made before 05. Mary's engine number is M504. Makes me wonder if the change went from 501 to 504 and skipped 502 and 503? Or if my info is inaccurate. I know for certain the 501 was at least to 94. Other info suggested it went to 2004 but had nothing after that. Would make sense for the 504 to start when the 3 circuit carbs started in 2001.

I notice your last six digits are higher than mine. Which Could indicate they are numbers of that Version not total M5 types. Thus, if Mary's is also a version 4, then her last digits should be Much lower than mine.

IF (big if), the last digits are number of units of version numbers (and this is Theory Only) and the change happened around 2004 and my bike is five years after the change, and roughly the same number of units were made each year, it could stand to reason your engine was made around five to six years after first inception, which would indicate a 94/95 engine. However, before the slump, bike sales had grown close to 10% a year for Many years (In Aust). So if manufactured units were 30% less during the first few years, then your engine works out to be around 98 / 99.

Hmmm...

Michael

[GSnoober]

Just a reminder that the original design of the GS500 used a BLACK engine direct from the factory; Suzuki didn't switch to an unpainted engine until the 1997 model, at least for those sold in the US.

Also, look at the oil pan on the bottom of the engine; the original oil pan has no easy way to attach an oil cooler; the '04+ engines sold in the US used the full fairing, so they ALL had the updated oil pan and oil cooler. Here are links to photos of each one, from sales currently taking place on Fleabay:

ORIGINAL oil pan design, 1989-2002 (in US):

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqR,!i4E2Kv(tE,DBNr0l1hBqQ~~_12.JPG

2004+ oil pan, for GS500 with factory oil cooler:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqMOKnIE1SlRlRT6BNd81LQgpg~~_12.JPG

People don't tend to change oil pans unless they somehow get damaged; it would be VERY easy to plug an oil-cooler style pan to eliminate the cooler, but I doubt that has happened here. Whichever oil pan you have is almost undoubtedly the one the engine had when it left the factory, so that can provide one more clue as to the origin of the engine.

You might want to keep this in mind; if the guy you bought your GS from isn't the ORIGINAL owner, he might not know that the engine was probably swapped. The GS is popular with new riders for a lot of reasons, and most of them don't know much about it until AFTER they buy one, which is the reason why this site exists. If a buyer doesn't know the differences in production over the years, they won't know what to look for, or what might be missing.

Owners modify motorcycles for countless reasons; from clip-ons to the rear shock, from forks to wheels to swingarms, the GS is easy to modify; if you don't know what to look for, you can end up with a hodge-podge of changes that look factory original, mainly because stock Suzuki parts are often used to make the changes.

My point is, don't blame the previous owner for not telling you the engine might have been swapped; if he isn't a wrencher / gearhead type, he might not even know it, depending on who he bought the GS from. If you're not the SECOND owner, the engine swap could have happened four or five years ago, and the subsequent owners didn't know enough about the GS to realize it.

Check to see if the engine and frame numbers match; if not, there is another reason to suspect an engine swap, on top of all the other clues...

Last point; your engine is silver, so I suspect it isn't older than 1997... just sayin'...

EDITED to fix errors and add the last line...