How to: Rotate your engine : With Pics!

[wiznut]

So the crap ceramic coating job on my headers started to flake as soon as I got them up to temp. So since I had to rotate my engine once more, I thought I would document and share how I did it. Hope it helps somebody out!


Put your bike on a stand in a comfortable area with good lighting. A dining room works particularly well.

Unplug the connector for the fuel pump located behind the left rider foot peg. Then start the bike and let it run out of fuel. "This step is always performed in order to purge fuel lines" according to the service manual.

Remove the seat and disconnect the battery.

Remove the outer airbox, and inner airbox.

Remove the air filter base. (4 bolts) Remember to unplug the sensor at the bottom of the base before pulling it all the way off. The velocity stack is pushed down through the base as you pull it up.

Remove the velocity stack. I find using a strong zip tie works well to pull the spring together.

Cover the induction module

Disconnect the Temperatue and Oxygen sensors

Disconnect the coil

Remove the bolts holding the coil (2 bolts)

Disconnect the Throttle position sensor (2 bolts)

Disconnect the fuel line

Remove the right hand side scoop (3 bolts)

Remove the left hand side scoop (3 bolts)

Disconnect the fuel injector leads. It is easiest to reach up from the bottom to disconnect these.

Everything on the top end should now be disconnected and you should be able to hold up something looking like this

Remove the chin fairing (7 Bolts)

Remove the pulley cover (3 bolts)

Lossen pinch bolt and then loosen rear axle 15 turns to give slack to the belt.

Remove belt tensioner (2 bolts)

Remove rear bands holding the exhaust

Remove front band holding exhaust and loosen the torca clamp holding the exhaust to the header

Remove the muffler and then remove the front muffler mount (1 bolt)

Remove left foot peg mount (3 bolts)

Disconnect the clutch cable. I did this by just removing the clutch lever.

Support the engine with a jack at this point.

Disconnect rear isolator bar from the frame (1 bolt)

Disconnect the center tie bar (2 bolts)

Disconnect the "V" Bracket (3 bolts)

Remove the front isolator bolt. Make sure your jack is supporting the engine. After the initial turn of the bolt, you should be able to back it out by hand if you have it aligned properly. To do a full rotation you would also remove the isolator mount, but just for installing headers, it is not necessary.

Slowly rotate the engine down, watching to make sure nothing is catching on anything.

 

[24_7]

Sticky this mo fo!!

Thank you and everyone else that takes the time to document and photo procedures like these

Sorry to hear about the ceramic coating.. who did you have do it if you dont mind me asking?

 

[JOEL9]

Awesome! thanks wiznut[up]

 

[Riderdie]

Great write up!!

Looks like a ton of work! But a great winter project! I love bikes in the living room.

Sucks about the ceramic are u gong back to the same shop?

 

[jimijeans]

Great job Wiznut, sorry about that coating. hope you get some one to warranty that, but i would check around if thats possible . Good write up.

 

[Jobe Zeebuh]

[up][up][up][down][down][down]

 

[okey]

Great job and many thanks for such a comprehensive tutorial.

 

[STL XB12Ss]

excellent write up. thanks for the info! +1 [up]

 

[wiznut]

I contacted the guy that did it and he is being a complete wheasel. So now I am out $140 and a currently ruined set of headers. I have one last argument to make with him before I burn him on the web and with the BBB. I will cost him more in the end than if he had just dealt with his crappy work like he should. Really sucks because I am a broke college student and wont have the money to get them fixed from his work.

 

[wiznut]

I just realised that I left out the "remove your front fender" step if you are only doing a partial rotation and leaving the front isolator mount on lol... Oh well, I hope that one is pretty self explanitory!

I also forgot to mention that my bike is a 2007 XB12S, and the procedure does have tiny changes based on the year of production.

 

[24_7]

I contacted the guy that did it and he is being a complete wheasel. So now I am out $140 and a currently ruined set of headers. I have one last argument to make with him before I burn him on the web and with the BBB. I will cost him more in the end than if he had just dealt with his crappy work like he should. Really sucks because I am a broke college student and wont have the money to get them fixed from his work

Man I would be pissed... I had ASB send mine to Jet-Hot and thank God they guarantee it. I hope that douche makes it right for you.

 

[onelogue]

So will the engine rotate more for access to the rear cylinder?

 

[wiznut]

So will the engine rotate more for access to the rear cylinder?

Yeah, it will. I only dropped it as far as I needed to get to the rear cylinder. You cant tell from the angle of the pics I took, but there is a clear shot to the rear cylinder with how far I had the engine down.

 

[vospertw]

wiznut, great job. I'll ask the dumb questions...

Front isolator bolt - you mention it should back out by hand if everything is aligned properly... what is the solution if it doesn't? Also, you mention only removing the bolt and say for a full engine rotation you'd need to remove the isolator mount as well. Couple of questions then - What can be accomplished with a "partial" rotation vs. full rotation (I guess the point is - how do I know if I can get away with just removing the bolt)? What defines "full rotation" (mechanically - is there a stop of some kind)and will something break/bend/etc. if only the bolt is removed but the engine continues to rotate?

I will be at 10K sometime this spring and while I know you can change the plugs without rotating the engine, I thought I would do it anyway to get to know the bike a little better. Thanks in advance!

 

[wiznut]

wiznut, great job. I'll ask the dumb questions...

Front isolator bolt - you mention it should back out by hand if everything is aligned properly... what is the solution if it doesn't? Also, you mention only removing the bolt and say for a full engine rotation you'd need to remove the isolator mount as well. Couple of questions then - What can be accomplished with a "partial" rotation vs. full rotation (I guess the point is - how do I know if I can get away with just removing the bolt)? What defines "full rotation" (mechanically - is there a stop of some kind)and will something break/bend/etc. if only the bolt is removed but the engine continues to rotate?

I will be at 10K sometime this spring and while I know you can change the plugs without rotating the engine, I thought I would do it anyway to get to know the bike a little better. Thanks in advance!

1) if it does not back up by hand after the first turn, raise / lower the jack slightly until it does. I just put some pressure on the bolt while raising the stand slowly. As soon as it lines up, the bolt will turn.

2)I only did a partial rotation to replace my headers. You would do a full rotation and remove the isolator mount if you wanted to do top end work such as replacing gaskets. If you leave the isolator mount on like I did, you can only rotate the engine as far as the tire, but with it off, you can rotate it all the way down.

 

[fwkapaun]

Two Big[up][up], I'd also like to give you a rep point. Great tutorial.

 

[vospertw]

2)If you leave the isolator mount on like I did, you can only rotate the engine as far as the tire, but with it off, you can rotate it all the way down.

Thanks wiz. I'm having trouble picturing this but I'm sure it will make more sense when I do it. One of those "ah ha" moments.

 

[Atomicpunk]

Thanks for writing this up. +1 Rep point[up] This should be a sticky thread!!

 

[BikerTrash]

VERY nice tutorial! Thanks! I might be doing the sometime.

 

[Lando]

awesome job, this is going to make my life allot easier when i do the rocker cover gaskets. [up]