dried up sticky oil

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Re: dried up sticky oil

Postby mikeslemmon » Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:34 pm

'52 K's had 2 problems, bad shift springs and slipping flywheels. I'm not a K expert but I've heard the stories
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Re: dried up sticky oil

Postby Ferrous_Head » Mon Dec 31, 2018 4:29 pm

Probably not a broken shifter spring. Or even a stuck pawl. When that happens it will shift in one direction only. The gearbox ill shift down to first or up to 4th and then your stuck in that gear.
But shifting ears depends in gears being able to slide on the shafts. If the bike has been sitting that long they may not be free on the shafts to move.
But unless you pull it apart you'll never know for sure what the problem is.
There's no great magic in splitting the cases. There's enough help here and elsewhere to get through that job. If there's no serious damage inside you don't need to replace anything and the engine can go back together quite easily using existing shims.
There are no useful shims in the cam area. If it has shims behind the cams either place then under the dog bones or leave them out.
Used oil contains contaminants some of which are acidic and will attack some metals over time. I don't know if there are problems with these engines but it happens in some.
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Re: dried up sticky oil

Postby K Daddy » Mon Dec 31, 2018 5:18 pm

[Why don't you just take it all apart and do it right? Diesel fuel in a tub?]

The K model is pretty rough and a lot of parts missing. Not much more than an engine in the frame.
The diesel in a tub is actually cleaning up the engine nicely. It rolls easily by hand. The valves, pistons and cylinder walls are in good shape. Diesel has a low flash point so I don't have to worry about blowing up the shop.
If it shifted well, I would feel confident in moving ahead.
It would be easy to get shipwrights disease on the project and go broke.
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Re: dried up sticky oil

Postby Ferrous_Head » Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:54 pm

You really need to define your goals first.
If your concerned that trying to build a "near original" bike will break the bank you should probably not even begin.
If your happy enough to use whatever bits come to hand to build the bike that's a completely different thing. Nothing wrong with a plan that results in a running bike.
Far too many "projects" start with the engine. If you rebuild the engine first you may discover that building the rest of the bike takes more money and time than an engine. Many lose heart when the job is half done.
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Re: dried up sticky oil

Postby EKHKHK56 » Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:31 pm

Sounds like restore time. DEFINITELY use new pawl springs like Mike said. Otherwise it will quit shifting when springs sack or break. The -59 service book works for trans building. Basically remove all excessive play, center forks, use new shifter springs, etc. Not easy but the only way Sounds like with your K.
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