Airhead starter motor cover

[Paul Rochdale]

My R100/7 hasn't been started up for a while - yes I know, I should have known better - so whilst the electrics work (lights, horn, indicators) and the battery is obviously charged, I want to take the starter motor cover off to have a look at the starter motor and it's connections. Two socket headed caps screws hold the cover on, and whilst one came undone the second one has seized on and the hezagon rounded off. Whacking the head of the screw with an allen key in a socket and extension bar, and a lump hammer has failed to get it moving, and because the screw is about 40mm long, any WD40 I've applied will almost certainly fail to reach the threads.

As there is insufficient of the head to get a purchase with Mole Grips and any applied heat would not reach the thread either, I'm thinking about drilling the HT steel of the screw head off using a cobalt drill. What do you think?

 

[duds]

What about applying heat to the crankcase in the area where the thread of the bolt would actually be. Once nice and hot use a suitable size torx drive bit to bite into the hex head of the bolt. You may need to persuade it to seat properly with couple of firm hammer blows but hopefully will then have a good purchase on the bolt.

Good luck

 

[Rob Farmer]

Torx or star socket driver hammered into the rounded socket head. Works a treat.

 

[Ogmios]

It's things like this made me buy a Dremel.
I've had lots of similar problems all solved with a Mini Drill, its various attachments, lateral thinking, a steady hand and sheer bloodymindedness!
From 'making' a slot in ruined allen heads that will take the flat blade of an impact driver to drilling a tiny hole into the side of seized threads to spray WD40 into.
Last resort has been a very fine butane torch and ice.
Good Luck.

EDIT:

Torx or star socket driver hammered into the rounded socket head. Works a treat.

The Dremel can also help remove broken Torx and Star bits when you break them in situ and cant get the f*ckers out!
DAMHIK

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Thanks a lot peeps, I have a Dremel and possible some Torx bits. Plus an impact driver. No butane torch. OK, out of interest then, would the cobalt drill bit have taken the HT steel socket head off?

 

[duds]

Thanks a lot peeps, I have a Dremel and possible some Torx bits. Plus an impact driver. No butane torch. OK, out of interest then, would the cobalt drill bit have taken the HT steel socket head off?

Yeah quite probably but then there is always a risk it may have snagged and snapped in the head of the bolt, then you would have a problem!

 

[jaber]

you could get a smaller Allen key, get some liquid metal and bed the smaller key into it and let it set, could work?

steve

 

[DrFarkoff]

just tap a spline drive in or a bigger torx into the rounded out socket

the vibration from hammering plus the extra bite should get things moving

PLUS If you have a fan heater set it on a barrel leave it pointing at the crankcase for 5 or 10 mins it will make things much easier

 

[fayeslane]

Slight hijack. I was tapping a thread into some aluminium and the tap broke off. Any suggestions on getting it out? Nothing to grip on to. What would drill it out?

Sometimes cheap tools are expensive

 

[Rob Farmer]

Slight hijack. I was tapping a thread into some aluminium and the tap broke off. Any suggestions on getting it out? Nothing to grip on to. What would drill it out?

Sometimes cheap tools are expensive

How about a diy spark eroder http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/downloads/files/Easy_Spark_Eroder.pdf

http://mikesworkshop.weebly.com/a-spark-erosion-apparatus.html

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/3032973/1488194358/name/MEW_117

 

[fayeslane]

Thanks Rob, very interesting reading

Would this be overkill? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Creator-...19?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item4acfe54113

 

[Rob Farmer]

I'd love to get my hands on that!

 

[Rob Farmer]

Thought I'd have a go at one of those diy spark eroders. If you've never hand wound a coil you have no idea of the word tedium. 1500 turns. Quite pleased with myself and the difficult bits out of the way.

 

[(RIP) Tibs]

Yes but how're you gonna fit all that gubbins between the top frame tube and the starter cover?
Pass the hacksaw......

 

[bumpmuncher]

another home made spark eroder thingy http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?307421-Home-made-spark-eroder&highlight=spark+eroder

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Success! A borrowed Torx T40 bit and a CalorGaz torch did the trick. The 'BMW R100/7' badge would have got scorched so as it was poorly attached (Bostic?) I removed it and drilled a tiny hole where the thread of the screw would be. So I hammered the Torx bit into the worn head of the Allen screw, applied heat to the side of the starter motor cover and squirted WD40 into the hole. Gradually the worn screw unwound then a further twenty minutes levering the starter motor cover off (talk about corrosion) and the unpleasant cobwebby mess was revealed. I was a bit surprised by all the mess around the starter motor and under the timing cover so a good clean up and get her running. I wasn't going to undergo a full restoration as I really should get back to the Lomax build but.....

Thank for the tips.

PS I should have taken a few pictures before starting to dismantle her but she'd a 1977 R100/7. identical to this one.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1062_4320046432240_6795981_n.jpg

 

[Paul Rochdale]

Well I've spent a couple of days now cleaning up all of the crud that was around the starter motor cover, air filter cover and timing cases, dismantled, cleaned and painted the starter motor and refitted it all. What a bugger it was to struggle to get everything in under the starter motor cover. Theres a length of breather (?) pipe which feeds back into the air filter cases which has hardened with age and was difficult to get back in. I think the starter motor came out at least three times in all. And did she finally start? No. Checking through the electrics and clean each of the wires, I found the terminals on the starter relay badly corroded and one had snapped off. So I've ordered one from Motorworks.

I won't be starting a proper restoration yet but want her to at least run for a while every month or so so as to keep everything freed up.

 

[litelfun]

starting the engine up and runing it warm allso helps removing bolts on the enginge cassing had the same problem on my hp 2 on the oltinator belt cover couldent use a torch on that as its plastic but letting the bicke warm up helped

 

[Paul Rochdale]

I couldn't do that as that was why I was removing the starter motor - she wouldn't start. I've today discovered a disintegrating starter relay and it's crudely taped up spade connectors. Trouble waiting to happen. It seems I rode around happily in those days - she's been off the road for quite a few years - oblivious to the slow build up of corrosion. My PD has been really pampered in comparison.

 

[Paul Rochdale]

I've just come this interesting article by Real Classic magazine's Martin Gelder...........and I realise I have incorrectly routed the plastic breather tube.

http://www.realclassic.co.uk/bmw_r80_r100_starter_motor_problem.html