I live in Denham Springs, LA. For those of you who don't know, Southern Louisiana has had record flooding this past week. My house received five feet of water. I lost my car and everything I owned in my home.
When the waters receded and I opened the garage my bike was on it's left side. It has been submerged for multiple days.
I've cleaned the flood mud off of it, now it's time to focus on mechanical and electrical damage control. What do I need to do to get it running again? I'm trying to make this my primary means of transport granted I can get it running. Advice would be GREATLY appreciated at this time. I'm in a rough spot. Thank you.
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Wow Iarn..... I'm so sorry to hear that happened.
I literally just woke up, so bear with me if this isn't 100% coherent : you'll obviously want to check the intake / exhaust / oil foR contamination. Save the exhaust for last since washing it out will need to be dried with the engine running. Remember to clean out all hoses (carb vent tube, engine breather tube, etc). Do you have the stock airbox? If so, great.
Once you get the engine side of things cleaned up, move to electrical. If you have a lead acid battery check the water levels. Most other connections should be OK for testing purposes. Would be a good idea to rinse off the r/R though.
Now comes the bearings...... wheel bearings "should" be ok for a little while since they are usually sealed well. But your steering stem bearings might need cleaned / greased or even replaced. Clean your drive chain well and lube it.
Obviously your insurance will likely total the bike..... so keep that in mind.
Clean the ground connection and treat it with a contact cleaner. Same for every connector, disconnect them and treat with contact cleaner.
Remove the spark plugs and put a little bit of oil in the cilinder (remove water first if there is any). Rotate the engine manually (put a socket on the crankshaft at the pulse generator).
Drain motoroil and insert new oil.
Make sure all water is drained from the air intake and drain the carburetors.
Empty tank and put in new fuel.
Remove water from the starter motor section if there is any.
Crank the engine first without the sparkplugs being connected. You will spread some oil and flusht he water without putting a significant load on the engine.
Like mentioned before it is probably a good idea to check the bearings as well. Not only the wheel ones but also the rear swingarm, knuckle of the rear supsension, steering head bearings, that sort of thing.
How do you get water out of the cylinders? Is pulling the oil drain plug all that's required?
Quote from: Endopotential on August 21, 2016, 09:52:22 PM
How do you get water out of the cylinders? Is pulling the oil drain plug all that's required?
No - you have to pull the spark plugs out and crank the engine over a few times. Preferably with clean oil, so you don't circulate water thru the bottom end. But folks that ride atv / side by side / dirt bikes thru water crossings have to get the water out ASAP and don't always have fresh oil on hand.....
Rich, I have a lunchbox filter. Along with liability insurance only on the bike so if I can't recover her she's gone. Thanks otherwise for the info for what to look at. It'll be a good starting point for me. Now if only I could have a place to work on it.
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Submerged for days?
Lets think about it...
Just about every single component on the bike will be affected in some way and will require attention or replacement.
My biggest concern is that the engine and gearbox internals will have already started to rust. Cylinder bores, crank, rings, valves and seats, bearings, cams etc and of course the potential issues with the braking system.
:cry: sh#t. So sorry to hear that.
Wash and dry it as best you can to start with. Unhook battery and remove.
I agree everything will need checking, but the engine internals were coated in oil and the engine air-locked so hopefully will resist rusting for a while, and hopefully it was fresh water. But you gotta know one or both cylinders will have a valve or too open so I would be concerned most about the cylinders/rings.
Begin with the engine: drain oil, check filter for water- if none then re-install (change them both after a good warmup), remove valve cover, ignition cover, remove carbs, dry the intakes. Pull the plugs and evaluate water incursion - dry any wet cylinders(paper towel) , put some oil in cylinders and rotate engine via the flywheel to distribute the oil. Use WD on valve springs rockers etc to displace any water, if they were wet. make sure valves are moving etc. Remove air filters clean dry and re-oil, blow out vacuum, vent hoses etc. (careful with compressed air on carbs due to diaphragms, use a hair dryer) dry and drain carbs and fill with fresh gas (carb internals may be fine) re - re gas tank. Add methyl hydrate to gas. Separate electrical connectors and dry them with compressed air and WD (If you power up with water in connectors - the contacts and wires can dissolve due to electrolysis, seen it happen in flooded machinery). hopefully electronics are potted and waterproof, otherwise soak and clean in alcohol to displace water. Try and start bike, Warm up bike on stand and shift thru gears etc (not ride it - maybe remove chain) This should dry out engine and exhaust - if good then change oil and filter and move on.
OMG - everything will need checking but I think you need to know you have a good runner b4 doing chain, bearings, brakes, forks and pivots etc. Good luck.
Try to start the bike?......how?
With a solenoid and a starter motor that have been flooded and will have lost all insulation resistance?
People are not realising the enormity of the damage and recognising the potential problems.
Sure this bike can be saved but its not going to be easy, and if you want reliability its not going to be cheap either. Consider the cost, time and effort involved and the fact the OP doesnt have the skills or facilities to carry out the starter repairs The only sensible answer is to forget it and find something else.
Sledge is right. There is really no space where I am, and the time investment and costs are something I just can't give right now.
It seems like my only real option currently is to part her out. :"( I loved this bike.
I'll be looking around for a mechanic and get some quotes. If nothing pans out they'll be some pretty rare parts back in this forum soon.
I appreciate the insight, all
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Quote from: Iarn on August 23, 2016, 04:33:22 AM
Sledge is right. There is really no space where I am, and the time investment and costs are something I just can't give right now.
It seems like my only real option currently is to part her out. :"( I loved this bike.
I'll be looking around for a mechanic and get some quotes. If nothing pans out they'll be some pretty rare parts back in this forum soon.
I appreciate the insight, all
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Sorry to hear about your bike man, that really sucks. Is your GS an F model? I would be interested in a few parts if it is.
Quote from: qcbaker on August 23, 2016, 12:17:48 PM
Quote from: Iarn on August 23, 2016, 04:33:22 AM
Sledge is right. There is really no space where I am, and the time investment and costs are something I just can't give right now.
It seems like my only real option currently is to part her out. :"( I loved this bike.
I'll be looking around for a mechanic and get some quotes. If nothing pans out they'll be some pretty rare parts back in this forum soon.
I appreciate the insight, all
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Sorry to hear about your bike man, that really sucks. Is your GS an F model? I would be interested in a few parts if it is.
Yes, it is. 2004. When I get have time I will post up some pics and parts list in the For Sale section.
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As it is fresh water it will not rust WHILE THE WATER AND MUD IS ON IT!
Rust occurs with AIR contacting the iron stuff. So long as it has water only on the surface and no air it won't rust.
The water will have run into the engine via the carbs and the breathers and will usually fill the engine void with an oil/ water mix while it is full , it won't rust. The biggest problem is going to be the silt/ other garbage contained in the flood waters. So it is possible to successfully resurrect the motor.
BUT...
The chassis and swingarm will have been filled with mud/ crud/ flood and will now be very subject to corrosion. Same with the hollow in the wheels.
Potted electrics will probably be OK but all the wire junctions will be compromised. Seat will take a VERY long time for the water to come out of the foam. Tank will have had water in it as the air valve is designed to allow pressure inwards and will have bled water into the tank. Head stock bearings are not sealed and will have water and grunge.
It is do-able but a huge job to do successfully.
Probably easier to draw up a list of components that we can say with 100% certainty WONT need attention
1) Mudguards, side and fairing panels and tail piece (although there may be cosmetic damage)
2) Footpeg rubbers
3) Air filter box
4) Bar grips
5) That bit of rubber that guides the chain over the swingarm
6) Chain guard
Struggling to think of anything else :dunno_black:
Quote from: gregjet on August 24, 2016, 01:53:57 PM
As it is fresh water it will not rust WHILE THE WATER AND MUD IS ON IT!
Rust occurs with AIR contacting the iron stuff. So long as it has water only on the surface and no air it won't rust.
The water will have run into the engine via the carbs and the breathers and will usually fill the engine void with an oil/ water mix while it is full , it won't rust. The biggest problem is going to be the silt/ other garbage contained in the flood waters. So it is possible to successfully resurrect the motor.
BUT...
The chassis and swingarm will have been filled with mud/ crud/ flood and will now be very subject to corrosion. Same with the hollow in the wheels.
Potted electrics will probably be OK but all the wire junctions will be compromised. Seat will take a VERY long time for the water to come out of the foam. Tank will have had water in it as the air valve is designed to allow pressure inwards and will have bled water into the tank. Head stock bearings are not sealed and will have water and grunge.
It is do-able but a huge job to do successfully.
I know that Iarn seems to have decided to part out the bike so this might be a moot point, but this isn't how rust works outside of laboratories. That would be true if the bike was submerged in distilled (i.e. 100% pure) water. However, flood water (any basically water from any natural source) is not "pure" water. Water from any natural water source has a ton of dissolved oxygen (and other gases) in it. Oxidation occurs when iron comes in contact with water and oxygen. Air contains oxygen, so air contact will also cause rusting, but the dissolved oxygen in the water will do the same thing. This rust will not form as quickly, as the chemical reactions that take place to form rust happen much more slowly under water than they do in open air, but it will still rust. That's why when something (bicycles, cars, wheels, fishing gear) gets submerged in a river/lake, its completely covered in rust, even though its been completely submerged for a long period of time. Look at ships at the bottom of big freshwater lakes. Covered in rust.
Cush-drive elements :thumb:
Sorry, didnt realize you have no workshop space to work with it. Im not gonna question your skills as I dont know you.
So sorry Iarn... that all really sucks :icon_sad:
Prayers and good thoughts your way to get you through this crummy time :technical:
I am from North Queensland where it floods in various places EVERY year, so I have seen hundreds of flooded bikes. Never had one of my own but have helped fix many post submersion. If the bikes are near the sea then there is intermixing with the salt as the salt comes back inland as the water receeds. Don't need to know what occurs in a lab.
Most bikes have had no real rust internally including the chassis once dried out and DWF's immediately they are cleaned. Mud inside ( even small amounts) retains water and will cause rusting. Motors are a lottery. The problems most of the time is the silt in the water and that causing bearing failure as it is EXTREMELY difficult to get it out of everything.
Another thing that is usually OK is the forks ( unless vented) and the rear shock ( so long as you remove and get the water/mud out of the eyelets). Both usually just need a hose down and DWF.
You can chuck the lights, all of them.
Wheels just need new bearings on most bikes but the GS, with hollow wheels open to the outside, will need pressure cleaning and pressure air to dry.
No workshop the certainly uneconomic to get someone else to do it. RIP. ( rest in pieces)