81 yamaha maxim motor..

[cmurdah]

hey guys, other than my kat i have a 1981 550 maxim with 24k miles. its in pretty rough shape, but was well worth 600 bucks as a starter bike. it still runs, pretty well i might add.

to the point, i got bored and looked up parts on ebay. i came across an engine for it, about 2 hours away in lexington for 40 dollars. most on ebay were going for 200+. noone bid, i emailed him and he said hed still take 40 dollars for it if i came and got it.

the problem is, he says it has 7400 miles, but has been sitting in a barn for 25 years. hes "not sure" if it runs. he says its not locked up and the trans will shift. comes just the engine, no carbs or starter. he also says there is no oil filter cover, but i have one so thats not an issue.

would it be worth picking up? ive never worked on an engine before, what all would be involved in "restoring" it i guess would be the word. would just be nice to have a backup, as my bike is pushing 30 years old and the guy i bought it from owned it for 3 years and 5000 miles and never changed the oil. i feel that for 40 bucks i really cant go wrong.

here is a link to the expired posting: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...TQ:MOTORS:1123

[random_kat_rider]

25 years ? the cylinders must be full of rust and the restoration will cost you way to much.
Not a pro, just my opinion.

[cmurdah]

25 years ? the cylinders must be full of rust and the restoration will cost you way to much.
Not a pro, just my opinion.

these are the kind of answers i was looking for..as i know nothing about engines except to change the oil and filter every 3k miles or so

[tmk7c9]

It's impossible to say without looking at it. If it had a light coat of oil on it and it was all sealed up, it's probably still fine. I've resurrected plenty of old motors that were in fine shape. New plugs, new fluids, fresh gas, and you'd be surprised at what will run after 20 years in a barn.

if it was stored with the spark plugs out, then of course the cylinders will be rusted. Probably better to run away in that case.

I've actually successfully broken loose a rusted up motor before, and it then ran for another 10,000 miles until I sold the bike....but who knows if you'd have the same experience. It's a $40 gamble, the way I look at it.

[jiver06]

40 bucks isn't bad if you know someone with the tools. You will have to re-adjust the valves, check your cam clearances and crank clearances a well as hone the cylinders. You'll also need new pistons and rings. The valves may be okay. It's a lot of work but if you know the right people you can do it for a reasonable price considering the cost of a new engine.

Good luck if you plan on doing the work

[hardlydangerous]

for get it.

an engine that was not properly stored for that amount of time and still maintained (storage prep lasts about 5 years) will be in poor shape.
rings will be seized, carbs gummed up, fuel system will need to be restored, cylinders rusted and possible badly rusted/corroded engine components (rods and cams). you could get it to run but it wont likely last long at all.
unless you plan on rebuilding this $40 engine and dumping aprox $400 more into it its not worth the drive or $$$

[cmurdah]

aye i think you guys talked me out of it lol. like i said i know nothing about engines. thanks everyone!

[DreKat]

If you remove the spark plugs and you can see the pistons move up and down freely then for $40 why not but it.