So, as mentioned in other posts, I am currently on the cusp of rebuilding the FJ1100 I picked up from Mixerman.<br /><br />The chain went on him and cracked the case around the inner sprocket. Needless to say, the entire upper case needs to be replaced. I&#039;m picking up a case this weekend and taking the guts / heads / tranny innards out of mine and making a good motor in the end.<br /><br />My question is this:<br /><br />The motor I have has well over 150000 kms on &#039;er. Mixerman said she was running great when the chain blew but she was a bit long in the tooth. Since I basically have to take this thing apart to nothing a rebuild it again, I&#039;m wondering what kind of stuff I should do while I&#039;m in there.<br /><br />For example, since she has miles on it, I&#039;m thinking I should definitely replace the cam chain while I&#039;m in there. Also thinking of reseating the valves - that sort of thing...<br /><br />Since I&#039;m stripping it, I wanna do all that I can to avoid future problems. Things like oil pump, bearings etc...what should I be looking at doing?<br /><br />Any information will be appreciated.

Bearings, seals and chains are relatively cheap - with that kind of mileage on the bike, I&#039;d be really tempted to replace all bearings, chains and seals including the ones inside pumps, alternators, starters, etc.&nbsp; Most of the cost of an engine rebuild is labour - ripping it apart a month after a rebuild is something you want to avoid.&nbsp; Check the pricing on the wear parts - sometimes its not worth the cost to just get the wear item - replace the whole part it goes into.&nbsp; For example, a bearing on a starter motor might cost $30 and a rebuilt starter might cost $40.&nbsp; I&#039;d also be taking a real close look at the tolerances on all your moving parts, especially the values and pistons and shaft.&nbsp; Remember when you button it back up, you&#039;ll likely have a combination of new and used parts in it and the different tolerances can cause unexpected wear points.&nbsp; In addition, I&#039;d be browsing some FJ1100 web sites and see what the members have reported as typical engine problem items - every bike has their own unique set.&nbsp; For example, the first generation HD Twin Cam bikes had a problem with cam bearings so even if the bearing looked okay in one of these bikes, I&#039;d replace it as a matter of course if I was rebuilding the engine and I knew that it still had the original bearing in it.&nbsp; So if the FJ1100 web sites report problems with cams, values, or whatever, pay real close attention to those parts and replace as economics allow.&nbsp; Also, see what is normally replaced on high mileage engines on the website.&nbsp; I&#039;d also invest in a service manual for the bike and make sure I had a good torque wrench.&nbsp; Having bolts pull out &#039;cause you&#039;ve over tightened them to the point of failure is not fun.&nbsp; Finally, when it is all back together, remember to break it in gently as the new and used parts have to reseat themselves.&nbsp; Once the break in period is over, change the oil, pay attention to any metal flakes in the oil filter and then have some fun.&nbsp; Don&#039;t forget to look at any wires for cracks, etc and replace those as well.

Good advice James...I&#039;ll definitely be taking my time making sure that I do everything I can to avoid future issues. I have a running bike now so I&#039;m in no real hurry to get this done.<br /><br />I do have a torque wrench (although it&#039;s the clicker kind, I&#039;ve heard lately that they&#039;re not the best but they must be better than nothing) and I picked up a brand new Clymer manual for it and I also have the original Yamaha microfiche on PDF...so I think I&#039;m good to go there.<br /><br />When you talk about tolerances, what do you mean exactly? I mean, how do I test the tolerances etc.<br /><br />When I have this motor stripped down, I may be inclined to invite a few guys over to take a gander and check if they can see anything that looks like it needs work etc.<br /><br />The only motor I&#039;ve every stripped and rebuilt was a 350 in high school. I&#039;m pretty mechanically inclined, so I think with the manuals I have and the support of the forums out there - I&#039;ll have a strong drivetrain in the end.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I have yet to find a decent FJ site but I&#039;ll keep looking...

By tolerances I mean spacing between parts.&nbsp; Rings and cylinder walls, end play of bearings, value shim heights, etc.&nbsp; You are going to have new and used in there so the old settings may not work anymore.&nbsp; For example, lets say the values checked out as perfectly fine - no new shims required - everything is within tolerance.&nbsp; If you then replace the cam, even though the values were okay prior to that - its almost a guarantee that with the new part, the tolerances would be out and you&#039;d need to adjust the shims.&nbsp; So as you replace things like water pumps, cams, chains, etc. parts that previously were within spec AND THEIR DEPENDENT PARTS now need to be checked again.&nbsp; <br /><br />I&#039;ll see if anyone knows of a good FJ site.

Dude dropped off the case today :rockon:

Great stuff....now the fun begins....

The best FJ site I&#039;ve found is a Yahoo group - seem like decent folk and knowledgeable about the bike so I should be set but keep yours ears open for any larger ones out there.<br /><br />I think I may start another thread in the Tech Section and post what I&#039;m doing with the FJ as I go.&nbsp; Kind of like a walkthrough as I rebuild the motor.&nbsp; I think it may serve others as a good reference in the future for folks thinking about taking this on...