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'07 California Vintage 1100CC engine seized

M

MG McAnick

Just got it firing!
Joined
Jun 1, 2015
Messages
4
Location
KANSAS, Land without a dealer
i just bought this bike because I thought it was incredibly good looking. Just like an Italian movie star. I knew it had some issues, but was not expecting the engine to be seized, as in completely stuck. I know it has been on its left side, and I was expecting all of it's issues to be plastic and brackets. Unfortunately it's worse than that. Yes, I bought it cheap, unlike an Italian movie star, from the insurance company that "totaled" it.

Has anyone here ever had a Calif Vintage 1100CC engine seize with under 5000 miles? I checked the oil, and it has plenty on the dipstick, but maybe it was refilled after RUNNING on its side, losing all its oil, and coming to a disastrous halt. And yes, it's really stuck, not just a low battery or bad starter.
 
Whip the barrels off, maybe it will just be a cylinder seize. Usually no rebore possible, Nikasil coating will be shagged if it's locked up here.

Good luck!
 
i have had x2 ali cali's losing oil pressure internally! don't know why , never got to take them apart ,i knew both bikes from new . owners never scrimped on servicing . tried everything i could think of . they just kept losing pressure as you rode them ( rode with a test gauge on them ) they would drop to 20 psi at tick over .
 
theoneandonly said:
i have had x2 ali cali's losing oil pressure internally! don't know why , never got to take them apart ,i knew both bikes from new . owners never scrimped on servicing . tried everything i could think of . they just kept losing pressure as you rode them ( rode with a test gauge on them ) they would drop to 20 psi at tick over .
Click to expand...


On a hot engine, 20 psi sounds about normal. Was the running pressure about 40 psi? The oil pump is just a couple of small gears so with hot oil and low RPM I would not expect pressure much higher. Was the oil pressure about 60 psi at 3,000 RPM with a cold engine?
 
Only thing I can think of is the bike ran on its side until it seized. If that's the case, a complete overhaul would be needed as the crank journals up would be toast. If so, and the beauty of Guzzi, is that you can source nearly any used 1100 engine for parts. I have two hydraulic lifter engines (that I completely know the history on) that I can sell if you need one for parts. Contact me direct email; Todd at GuzziTech.com or via the Contact tab above.
 
On a hot engine, 20 psi sounds about normal. Was the running pressure about 40 psi? The oil pump is just a couple of small gears so with hot oil and low RPM I would not expect pressure much higher. Was the oil pressure about 60 psi at 3,000 RPM with a cold engine?[/QUOTE]

i KNOW 20 psi is wrong , (we tested my cali metal with 60k mls on it , 60 psi HOT ie running for 20 mins in the w/shop stationary .)

running pressure was 60 psi dropping to 50 as you cruised along , 20psi at traffic lights . VERY SCAREY.
 
theoneandonly said:
On a hot engine, 20 psi sounds about normal. Was the running pressure about 40 psi? The oil pump is just a couple of small gears so with hot oil and low RPM I would not expect pressure much higher. Was the oil pressure about 60 psi at 3,000 RPM with a cold engine?
Click to expand...

i KNOW 20 psi is wrong , (we tested my cali metal with 60k mls on it , 60 psi HOT ie running for 20 mins in the w/shop stationary .)

running pressure was 60 psi dropping to 50 as you cruised along , 20psi at traffic lights . VERY SCAREY.[/QUOTE]
 
I got my 07 Cali Vintage up on the operating table, Harbor Fright (sic) $300, and finally had a chance to play with it today. I pulled the left cylinder head off, and can tell that least THAT cylinder isn't seized. I did not remove the cylinder, but it is easy to pull up and down over the piston and rings. The factory "cross hatches" from honing are plainly visible. By sticking a bolt into a hole in one of the rod caps (at least I think this where I am with a mirror) I can move the crank maybe 1/4 inch. The pan shows evidence of silver metal particles in the small amount of oil remaining after draining. My guess is I have cooked and/or spun a main bearing. Can a Moto Guzzi crank be turned and fitted with oversized bearings? Do I have to remove the engine to disassemble it? Are there any good YouTube videos on engine removal and/or disassembly? I guess that's my next step. Are the main bearings possibly roller bearings. Am I doomed to find another engine? Any suggestions?

Edited to add: MG McAnick is in reference to my 48 year affair with MG automobiles. I still have one I bought 46 years ago. I'm a total newbie to Moto Guzzi motorcycles, but I'm not afraid to learn.
 
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