Whats the rubber connector called between the carb and the cylinder on the Serow...

Bateman

Bateman

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Mine looks very cracked and persihed and I am thinking that I may need a new one. Done the Valve clearances today but that doesn't seem to have made any difference to the rattly noise - not that I am overly concerned but just thought I would take the opportunity to learn more about the mechanics and try to service it myself.

On another note, whats the top speed people tend to get. I get about 100kmh on the speedo, creeping towards 110 on a long, slightly down hill road.

And whilst I am here - I bought some copper grease today. It said it can be used to stop brakes squealing. But where am I meant to put it - it says not to be used on any friction surfaces, which I can understand, but not sure I know what to do with it or how it is meant to stop the squealing when I brake hard.
 
Copper grease goes on the back of the pads to piston contact area, perhaps? embracing the anti rattle shim as well. Don't put too much on, a thin smear should suffice.

I think I read somewhere that these anti rattle shims are there to prevent the brakes from squealing.

I'm assuming that you are talking disc brake here?
 
LOL Biggest cause of Squeaky brakes are the Anti Squeak shims :confused:

The Carb inlet rubbers are easy to get from any dealer. if they crack they weaken the mixture:(
have you tried adjusting the cam chain ?to stop the rattle?
 
Proff said:
LOL Biggest cause of Squeaky brakes are the Anti Squeak shims :confused:

The Carb inlet rubbers are easy to get from any dealer. if they crack they weaken the mixture:(
have you tried adjusting the cam chain ?to stop the rattle?
Click to expand...

Is the carb inlet rubber also known as a "Carb to engine Inlet Manifold", or is that something completely different.

Apparantly the cam chain tensioner is automatic but I'll dig the haynes book out in the morning and see what it says.

Thanks for the replies
 
Bateman said:
Is the carb inlet rubber also known as a "Carb to engine Inlet Manifold", or is that something completely different.

Apparantly the cam chain tensioner is automatic but I'll dig the haynes book out in the morning and see what it says.

Thanks for the replies
Click to expand...


YUP to first Q
Cam chain adjuster sometimes gets a lip on it A'LA Z650 Z750 Kawas, cure then, was to slacken off slightly and hit with wooden mallet to jump it over the lip :eek: :yikes :yikes retighten and Bobs your mothers brother :D
 
Serow just packed up on me again! Middle of town, busy school run traffic, had to leave it, get some money out, order a taxi to get me home so I could go pick my kids up. Pain in the ass.

On the positive side, i think i may know what the issue is. After a short while, the bike overheats - I presume this is why it stalls. The inlet manifold has more cracks than an amsterdam brothel so i am hoping that this is where the overheating problem lies. From what I gather, air is being sucked in the cracks, causing a very lean mixture which causes it to overheat? So I have ordered a new manifold from Fowlers (about £26) which I should get tomorrow.

I hope these things are easy to fit.
 
Proff said:
The Carb inlet rubbers are easy to get from any dealer. if they crack they weaken the mixture:(
QUOTE]


I did tell you !!!! :rolleyes:

I learn't the hard way as well on a XL250 :( :(
Click to expand...
 
Just fitted the new Inlet manifold. Not sure it has made any difference although only run the bike for 15 minutes on a quick ride. I can't tell if it is still overheating or not. How would I tell? The cyclinder gets very very hot (water sizzles on it) and the spark plug connector lead gets very hot. Is this normal?
 
What colours the spark plug ?
have you cleaned the carb , jets etc
definately sounds like it's running lean

:rob
 
Here is the spark plug. Haven't cleaned the carb. It was a challenge for me to even remove the carb - talk about venturing into the unknown - and whilst I am happy to clean it, is there a special way it needs to be cleaned?

plug.jpg
 
Quick update... inlet manifold replaced, valve clearances redone as it seems I didn't have TDC when I did them (I had the exact opposite) which made it very rattly indeed. New oil, oil filter, o-rings everywhere, air filter. Idle screw tweaked.

Now runs and sounds like a Ferrari :thumb

Next steps, when I get some time, strip the carb down and clean it all out and maybe take a look at the cam chain and see if it needs replacing. No idea what I am doing but with the help of the Haynes manual and lots of Qs on here, I'll get there. One day I may even make it up to Salisbury Plain on it. Also need to get a Compression Gauge as apparently that will give me lots of indications about the top end, which presumably is above the bottom end. By the time I have replaced all the old with new, I probably could have bought a new HP2, but it is a learning experience after all........ :nenau And besides, somebody has to contribute to the Serow section.
 
I spoke to soon....... Took it up the Ox Drove today through lots of mud and deep puddles and it just died on me again. Seems to be different this time. I can hear the starter motor turning over, but nothing else. If I take the spark plug out I can rotate the rear wheel when in gear. If I put the spark plug back in, I can just about rotate the wheel when in gear. If I press the starter button when in gear, the bike lurches forward whether the clutch is in or not. I am hoping I just got something too wet but difficult to know what to do next. These bikes are supposed to be bulletproof. Mine has only done 9000 miles and I can't seem to ride 30 miles without something going wrong.

Ended up coming home on the back of a recovery truck courtesy of Carol Nash. The driver has a 1982 VFR750 which does "just short of 175mph"......
 
I have never seen a Serrow so I don't know of any specific problems but here are a couple of easy checks to try and find your problem.
The first thing to check, after has it got any petrol in it, is has it got a spark.
1 Either pull the spark plug out or if you have a spare one fit it to the HT lead and place the other end on the cylinder head bolt for a good earth.
2 Next step is to turn the motor and look for a spark jumping the plug gap
If there is no spark check the kill switch and side stand switch, if these are ok you will need to chase the wiring with a multi meter
3 If you have a spark it is likely that the problem is with fuel so remove the pipe to the carb and make sure petrol is flowing through it. If not check the filter in the fuel tap.
 
Quick update. Not great news, Gauloises took a look for me and it turns out the cam chain has snapped and dropped down inside whatever bit it falls into. Spoke to a local MX shop who have a good reputation for helpful advice and the guy said that the valves were almost certainly bent when the chain snapped, and I would be looking at, for parts alone, 2 valves at £70, cam chain at £40 and head gasket at about £25, so close to £150 at a minimum. Then there could be piston damage on top of that. Complete pain in the ass.

How can a cam chain snap at 9000 miles? So the choice I need to make now is do I invest the time and money in fixing it, or do I break it up and sell in bits on ebay, or just flog it as it is and let someone else fix it and recover some of the money.
 
Bateman, why not fix it yourself pref with someone to guide you? Good learning exercise surely.
 
harry said:
Bateman, why not fix it yourself pref with someone to guide you? Good learning exercise surely.
Click to expand...

I am going to give it a go. Engine is nearly out and assuming I only need 2 valves (if bent), a head gasket and a cam chain plus a couple of o-rings and gaskets here and there then that should be less than £100. And hopefully I can put it back together....
 
Managed to get the engine off. Went well apart from two things - I pulled the swingarm pivot/engine mount out too far so the swingarm was freed and the whole bike collapsed, and I have a couple of washers and bits that I don't where they came from. But the engine is sat on a bench ready to be opened up. I couldn't even undo the cylinder head bolts and as the engine is now loose, its difficult to hold it steady and get the leverage I need. And do i need to take the cam chain sprocket off? If I do, how do i undo the nut becuase it just spins the sprocket?

engine.jpg
 
I have now got the cylinder head off and took the left crankcase cover off. Piston seems ok - no sign of valve damage. Haven't checked the valves yet, and according to the manual I need to remove the clutch to get at the crankshaft sprocket that the cam chain goes on, although it also says that to get to the rear chain guide (and presumably the sprocket) , I need to remove the rotor.

So my latest questions for the experts are:

Do I remove the rotor to fit the new cam chain?
If so, where can I get a rotor puller and rotor holder, that doesn't cost a fortune?
How likely is it that the valves are bent (I don't see any indents from them at the top of the piston)?
 

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