I'll have to give that a look before I start taking stuff apart.

Just to make sure that I don't have my head up my @$$, the intake manifold is the place to which the carbs attach, right? What part of it was cracked? If you needed to keep the choke on, how badly was it running?

wow. that was really fast. I ordered gaskets, carb rebuild kits and an oil filter from partsnmore at about 12 last night and they were shipped today. You weren't kidding when you said that he ships fast. I am very impressed.

Hmm... anyone else see something wrong in this picture?



I think I might have found my problem. This explains the clanking, why it stopped, the noise, the vibrations and why I didn't see metal in the oil when I drained it. I'll probably have to replace the stator coil, too. You can't see it well in this picture, but some of the coating has come off.



I just hope there isn't much damage elsewhere (I don't have the tools to take it apart farther. need another socket and wrench) I'm thinking that since the metal used in the magnets is softer than the metal used in moving parts and its magnetic (hopefully didn't float around much, just stuck to something), that all I need to do is clean everything, inspect/replace bearings, replace the alternator rotor and stator coil and put everything back together.

At least I know what went wrong. Now I have to figure out what needs to be done to fix it.

EDIT: Whoops, I almost forgot to thank Kerry for his tip on resizing images. Thanks!  

Yike - that's one for the "mental filing cabinet"!

"CLUNK" + "bouncing around" sounds on left side + no metal in the oil = check the rotor for a demolished magnet

OK, got it!

(Thanks for pursuing this one until you found it, goat!)

----------------------------

Edit: Check the rotor, not the stator....  (Fixed it)

Impressive picture    I'm wondering whats wrong with your Suzuki dealer. My local one will repair my 1977 GS400 with no questions asked. Sounds strange to me.

OK You have to find some way of getting all that magnetic shrapnel out of that motor... Its going to stick to steel parts and not get into the oil, and the thing might kill your motor later... Oil goes to the alternator case and back into the motor albeit at a very low rate. Someone here might be able to help you get it all out. BTW the stator looked OK.
Cool.
Srinath.

I'm thinking about bringing everything to a shop that I used to work at. They have a parts washing cabinet that shoots heated solvent at the parts inside. I'm hoping that I can give them a little money to stick my engine parts in there for a while.

After looking at the pic I posted, you really can't see the damage to the stator coil in that picture. I'll take more when I take it out of the engine cover.

OK the motor shouldn't be immersed in a parts washer... I think... solvent might eat the gaskets and O rings... OK well find the right solvent... something like diesel will be OK I think... But you're taking the motor out... Ok try this, clean out the left case cover and its inside first, see how and where the oil passage is, and fillow that wiht a magnetic stick or some... and you might get 99%. Then takeoff the drain pan, and see, If I remember right, oil from the left case, gets back into the pan via a hole in the bottom of the inner case wall. Just gravity return, and they will end in the pan, OK take off the oil pump screen and oil pump and clean them... and you should be fine. Just what I think... ask the experts... I have never opened a motor past the 2 side cases... so no idea.
Cool.
Srinath.

If I intend to keep the bike awhile, I'd be inclined to strip the engine down and check everything.  There are too many places for those magnetic pieces to hide and cause mischief down the road.  At the minimum, definitely remove the oil sump and clean the pump strainer.  

Damn! now you have taken away the oportunity of me looking good. As soon as I read "something broke off and rattled around on the left side" I thought "Magneto come loose!"
At least now you know what to do about the vibes.

Get one of these magnetic oil drain plugs, I say.

Markus, you were the 2nd person to reply to goat's original post, 12 hours after he posted it.  (That was 2.5 weeks ago!)

Next time, speak up!  :lol:  :lol:

"Next time pay attention" is what you want to say. In fact I noticed that  "detail" only the second time goat postet it these last few days.

I see.... So maybe there is an advantage to making such a long post. And to think I was worried that I was be posting too much.....  

Either way I would have had to take the engine apart. I found stuff floating around in the crankcase. Not much, but enough to warrent me taking it all apart and cleaning EVERYTHING. Will post pics later.

ok      i think i have the same problem...

i dont hear clunk!     but it does sound liike somehting is lose  ( on the left side gasket!

where did u check

how hard is it to check


i dont feel like paying 300 dollars to fix it


i hope i dont have the same problem    

hah sry  at least u found the problem

It was immediately obvious when I took off the left cover. I don't have my manual in front of me and it wasnt the first thing I did, so don't quote me on this, but I THINK you can just take the cover off with the engine in the frame. Just a matter of removing all the bolts and taking it off if my memory isn't off tonight.  I would reccomend checking a haynes or clymer manual first though.

You can take it off with the engine in the frame. You have to drain the oil, though (maybe leaning it over is sufficient), and you will need a new gasket.

alright...  im just going to leave it and get it worse....

lol  

i hate all things with motors... ill just give up    :guns:  

Here is a better pic of the stator



you can see that one of the fins broke off. I could probably bend it all back and re-use it but I am choosing not to,

Quote from: seshadri_srinathLeft side of the engine... I thought the counterbalancer is on the right.... Left has magnet, stator coil, starter clutch, countershaft.... My money is on one of these damn things... all of which are easy to fix. Right side has crank trigger, counterbalancer clutch, oil pickup... that $800  is better spent on another bike and part this one out if it is the balancer.
Cool.
Srinath.

Hey Kerry... I guessed right... OK sorta... He say left... I say magnet, stator coil and starter clutch.... close enough for sitting 1/2 way across the country ...  :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.