Rc30 crack

Maybe this is always how it is done, don't know. It worked absolutely perfect. See the News page April 14, for what it looks like after coating. I'll probably keep this tool in case I decide I don't like the color. If you take a spring to an industrial powder coat company they will probably hang it from a wire and go to it. This leaves a tell tale mark where it was hung. Completely unacceptable to me. This tool leaves 3 small spots on the ends of the spring which you cannot see after installing the spring.

I was also able to more like had to pre-tension the spring so after installation the powder coating would be under less stress than if coated a full extension. Piston Ring Setting Gage The Honda shop manual says to use an inverted piston to push the piston ring down into the bore to check the ring end gap. I found it doesn't work using a Honda MR7 piston as they are shaped for the valve reliefs. Lots of engines are fine with that method of setting the ring in place, but it does not work here, the ring goes in wonky every time.

A pretty 8mm SS bolt and nylok nut finish it off. You could make this from many materials, but plastic is easy to work with and leaves no residue in your new engine. Transparent like this isn't necessary but gives it that Jetson look. Dial Indicator Extension. Here is the extension in use. Cam Gear Pin This has recently been replaced with the proper Honda part no.

You could just leave the preload gears off the camshafts like some have done but then you'll need to: Mill the heads off so you can manually adjust the gear backlash using shims. Not much fun and you may be milling off a valuable head that doesn't need it. Have shims made up to get the backlash correct, you can't buy them anymore from HRC. Adjust the valves. The lash will go off after the backlash is corrected it will decrease. You might get to do this twice if not perfect the first time.

This doesn't matter if you are assembling a new engine, of course. You would have to do it anyway. Cam Gear Holder One of those tools I look around for, knowing it isn't really manufactured, but then happen to fluke it. This is actually for removing stubborn oil filters on cars. It just so happens on the smallest setting that it properly engages an RC30 camshaft preload gear. The handles touch together and it engages the teeth but doesn't grip them. I fixture the main cam drive gear in the polyethylene jaws in the vice and then use this tool to preload the gear and put the pin in.

It is almost as if they designed it for the job. The spring doesn't feel very strong at all using this tool. The movement is very controllable.

Do not over rotate the preload gear. It is a very highly stressed spring looks like an internal C Clip in it's normal state, let alone over expanded. Update - I found a picture of it in action. See below. Crankcase Alignment Pins Two of these are screwed into the upper crankcase half at the front of the engine.

Long Hex Bits These are sort of home made. These bolts should have had 8mm and 6mm heads. Every engine has it's curse. Meet the curse. Balancing Devices Almost had you there. Lock Nut Tool You will need this tool to Install the swingarm and engine lock nuts. Another Lock Nut Tool You will need this tool to tighten the nut holding the rear brake hanger to the rear hub. Part No. Clutch Nut Socket This tool will allow you to get the nut off the clutch.

Without this you will be in trouble. The large end is the clutch nut end of it. Use this tool in combination with the sprocket holder if the engine is out of the chassis no rear brake to utilize. This tool is part number Riv Nut Tool A tool good for replacing the often crusty riv nuts used on the RC30 frame and sub frame.

The riv nut on the right is like the ones Honda used. The one on the left my personal favorite are good for fixing gimped threads where something was originally drilled and tapped.

They set flush with the surface and are super strong. A good option where a helicoil isn't practical like the most forward mounting tabs for the RC30 seat cowl.

These are 6mm but they are made in other sizes. Another high quality tool. This one is made by Sherex in the USA. Some companies make this tool more of a pop riveter but I like this one you crank with wrenches it's more precise. Worth the money. Degree Wheel I have no faith in those eye wrenching little marks on the clutch cover and starter clutch outer to find TDC.

I like to use a TDC gauge above and a degree wheel for that job. I mount the wheel and wire tab on the alternator side and read it through the valley of the engine. This makes valve adjustments and cam installation that little bit simpler.

You can buy these made of metal, but my experience says that one made of paper glued to cardboard is better like the one below. I can plot it as big as I want, write on it, throw it out, or file it with the build log.

Every engine is different. I don't want to be stuck with an 8" anodized aluminum one that doesn't fit something, or could be twice the diameter. This one is about 11" in diameter for the RC Has a resolution of about 0.

You'll never look at the starter clutch markings again. Prelube Tool. The crankcases for an RC30 are assembled upside down so I made this stand. It bolts to the two engine mounting lugs and one bolt through the cam drive securing bolt hole for a 3 point mount. The first picture was taken as I was making it.

The black crankcases are beat up VFR cases I use for such tasks. The second picture shows it fancied up in blue powder. Lower Crankcase Stand This is the sibling to the upper crankcase stand. After the crankcases are mated you flip the crankcases over onto this stand and finish the engine build. This stand makes the assembly a breeze. Valve Organizer This is my aptly named valve organizer. I use it when assembling a cylinder head.

As I finish they get moved to the yellow side so they get put back in the correct hole. It is made from a cardboard box and plastic straws cut in half. They are the perfect size for a valve to drop in to. I put a blob of silicone on the end of the straw to hold them to the box. Not everything needs to be metal or last for a years. You can use wood but it is not my preference over this. I used to have a nice one made of wood but it floated away at the beach one day.

I had a minor problem with my boat dropping a valve. At least it didn't have the valves in it. It connects to the four engine mounting points on the cylinder heads. A very secure way of moving an engine around the shop. Of course a cherry picker helps not shown. This isn't all that useful for some but not everyone is the same.

It is made this tall so it will clear installed carburetors not shown. The steering stem and bearings need to be installed before the frame is supported by the stand. The engine could possibly go in after the frame is supported but it makes sense to loosely mount the engine in the frame too. Engine to frame bolting is torqued up later. If I didn't have hoisting capabilities the stand would look different than it does. A fair amount of both thought and blood went into this. The stand is strong and weighs about 75 lb sans wheels.

Only the footpegs need to be bolted on after the bike hits the ground. In reality the bodywork is off during hoisting, but all the bodywork can be installed whilst on the stand for fit up. Normally the stand is supported on the custom made screws jacks.

The wheels are only used when moving it, though they are way over designed and easily hold the bike up without flat spotting. The problem is that it rolls too easy, hence the jack-screws for torquing, etc. The front wheels are caster type which is actually the rear of the stand when push it. The locks on the casters were useless for my purposes.

Temporary Fuel Tank This tool allows me to connect a temporary fuel supply to my motorcycles so I can start them without the fuel tank on, or to start them when I don't have or want fuel in the tank. It can be hung from the ceiling my preference , clamped in a vice, or attached to a tripod. This is very handy during carburetor synchronizing or just a mid-winter fire up. You can buy these commercially but they are plastic. I like this because it weighs 8 lbs. I can modify it when I have to easily.

You step on it and it is guaranteed not to break, bend, crack, chip or peel. It is 0. This wheel attachment design makes it a challenge to statically balance. The stand is essentially the rear hub and axle mounted to a custom bracket that is gripped by a vice. Honda rc30 This bike has only miles. I Purchased this bike in and I kept the bike in my living room For all these years.

The bike was never raced or abused. The paint has some bubbles. Mechanically the bike runs great. I will not ship the bike- local pickup only. We know it caused some discoloration and in some extreme cases even distorting the fiberglass. The Michelin Man sticker seems to be in that location.

Perhaps the tail section has damage over a larger area than what the HRC sticker is covering? Words matter. Rear wheel and muffler look especially minty considering the overall condition, but the pics are horrible.

Too scared…. Those stickers are hiding even more damage I fear. I am dubious of the mileage claim given the damage to the motorcycle. I cannot wait to sell my absolutely pristine ZX10R in 30 years because no matter how many miles are on it, I can promise you it will be spotless… for real!

Nicer things have fallen put of my ass than his chain. That can be a fun and rewarding process. Im sorry but this price is just way out of wack. The two center main bearings are restricted flow type in order to provide adequate oil to the valvetrain feed galleries coming from directly above them. Externally accessible orifices restrict the two galleries to the valvetrain.

These orifices help keep the flow to the two crankshaft center mains adequate but not excessive. The pressure of the oil to be filtered is kept at a maximum value dictated by the relief valve located in the lower crankcase half.

Similar to the valve train feed galleries, the transmission feed gallery is restricted by an orifice located at the crankcase split line. The oil is then fed through a multitude of pathways and other fixed orifices to supply oil to the transmission components.

A closeup of an RC30 oil pump. A lot of people will advise running the oil level above the full line on the dipstick to alleviate oil starvation and the nightmares it can cause. I personally do not do this. I run the oil at the full mark and check it every time I ride. If you do stupid things like wheelie your RC30 it is very likely you will starve the oil pump and take out rod and main bearings. If you ride so hard where you must wheelie then look at putting in a deep sump oil pan.

HRC made them, Durbahn made them and you can always modify an existing pan. Make a free website with Yola. The Honda RC30 has a fantastic little motor.

It will come as no surprise that it possesses the quality and well thought out engineering expected from Honda. The engine is unique to the RC There are very few parts in common with other V4 engines Honda has produced. Outwardly similar to many Honda V4s, that is where it all ends.

As most will already know the engine is a V4 with the cylinder banks splayed at 90 degrees. The crankcases are horizontally split through the crankshaft and both transmission shafts. Iron cylinder sleeves are cast into the upper crankcase half to create a very stiff unit suitable for transferring loads to and from the frame. The differences are essentially cosmetic in nature.

The later RC30 crankcases uses the same raw casting as the VFR so the cast in gallery for camshaft oil feeds are present in the engine's valley.

These gallery lumps are not bored through, but machined through on the RC30 crankcases. The VFR cam drive bosses are also cast into the cam drive chase. These bosses are partially machined away for the RC30 crankcases to make room for the RC30 cam drives that bolt to the cylinder head, not just the crankcases like the VFR-F.

RC30 crankcases are obviously unique because of the machining done to them. If you have a set of replacement crankcases MR they will probably be of the later type. Honda did not change the crankcase part number for the later type crankcases because the machining to them was never changed.

They are, for all intents and purposes, the same to Honda. One of the few complaints I have about the engine is the crankcases. They are very rough castings, have horrendous paint jobs, and have so much casting flash in them you wonder if the molds were set up correctly. It takes some work with a die grinder to remove the flashing. I've found big chunks of swarf in new-in-the-box crankcases.

No wonder RC30 oil pumps are discontinued. Sucking chunks of aluminum through an oil pump can take it's toll which is then caught by the filter. There, I've said it. If everything is properly prepped there are no concerns. The No. The following two pictures are of the later style crankcases. A picture is worth a thousand words so here are two thousand words As far as other comp onent differences between the VFR-F engine and the RC30 there are so many that it is easier to list what is the same, than what differs.

Later models use the same flywheel. The water pump to engine coolant piping is the same as an RC30, but the pump is of lower flow and has a different cover without oil cooler connections. There are a few other small similarities such as valve locks and some of the bolts. Camshafts and Valvetrain. The camshafts are drilled out from the right and closed on the left to provide oil to the lifter surfaces through a hole in the base of the cam lobes.

The valve lifters themselves are lightweight buckets located directly between the camshaft and the valve shim that sits on the end of the valve. There are no rocker arms. The four camshafts also ride on four small roller bearings each with a matched pair on each end. The left side ball bearings are open; the rightmost bearing on the right side has a seal on its right side to permit pressurized oil feed to the valve lifters and camshaft lobes.

If you put bearings on the incorrect sides the camshaft and lifters will be destroyed. The half-sealed right side bearing could go on the left side of the cam and the valvetrain would survive, but the left side bearings must never go on the right side.

The camshafts ride in a carrier unit that is bolted to the top surface of the cylinder head. This same carrier does double duty as guidance for the valve lifters. When these carriers are manufactured they are line honed with the camshaft caps on so every cap is unique.

In other words do not mix up the caps. They are marked with pen but it comes off quite easily. It is painful to determine where they came from if you lose track of the locations. For most people it is impossible to match them up, as they will not have the tools to do the forensics. Camshaft carriers also vary from front to rear banks. Carriers start life as the same casting but are machine differently for feeding oil to the camshafts and lifters.

The camshafts are driven from a gear located in the middle of the camshaft. This driven gear is actually a driven gear and a preload a.

The preload gear does just what it says. A small C-shaped flat spring hidden between the gears and pinned to each gear preloads the driven gear so the driven gear is in constant contact with the cam drive unit.

This makes for very precise valve timing with zero backlash and a quieter engine. The only downfall is the added friction of the preload gear. I personally like the system, even with a bit of added friction.

The same idea of a preload gear except using coil spring actuation is used on the primary drive gear and the lower cam drive gear. The rest of the valve components are pretty standard designs.

Valve locks, retainers and spring washers are not thrilling, even if it is an RC Primary Drive - Transmission - Clutch. Gears, gears gears.

The RC30 engine is full of them. If you want to alter the static ignition timing and dynamic one way to do it with the standard CDI box is to modify the crank triggers so they are moveable relative to the starter clutch that carries the triggering knobbies.

This is much less desirable than having an adjustable curve though, and again, for most purposes the standard non-adjustable CDI is fine. Intake - Fuel System - Exhaust. The intake system is a non-pressurized system with a paper filter, airbox and four gravity fed downdraft Keihin 38mm constant velocity type carburetors. The carburetors have a manual choke circuit so starting and warm up is no problem on an RC Jetting varies between countries but most have main jets for cylinders 2 and 4 and jets for cylinders 1 and 3.

The only reason I can think of for the difference in front to rear jetting is the exhaust system. The carburetors are essentially the same for all countries though main jets, needle jets and jet needles vary depending on the emissions requirements of the country it went to. The carburetors are bolted to cast aluminum intake plenum and installed as a pre-assembled unit with the choke and throttle linkages in place. Some people have a mind-bending time getting them installed and others have no problems at all.

I have a few of my own tricks for installing them and may write up a pictured article on how to do it if I ever get time. The fuel line from the petcock to the carburetors, and the fuel lines located under the plenum should be checked on any bike that is now over 20 years old. If fuel has been left in the bike for an extended time these turn rock hard and crack.