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Breva 1100 Cylinder Head Removal Advice (engine mounted in frame)

Tony D.

Just got it firing!
Joined
Sep 29, 2017
Messages
18
Location
Newton, MA
Hello all, or I should say help!!

I may need to remove the right cylinder head to extract a small piece of wooden dowel measuring 1" long x 5/16" diameter - a bit fatter than a pencil). I was too lazy and stupid to go in the house to fetch a straw to determine TDC for a valve adjustment and now I'm paying for it. I can get hold of it with sticky wax on the end of wire but can't get it back out thru the spark plug hole. I can't rotate the engine thru TDC and wouldn't want to chance starting it possibly getting a splinter in the valve seat holding the valve open just long enough to hit the piston.

Outside of injecting a few hundred termites in for a snack, burning it, or somehow dissolving it, (any ideas welcome) it looks like the head will be coming off.

Everything I see in the shop manuals show the engine removed from the bike when removing the head.

Would someone be kind enough to tell me if the head can be removed with the engine in the frame?

Thanks and please by gentle on me!

Tony
 
There is no need to remove the engine to remove the heads.
No comment on the reason for your question - I'm in no position to criticise believe me.
Unfortunately I have no other suggestion to remedy your problem. The good news is that its not hard, I've done it and my bike goes fine
Good luck
Steve
 
Tony, Be aware that the Breva head is torqued by rotational torque. You will need a rotational torque gauge that attaches to a ratchet or breaker bar. I believe the initial torque for all studs is 15 lb/ft then you go from there. I think the factory service manual gives the degrees of rotation for the long and short studs. If not it is somewhere on this forum.
 
You are not the first guy I have heard doing that so don't beat your self up to much. Just don't do it twice....have seen that too.

Not having the head at TDC will make removing the cam box and head a little more difficult to get the timing lined up properly. It can be done, but you will need to make sure you mark the cams relative to the cam chain or you will be in for a world of hurt.

That may be the best course of action. Anything you try to do to it (ie cutting it, burning it) you will risk leaving some behind and getting stuck under a valve. May eventually burn it self out but carbonized wood it pretty damn hard under a seat.

Other thing you can try is if you can get the top of the dowel lined up with the hole, rotate the engine (slowly!!!!) to see if the cylinder will push it up through the plug hole . Most likely just caught on the inside edge. I think if you take your time and get some help it will pop out. If you think there are some little pieces left and don't trust them burning off you can try blowing air through the exhaust port out the hole with the exhaust valves open. Or vacuum through the plug hole with some valves open.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. Slow and patience will be your friend.
 
You are not the first guy I have heard doing that so don't beat your self up to much. Just don't do it twice....have seen that too.

Not having the head at TDC will make removing the cam box and head a little more difficult to get the timing lined up properly. It can be done, but you will need to make sure you mark the cams relative to the cam chain or you will be in for a world of hurt.

That may be the best course of action. Anything you try to do to it (ie cutting it, burning it) you will risk leaving some behind and getting stuck under a valve. May eventually burn it self out but carbonized wood it pretty damn hard under a seat.

Other thing you can try is if you can get the top of the dowel lined up with the hole, rotate the engine (slowly!!!!) to see if the cylinder will push it up through the plug hole . Most likely just caught on the inside edge. I think if you take your time and get some help it will pop out. If you think there are some little pieces left and don't trust them burning off you can try blowing air through the exhaust port out the hole with the exhaust valves open. Or vacuum through the plug hole with some valves open.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. Slow and patience will be your friend.


Canuck, The 1100 Breva is a 2 valve per cylinder push rod engine. No impact on valve timing as there is no in head camshaft. Your other suggestions sound good.
 
Canuck, The 1100 Breva is a 2 valve per cylinder push rod engine. No impact on valve timing as there is no in head camshaft. Your other suggestions sound good.

THanks John. Knew it was 2 valve but didn’t realize it had pushrods.

Time to brush up on the older 2v’s I guess.
 
Thanks to all who replied and for being easy on me.

WE GOT IT OUT!!!!!

Nothing short of a miracle and no, it will not happen again in my lifetime. My brother and neighbor were over for moral support and help with all of us taking turns. After laying the bike on it's side and manipulating the piston height, blowing and vacuuming, the 1.5" long dowel was liberated intact!

I'll be lighting a candle to the patron saint of Mandello del Lario for this one.
Again thanks all for your replies and moral support!

Tony (Whew!!)
 
How 'bout a real strong vacuum and suck that bastard outta there through the spark plug hole??
 
It was in fact the claw tool (I call the mechanical fingers) that got it out. It took some doing (6 hours of tag-teaming) to manipulate the dowel from laying flat on the piston head to grabbing it so that it could be pulled vertically out. Had to lay the bike on it's side to have the piston/cylinder as vertical as possible. Thanks for your input!
 

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