Transmission questions

[R-III-R Turbo]

If you remove the plugs then oil will certainly creep into the combustion chamber by the level of oil moving upwards in the camshaft space.
It would be best to just drop the oil before removing engine from bike.

I find it hard to imagine how the starter would be able to produce enough force to bust a head gasket with hydraulic lock. Maybe I'm wrong. Wondering did the oil creep out somewhere else and just "appear" like it came from head gasket.

 

[Ercouper]

If you remove the plugs then oil will certainly creep into the combustion chamber by the level of oil moving upwards in the camshaft space.
It would be best to just drop the oil before removing engine from bike.

I find it hard to imagine how the starter would be able to produce enough force to bust a head gasket with hydraulic lock. Maybe I'm wrong. Wondering did the oil creep out somewhere else and just "appear" like it came from

I drained all the oil that I could by removing all 3 drain plugs before removing and inverting the engine. It is possible that the oil film that I was seeing between the head/block came from somewhere else I suppose. When the starter wasn't able to turn the motor and I thought the battery might be low, I put it in 5th gear and rocked it back & forth a couple of times causing the rear tire to skid without turning over the engine. Maybe that was enough to cause head gasket failure (?). When I removed the head, I was amazed at the seemingly small amount of oil that caused the lock. Still seems strange....

 

[Gerald]

I'm pretty sure that you are correct! Yes, the engine was upside down in the "box" that I built to hold it. I don't know why I didn't think of that. And possibly the head gasket didn't leak until trying to turn the motor over with the oil in the combustion chamber (?). Thanks!
The next time (hopefully there won't be one) I will have to remember to remove the plugs before inverting the engine.

Glad you didn't get a hydraulic lock, causes bent rods and other problems.

 

[Gerald]

I drained all the oil that I could by removing all 3 drain plugs before removing and inverting the engine. It is possible that the oil film that I was seeing between the head/block came from somewhere else I suppose. When the starter wasn't able to turn the motor and I thought the battery might be low, I put it in 5th gear and rocked it back & forth a couple of times causing the rear tire to skid without turning over the engine. Maybe that was enough to cause head gasket failure (?). When I removed the head, I was amazed at the seemingly small amount of oil that caused the lock. Still seems strange....

Unless oil drained past the rings and back to pan in between time you removed the head.

 

[Ercouper]

The head gasket was in today's mail, so tomorrow I should have her back together. Wish me luck.....

 

[Kevin frazier]

The head gasket was in today's mail, so tomorrow I should have her back together. Wish me luck.....

You using new bolts?

 

[Ercouper]

You using new bolts?

Yes, new set of bolts.

 

[Ercouper]

I got her back together and she fired up and sounds good. I haven't ventured out yet to see how the transmission shifts due to recent storms and wet roads however.
When I first started it, it seemed like forever before the oil pressure light went out. It really had me worried. I was actually considering suicide as an alternative to taking the engine apart again.......just kidding, of course. Anyway, so far so good.

 

[Ercouper]

I took my first ride today since the rebuild and it runs and shifts great. I really think that the stouter detent spring is more responsible for the fix than the replacement of the slightly worn and bent shift fork. Regardless, all seems to be great now and the many hours spent was worth it. Now I have the ride that I plan to keep. I will be selling my '05 Rocket this summer as well as my Virago. I have to keep the Wing because it has the only passenger seat that my wife approves of. Thanks for all the info & advice along the way.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

Just an update on my project........
I ended up just changing the worn & slightly bent shift fork and installing the new detent spring and reassembling. I also made a valve shim tool and set the valve clearances. By moving shims around, I only needed 2 that I got from the local Honda shop.
I reinstalled the motor and tried to start it only to find that it would not turn over. After some head scratching I determined that #3 cylinder was hydraulic locked due to oil in the cylinder. In the process of removing the spark plug, the small screw holding the pocket clip on my magnetic tool came loose and fell into the spark plug hole. I also noticed that there was oil starting to seep out between the head and block. At that point I decided to take the head off. Evidently the head gasket was leaking. After cleaning the head and piston crowns I am waiting on a new head gasket & bolts. The head gasket failure is really strange because before removing the engine the rocket ran fine with no sign of oil leakage or anything indicating that the head gasket was leaking. It's as if being inverted for a couple of months caused the problem.....which I know makes no sense. ???????

It seems like the hydrolock would have shown up when you were turning the engine over to check the valve clearances