1986 fz 600 purgatory

[James Crispy]

Well, almost 30 years of folks dinking with it. Nothing a heli coil can't fix.

Hahah. Ya. This one has been dinked alright. Man.

Heli coil !! Ok. So I can drill and insert the heli coil with the head on?

 

[Hellgate]

The white quarter fairing is off of a Yamaha Seca 550.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Heli coil !! Ok. So I can drill and insert the heli coil with the head on?

Check to see how deep the hole is and if its closed at the bottom.

If possible, I would use the head as GUIDE FOR DRILLING AND TAPPING the block ONLY.


As stated earlier, put some tape around the upper 7/8"s (or so) of the drill bit so you DON"T drill/damage the head. Your basically just using the head as a guide for the drill bit/tap.

If your not comfy with this kind of work, bring it to a machine shop. Shouldn't cost much to do..

I'd remove the head for cleaning out the metal shards. You won't need the head on when actually inserting the coil

 

[James Crispy]

The white quarter fairing is off of a Yamaha Seca 550.

There it is:




Oh the 80's. :smoking:

 

[James Crispy]

Check to see how deep the hole is and if its closed at the bottom.

If possible, I would use the head as GUIDE FOR DRILLING AND TAPPING the block ONLY.


As stated earlier, put some tape around the upper 7/8"s (or so) of the drill bit so you DON"T drill/damage the head. Your basically just using the head as a guide for the drill bit/tap.

If your not comfy with this kind of work, bring it to a machine shop. Shouldn't cost much to do..

I'd remove the head for cleaning out the metal shards. You won't need the head on when actually inserting the coil

Thanks!

Looks like the head will have to come off. The tap is thick.
Curious what lurks beneath...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If the tap is too wide to fit in the head, you can use a block of wood (2 x 4) drilled out JUST LARGE ENOUGH for the tap to fit in. Use a drill press to get a 90' perfect hole in the wood (or metal at least 1.5" appox tall)

That'll hold it nice and perpendicular to the block. Once you get some threads on it started (and straight) you can simply lift the wood away..

 

[Hellgate]

There it is:

View attachment 64975View attachment 64976


Oh the 80's. :smoking:

Yeah it was fugly back then too. With the GPz550 it didn't stand a chance.

 

[James Crispy]

If the tap is too wide to fit in the head, you can use a block of wood (2 x 4) drilled out JUST LARGE ENOUGH for the tap to fit in. Use a drill press to get a 90' perfect hole in the wood (or metal at least 1.5" appox tall)

That'll hold it nice and perpendicular to the block. Once you get some threads on it started (and straight) you can simply lift the wood away..

Using wood is a good idea. :thumbup:

 

[James Crispy]

and further down I go.

The head will not come off in frame with the FZ 600.

Engine must come out in order to do the repair properly.

 

[Hellgate]

At this point have you considered getting a new used motor?

The way I see it you are about to cross the Rubicon. If so maybe you jump in with both feet and do a restoration?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

At least the frame unbolts at the bottom (from the backbone); 1986 Yamaha FZ600S Frame | Babbitts Online


You may be able to drop it just enough for access to the head..

 

[James Crispy]

Yes. I agree. This is a pivotal moment...

I have considered getting a whole new bike in fact. Might happen... I have gotten a total of 3 good riding days out of this bike. 2 months of sitting / fixing waiting for parts. Dumped a ton a $$ in after overpaying at the start. A real great lesson, this one. haha ouch.

Now I know why the last mechanic to look at it shook my hand like I was a dead man. :thumbup:

Townsend, that might work! dropping the engine a bit with a jack underneath.

One other horrible thing I have to share: As I was swapping out the valve shims, one flipped out and fell right down into the crankcase.

I think I'm f'd.

So, Rubicon, let's paddle? :don'tknow:

Probably going to have go full restore on this one.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

that valve shim is NOT good.... Time to paddle....

 

[James Crispy]

that valve shim is NOT good.... Time to paddle....

I'm taking many deep breaths as I type this....

 

[James Crispy]

I'm def. on the ropes here, but not out.

I'll see what the next few days bring.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

That shim is an issue. There's really only one place it can go is down the cam chain hole... I gather you looked real hard with a great flash light?

Unfortunately, your engine cases DON'T have an oil pan to drop(to look for the shim), cases would need to be split;
1986 Yamaha FZ600S Crankcase | Babbitts Online

Something to consider,
If your parts bike has the same vintage engine, do a leak down test on it, make sure it rotates by hand. Swap engines, put your carbs, etc on it...

 

[The_Paragon]

Ahh yes, the Mystical Unicorn FZ600..
I too had a 1986. OEM Red/White/Blue paint scheme in what looked like perfect condition. I owned mine for 1 summer.. any only 1!! I'll get some pics up for ya!
I too also spent plenty of time and money on that girl. Mine had electrical gremlins, kept burning out the chargin rotor, which on that thing is not a fixed magnet setup, but an excited field rotor that changed magnetic stregth with how much power it was fed. Ended up replacing that about 3 times, along with a stator and R/R. It had an issue where the charging system couldnt keep up, it was then feed more voltage to the rotor all the time, thus burning them out.. , eventually I learned that it had two 60/55w headlight bulbs in it. Reather than the suggested 35/35 watt bulbs that Yamaha Calls for. PS- That is misprinted information in the Clymer Repair book... Once I changed the bulbs, and did a mod where only one light was on for low beam. I also replaced the guage lights with LED's, as well as the license plate ligh. The the charging system was then less stressed and seemed to be ok., I sold it before I could tell if I had solved its
Mine also had a few other nuances here and there too.. but those come with the territiory of a 30 year old bike.

Also if you need a Clymer repair manuel, just say so, I still have it somewhere, and certainly dont need it. PM me if you want.

Also just an FYI, If you need to source a new engine, a Yamaha Radian 600 also had the same power plant, and was made well into the 1990's. It might be easeir to find one. They did have a different cam profile though.. but if all you're doing is getting the thing to run, it might just work for you.

 

[Andz]

Insure it to the hilt, wait 2 weeks and push it over a cliff.

 

[James Crispy]

Insure it to the hilt, wait 2 weeks and push it over a cliff.

lololol


I was thinking of having it cubed at the scrap yard then dropping it off on the driveway of the guy who sold it to me. I would also include a cast of my hand / middle finger and set that on top.

I'm going to try some things tonight.

 

[James Crispy]

Would love to see pics.

Another classic tale of the FZ's dangerous seduction.