Tips for engine removal/installation?

[Sal_the_man]

Bought a 92 motor to replace the broken* one currently in my 1996 GS500E. Missing some nuts and bolts but harnesses look good and seller said it ran fine. Trusting his 99.5% approval rating on Ebay.

So any advice you all have for the engine swap? None of my friends are available to help me out so I'm tackling it on my own.

Have sufficient tools and a floor jack that my friend will be lending me. It's the first engine I'll ever be swapping, so tad bit daunting. But I have the haynes manual as my aid.

[baronduff]

Also interested in this as am considering getting frame powder coated.

[mwe]

method one: put a mattress or something similarly soft on the ground and lay the bike down on its side.  remove bolts, apply foot to engine, pull frame free.



method two:  use ratchet straps to attach a 2x4 to the back of the barrels, remove bolts and frame drop out and then with a partner lift the 2x4 freeing engine and then slide out the side. *no pics

Installation for method 2 is just the reverse, and for method one, either do the opposite of install or I just use a small jack to position engine and manipulate the frame around it.  Keep in mind the angle the engine sits in frame (slightly forward pitch) when reinstalling.

[Sal_the_man]

Method 1 looks easier. But I'm going to go with method no. 2 since I have a friend lending me a jack. Thanks for the advice, exactly what I was looking for.

[Sal_the_man]

Completed the swap and the replacement motor is running well for now. Total time took about 8 hours and three separate days:

Day 1 - Spent 1 hour dismantling fairings, tank, airbox, and carburetors.
Day 2 - Spent 1 hour disconnecting wiring, chain/front sprocket.
Day 3 - Joined by two friends removing old engine and installing new engine for 3 hours. Spent the next three assembling the rest by myself.

Reflections:
- Check to make sure your front sprocket is compatible with the replacement motor. The replacement is a 92 and the one we removed is a 96. The front sprocket from the 96 does not fit on the 92 since it has a hub. Conveniently, the replacement came without a front sprocket. Figures. So am ordering an OEM one.
- Removing the engine was easy in contrast to installing the replacement. The latter took a good 50 minutes with three people. I honestly don't believe I would have done it without my friends. My back hurts from this. 
- Take pictures of how the harnesses and hoses are oriented. It's straight-forward but I still have to re-route a few of both.
- Getting the choke and throttle cable on and off takes a few minutes. Nothing hard but frustrating at moments. Said a few naughty words in the process.
- I'm tired...lol
- Feels good to have completed my first ever motor swap.


I'll include some fancy pictures my friend took and a video of it running as well. The airbox and some of the vent hoses are not attached so it was running funky. But it was running nonetheless and no knocking sound was heard...

[lucas]

Congrats!

[Sal_the_man]

Thanks! ^____^

Glamour photo. Damn I look good:




My friend and I working to get the motor out. Both GS owners




My aid and savior




Staying busy




"It's stuck here."






Getting desperate to rip it out




Hmm...




Man I'm bald. Good thing I have beard hair




Finally out! Ended up using the jack and wheeled it out.




Making engine noises




Glamour shot! I rode down a hill with the bike in this form. Neighbor gave me an odd stare.




Airbox and vent lines aren't hooked up.

[ShowBizWolf]

Love this thread and the pics   

[Daeouse]

Absolutely excellent thread! Glad to see your bike running again!

I'm definitely going to have to keep this thread subscribed, as I probably will have to pull the engine from my Basket Case to ensure there's no internal damage from it's previous "yard mechanic" abuse.

[Sal_the_man]

Thanks guys!

Daeouse: Are you doing a complete engine teardown or rebuild? I simply dropped my oil pan to check for damage and found abundant metal shavings. Marked the demise of my motor.

Other tips:
- Place the airbox in first before reconnecting hoses and wiring. Easier to route small hoses around a large airbox than the other way around.
- Don't lose the nut and screw to the negative terminal. I dropped mine and it was a PITA to find a compatible screw and nut.

Just waiting for my front sprocket to ship in.

[Daeouse]

Thanks guys!

Daeouse: Are you doing a complete engine teardown or rebuild? I simply dropped my oil pan to check for damage and found abundant metal shavings. Marked the demise of my motor.

In my case, the spark plugs were left out for an unknown period of time, so I need to be able to see inside the cylinders for corrosion and if water made it past the rings and into the lower case. The latter problem can be determined by dumping the oil and looking for water, while the former may require opening the top end, since I do not own a bore-scope.

[Sal_the_man]

Ugh that doesn't sound fun. Interested in what results you find

[Daeouse]

I will post up my findings!

[lucas]

Speakina witch, when are you going to finish paying off your basket case, eh?

[Daeouse]

Speakina witch, when are you going to finish paying off your basket case, eh?

Waiting to hear back in the next few days to see if I got the job at a local motorcycle dealer. If so, the GS will be paid off sooner. If not, it'll be piecemeal for a little while longer.

[The Buddha]

The GS motor actually installs a lot easier if you removed all the alternator parts and if you can take off the valve cover and cam shafts even better. Of course you drop something in the cam chain tunnel you'd want to kill me ... so don't do that.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Sal_the_man]

The GS motor actually installs a lot easier if you removed all the alternator parts and if you can take off the valve cover and cam shafts even better. Of course you drop something in the cam chain tunnel you'd want to kill me ... so don't do that.
Cool.
Buddha.

You're right. Forgot to mention we took off the front sprocket cover to make installation easier. ^Excellent tip