From: Robert Bolton on
On Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:58:53 -0600, "Lee K. Gleason"
<lee.gleason(a)comcast.net> wrote:

> My 77 RD-400 needs new crank seals. I have the factory service manual, but
>its procedures assume a complete teardown is required, and goes into the
>detail necessary to completely dissasemble engine & trans.
>
> I'm wondering if I can get by with substantially less dissasembly. Anyone
>done one of these lately? Can I split the cases just by removing the bolts
>in the bottom of the lower case? Any other advice for this project?

The RD-400 looks like a 2-stroke (I googled a few pics). If so, it
shouldn't be very hard to pull the engine out of the bike and take the
top half off. Not having a valve train to mess with makes pulling
thing apart a snap. With my Suzuki 200, I was able to slip the
cylinders back over the pistons without using any tools.

Robert
From: jerry on
On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:02:09 -0600, "Lee K. Gleason"
<lee.gleason(a)comcast.net> wrote:

>
>"Vito" <vito(a)cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
>news:4b008070$0$4953$9a6e19ea(a)unlimited.newshosting.com...
>> "Bill Smith" <squandary(a)comcast.net> wrote
>> | Take the clutch cover off and remove the clutch. Behind it you will
>> | find a flat ring that's attached to both the upper and lower cases
>> | with three screws (this helps axially locate the transmission main
>> | shaft bearing), once you remove it (and the alternator along with it's
>> | cover, of course) you can split the cases. With both pistons at mid
>> | stroke you can lift the crank enough to replace the seals. When you
>> | drop the crank back in, make sure that the little locating bumps on
>> | the bearings are in the recesses machined for them in the cases along
>> | the parting line.
>> |
>> | This a quick and dirty (literally) way to do it, but I wouldn't
>> | recommend it. You must clean all the adhesive off the mating surfaces
>> | to insure a leak free assembly, if you don't you could have a lean
>> | condition and a piston seizure as a result. This is difficult to do
>> | with the transmission and crankshaft in place with a big possibility
>> | of crud in both of them after you're finished with the assembly.
>> |
>> | It doesn't take that long to do it right, these are hammer simple
>> | engines to work on. Disassemble it completely, inspect everything as
>> | long as you are in there and reassemble it clean, you'll be happier.
>> | Doing it right once is much quicker than having to do it twice.
>> |
>>
>> This fits my recollections.
>>
>> The man who tuned our TZ engines believed that at least some seal problems
>> were caused by worn main bearings that let the crank move up, down &
>> sideways in the seals so he recommended replacing the bearings and both
>the
>> end and mid seals whenever changing any of them. They used to be cheap
>from
>> a bearing supply house if not from Yamaha.
>
> Hmmm...given that, I might not want to do it myself. Anyone know a shop
>in Houston that can be trusted to work on a vintage two stroke? I have
>motorcycle T-shirts older than the mechanics in most of the places round
>here, and I doubt most of them have ever heard of a two stroke...



Call this guy.

http://www.metricmotorcycles.com/
From: Nagarjuna's Cataskoti clawed me! on
On Nov 16, 7:52�am, "S'mee" <stevenkei...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

> shame it wasn't a Titan eh?

You'll never fix that Titan by pounding your keyboard...


From: S'mee on
On Nov 16, 9:02 am, "Nagarjuna's Cataskoti clawed me!"
<macmi...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 16, 7:52 am, "S'mee" <stevenkei...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > shame it wasn't a Titan eh?
>
> You'll never fix that Titan by pounding your keyboard...

says the bum Grumman fired becuase he wouldn't vacume out the LEM
"that's womens work" LOL what you don't know about me won't give you a
stroke you incompetant failure.
From: JohnAinLA on
On Nov 14, 1:58 pm, "Lee K. Gleason" <lee.glea...(a)comcast.net> wrote:
> My 77 RD-400 needs new crank seals. I have the factory service manual, but
> its procedures assume a complete teardown is required, and goes into the
> detail necessary to completely dissasemble engine & trans.
>
> I'm wondering if I can get by with substantially less dissasembly. Anyone
> done one of these lately? Can I split the cases just by removing the bolts
> in the bottom of the lower case? Any other advice for this project?
> --
> Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR
> Control-G Consultants
> lee.glea...(a)comcast.net

When the trannie seals went out on my RZ-500 we did all the seals and
the
bearings too. Figured while it was open take care of it all. And
really not
that much more work after taking the motor out and splitting the
cases.
Hey, it's a 2-smoke! How much is there inside andyway!

HTH,

JohnA in LA, CA USA