Engine removal & Splitting lower case - 2005 GSXR600; Tips?

[limitsreached]

At my last track day, I developed a substantial leak through my clutch push rod seal. Unfortunately, Suzuki thought it was a great idea to make the seal replaceable only via the inside of the case...just brilliant guys! So that means I have to drop the motor and split the case in order to do this so I am looking for any helpful tips from those who have done this on their K5 600's. Specifically, how do I ensure I line up the shift forks correctly? I have read horror stories of guys reinstalling their motors only to find they won't shift past first.

While in there I plan/need to replace:

Clutch push-rod seal
Drive gear seal
Shifter seal
Waterpump gasket
clutch cover seal


Anything I am missing? I don't have a lot of time before the next track day and want to be sure I don't need to wait on parts.

Additional general question: is it possible that overfilling could cause a weak seal to puke more than it had before? I've had a bad clutch push rod seal on my SV650 before and the leak was pretty slow. On my track bike it was leaking quite bit and this was after I installed a slipper clutch and slightly bigger clutch cover from a 1K model(200ml bigger). Wondering if this had something to do with the leak or just a coincidence.

 

[Brian P]

Ohhhh fun. Been there done that, just not on a gixxer, but the nameplate doesn't change the general concept of what's involved.

Lining up the shift forks is just a matter of making sure they are correctly oriented and drop into the correct grooves in the gears while re-assembling the cases. Often you can do this before the cases actually go together, and test the shift linkage (rotating the shift indexing drum by hand) to make sure it goes through all gears properly before you mate the cases together.

The shift forks have to be correctly oriented on the guide shafts and it may be possible to install them backwards or mixed up or in the incorrect positions, although doing so will certainly lead to a roadblock not long afterward, at which point you'll have to go back and fix the mistake. Point #1, "do not disassemble unless necessary" (and it shouldn't be necessary, for what you're about to do). Point #2, they will be marked, and the factory service manual will explain which way they are installed and which one goes where and in what orientation.

I think you can do this job on that bike without disassembling the top end. Crankshaft stays in the upper case, con-rods and pistons stay put, cylinder head stays put, timing chain stays put. "Do not disassemble unless necessary." This will save you a lot of work.

If you haven't done this sort of job before:
- CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Clean the bike and the engine before you take it apart. Clean the engine as a whole again after you have it out. Thoroughly clean parts again before they go back together. Taking the bike and the engine apart is probably going to be a dirty job. Putting it back together should be a clean job. Expect to spend more time cleaning than anything else.
- Take pictures as you take things apart, that you can refer to later when putting them back together.
- Get a box of zip-loc bags, or a couple of different sizes. Put bolts and associated small parts in each bag that are associated with each subassembly (e.g. clutch, water pump, oil pump, crankcase bolts that go in from the top, crankcase bolts that go in from the bottom, oil pan, etc).
- Lay out your parts on the bench or on the floor or wherever in an organized manner so that it's easy to find things as you put them back together.

It really isn't all that hard - but you do have to be organized and systematic about it.

 

[limitsreached]

Ohhhh fun. Been there done that, just not on a gixxer, but the nameplate doesn't change the general concept of what's involved.

Lining up the shift forks is just a matter of making sure they are correctly oriented and drop into the correct grooves in the gears while re-assembling the cases. Often you can do this before the cases actually go together, and test the shift linkage (rotating the shift indexing drum by hand) to make sure it goes through all gears properly before you mate the cases together.

The shift forks have to be correctly oriented on the guide shafts and it may be possible to install them backwards or mixed up or in the incorrect positions, although doing so will certainly lead to a roadblock not long afterward, at which point you'll have to go back and fix the mistake. Point #1, "do not disassemble unless necessary" (and it shouldn't be necessary, for what you're about to do). Point #2, they will be marked, and the factory service manual will explain which way they are installed and which one goes where and in what orientation.

I think you can do this job on that bike without disassembling the top end. Crankshaft stays in the upper case, con-rods and pistons stay put, cylinder head stays put, timing chain stays put. "Do not disassemble unless necessary." This will save you a lot of work.

If you haven't done this sort of job before:
- CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Clean the bike and the engine before you take it apart. Clean the engine as a whole again after you have it out. Thoroughly clean parts again before they go back together. Taking the bike and the engine apart is probably going to be a dirty job. Putting it back together should be a clean job. Expect to spend more time cleaning than anything else.
- Take pictures as you take things apart, that you can refer to later when putting them back together.
- Get a box of zip-loc bags, or a couple of different sizes. Put bolts and associated small parts in each bag that are associated with each subassembly (e.g. clutch, water pump, oil pump, crankcase bolts that go in from the top, crankcase bolts that go in from the bottom, oil pan, etc).
- Lay out your parts on the bench or on the floor or wherever in an organized manner so that it's easy to find things as you put them back together.

It really isn't all that hard - but you do have to be organised and systematic about it.

Many thanks! From what I have read, no top-end work is required which is relief. I am confident with all parts of this job but the forks definitely make me nervous as I don't want to do it twice! I do have a haynes manual so I should be fine so long as I am organised and systematic as you've mentioned. OCD should serve me well here.

Any thoughts on the overfill question?

 

[Brian P]

Overfilling the oil won't help matters with respect to oil leaks, but normally it takes a considerable overfill before the oil level starts getting into the rotating crank assembly - that's where it would start causing a problem.

A blocked or kinked crankcase vent will be instant trouble.

 

[limitsreached]

Overfilling the oil won't help matters with respect to oil leaks, but normally it takes a considerable overfill before the oil level starts getting into the rotating crank assembly - that's where it would start causing a problem.

A blocked or kinked crankcase vent will be instant trouble.

I will look into it! It did seem like an excessive amount of pressure to push that much oil out when running. By the time the marshals black flagged me my under body tray had at least 100ml or so of oil swishing around. I was incredibly lucky, as were everyone else on track too. I could not thank them enough for their trained eye.