Someone elses Engine issues

kawboy: I knew you'd be the first one !

The 4 Washers and the Nut ?   Hit the floor while removing the Fan and Header collars?  3 more inside the engine including the bent one which appears to have gone through gears (somewhere !?) 
The one in the S/plug-well.  Only saw it after the OEM NGK plug caps were removed -  stuck in the water drain corridor. 
  The cam-saddles in the head don't have a mark ?
The sludge in the Head?  The entire inside of the Head was coated in it.  I had removed almost all of it when I decided to take the picture....for the "Historical Documents" !
And yes....Only 3L. of oil in a small sump '79    !?!?     REALLY ?     Nothing like paying attention to the "Routine Details" !
The scoring in the bottom of the Shim-Bucket cavity?  Haven't got a clue what could have done this and it appears in several others as well.  Keep in mind these are UNDER the Valve-spring seats; all of which are smooth !
Corrosion on the S/plug terminals was a surprise, given the boots were intact and fit tightly.  
The picture of intake 5/6..........not so easy to spot.  6 of the 9 adapter-boot screws were "double-stacked with washers ?  The one shown was the exception with only 1 additional washer ????
100% certain the errant washers and the Nut are from a P.O.'s Fumble-Fingers, trying to install the Nology Coils  WITH THE FUCKING CAM COVER REMOVED AND NO CHAIN-TUNNEL COVER !!!!!
What does any proficient mechanic do when he drops a fastener: Get another one .....and repeat and repeat ..... with the additional philosophy of, "Outta Sight, Outta mind"  J.H.C. !
And finally.....The last 2 pictures?  38,000 K. and still using the original (unmodified) C.C.T. !  As can be seen -The shaft is Fucked  as I was soon to discover!

All of this SHIT started when I agreed to fix an ignition issue that apparently goes back to a P.O. who couldn't solve the problem with new Nologys.  The current owner had the carbs rebuilt and that didn't solve the "missing" issue either so he installed 3 new Pulser Coils.  3 years later and unable to ride further than around the block ...... He found me.  
He left the bike and some simple meter-work pointed the finger at the OEM Ignitor.  Those tests were inconclusive !  In fact by all measurements the Igniter was fried and yet the bike would run.........most of the time on all 6  but still occasionally dropping 1 & 6 cyls.    Over the next several days:  Start the engine, let it heat up and cool and meter everything - both hot and cool.  Still - 2 cyls would randomly drop. The solution turned ot to be with connectors and bullet plugs !  They "looked" OK, but weren't. I removed  the M. & F. connectors from the blocs, cleaned them thoroughly, tightened the female bullet connectors and after 4 of the "heating cycles was confident I had solved the problem until I also discovered that the Nologys installation (Shitty) was so close to the frame that the Boots on 1 & 6 were touching the frame and cross-firing between each other as well as the frame.  So I fixed that issue.   I decided to run the engine one more time....for good measure (no pun intended) ...and while this was taking place started to make an adapter for the C.C.T.   ......................and bang!!!!!!!!! 


The engine stopped dead !!!!!


38,000K on a (still) stock C.C.T. and that FUCKING THING decided to let go IN MY SHOP !!   
Can anyone truly appreciate what the ODDS are? 

..............and that’s when it all had to come apart and,  now you know.

And...the owner was surprisingly understanding and wants this bike to run....so badly..... that it's a "Green-Light" to do just that !

The only thing that remains is to remove the oil-pan and I can't fucking wait to see what treasures it holds ?










 

I really appreciate the sharing of pics. We can all learn from the experiences and the follow up with the literary explanatoins of the pics certainly puts a different spin on the pics.
Having the CCT fail in the shop - just down right bad luck. Fortunately, it didn't happen on a road test. Pushing one of these bikes more than 100ft could turn in to a heart event, especially after saying AH  SHIT There goes the valves !!! And good of him to not blame you for the misfortune. How many times have we told people the CCT is the first thing to take care of?????

My best friend of the past 60 years was famous for doing work on his motorbike and when finished the job, would find a number of lock washers left over so he would gather them up and throw them over his shoulder for good luck. His Scottish Grand Father would stand there watchig, shake his head and say "Oh Larry....." 45 years later we found him racing in the 5.0 liter Outlaw series running a Mustang he built capable of 6.4 sec quarter mile runs at 190 MPH - All lock washers in place.

38,000K on a (still) stock C.C.T. and that FUCKING THING decided to let go IN MY SHOP !!   
Can anyone truly appreciate what the ODDS are? 

No good deed goes unpunished? 

Wowzers. At least the owner is civil about it. 
And when finished, it will run better than new.


D

The oil pan came off yesterday and I was almost disappointed with the lack of what I found.  Surprisingly clean !  Some pieces of epoxy from the Alternator rotor in the sump and some areas of the screen blocked with grime but nothing that gave me any concern.  I fully expected to see more "hardware" in the Pan, but on the other-hand, glad I didn't.  The oil-pan had a thick coating of sludge.  A full 1mm on everything.  This suggests to me that this bike has sat still for long periods of time allowing the "crap" in the oil to settle-out". 
 
 
 
 
I flushed out the main oil passages which had the same slime and the Pan is back on.
I couldn't get a good picture of it but I was surprised to see the Cam-Chain completely off, hanging a couple of inches below and to one side of the secondary-shaft sprocket. (?)  Previous experiences with cam-chains in my '80 and recently finished '79 have led me to believe that it wasn't possible for the chain to disengage in this manner.  Having had cams out/heads off in both bikes....more then once.....I've simply let the chain drop into the well and had virtually no problem retrieving it with a hooked-wire.  The chains NEVER came off the sec/shaft sprocket.  And it's this point that brings me full-circle to this bastard: 
 
 
Anyone want to guess what I'm now starting to believe?   Come on.....Take a wild guess !
I now have a reasonable theory about how all of "The Hardware" came to be in the engine.  And lets not discount the 5 (?) pieces that hit the floor when removing the Fan and Header flanges.
A scenario involving the mounting of the Nology coils, the various types and sizes of nuts, bolts and washers and the awkwardness to get a socket/wrench on them due to the homemade brackets, used. 
 
 
 
 
 
And those damned brackets with unfinished edges and corners are as sharp as they appear !!!
Seems obvious to me now that the "Installer" of the coils struggled, so with the cam cover removed (already or specifically for the coil installation for more room to work) the washers began to drop ! 
 
All I can add is , "W.T.F." !  
I believe this poor engine was somewhat of a Ticking Time-Bomb that merely went off in my face.
  


 

There's a full size pattern for this Cam Chain Tunnel Cover in the back of the Manual !
 

I love puzzles but not when they cost $1200 + 

Looks like a 6mm aluminum flat washer and folded up when it got caught in the cam chain ??