Disassembly
1. Before disassembling the engine, thoroughly clean and degrease its external surfaces. This will prevent contamination of the engine internals, and will also make working a lot easier and cleaner. A high flashpoint solvent, such as paraffin (kerosene) can be used, or better still, a proprietary engine degreaser. Use old paintbrushes and toothbrushes to work the solvent into the various recesses of the casings. Take care to exclude solvent or water from the electrical components and intake and exhaust ports.
Warning: The use of petrol (gasoline) as a cleaning agent should be avoided because of the risk of fire.
2. When clean and dry, position the engine on the workbench, leaving suitable clear area for working. Gather a selection of small containers, plastic bags and some labels so that parts can be grouped together in an easily identifiable manner. Also get some paper and a pen so that notes can be taken. You will also need a supply of clean rag, which should be as absorbent as possible.
3. Before commencing work, read through the appropriate section so that some idea of the necessary procedure can be gained. When removing components note that great force Is seldom required, unless specified (checking the specified torque setting of the particular bolt being removed will indicate how tight it is, and therefore how much force should be needed). In many cases, a component's reluctance to be removed is indicative of an incorrect approach or removal method - If in any doubt, re-check with the text its crankcase. Alternatively place individual blocks under the crankcase as required to ensure the engine is stable.
4. When disassembling the engine, keep 'mated' parts together (including gears, cylinder bores, pistons, connecting rods, valves, etc. that have been in contact with each other during engine operation). These 'mated' parts must be reused or replaced as an assembly.
5. A complete engine/transmission disassembly should be done in the following general order with reference to the appropriate Sections.
- Remove the valve covers
- Remove the camshafts and cam chain tensioners
- Remove the cylinder heads
- Remove the cylinder barrels
- Remove the pistons
- Remove the waterpump (see Chapter 3)
- Remove the pulse generator coils (see Chapter 5)
- Remove the clutch
- Remove the gearchange mechanism
- Remove the primary drive gear
- Remove the starter motor (see Chapter 9)
- Remove the alternator rotor (see Chapter 9)
- Remove the starter clutch and idle gear
- Separate the crankcase halves
- Remove the oil pump
- Remove the crankshaft and the connecting rods
- Remove the selector drum and forks
- Remove the transmission shafts/gears
Reassembly
6. Reassembly is accomplished by reversing the general disassembly sequence.