A little intro for the pictures I took of my friends bike during dismantling. Pictures are pretty big, but you can see better. ![Smile](https://katriders.com/core/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
My friend has a -93 Suzuki GSX 750 F, (Katana in USA). Well it had only ~38500km, which is about 24 000 miles when it broke down. He accelerated in the city and started to slow down to stop at traffic lights when it shut off and made some clanking noise along the way. Started very hard and it sounded like it was firing at only three, but no other side sounds (have had some sort of high pitch metal sound many times earlier, but sounded like it was coming from gearbox, or so we thought atleast)
He got the bike to my garage and I started to work on it. First I checked the plugs, rebuild the carbutetors and was still firing at only three cylinders. At this point we feared the worst and that there was something wrong inside the cylinderhead, (valve adjustment screw or something else had come loose).
I opened valve cover, everything seemed fine, checked and adjusted clearances (they were pretty OK), and then we realized there had to be something wrong inside the cylinder. I took all the plugs out and tried to look inside but didn't see anything. Then I tested if there was any compression on the cylinders by putting only one sparkplug on at the time and rotated the engine. I could hear some sizziling from 3/4 cylinders so it came clear there wasn't any compression on cylinder #3.
Well, at this point we decided to take the head off. We spent about an hour just to get the exhaust out, the bolts were very well rusted to the head, but we managed to get them out without stripping any threaps or bases.
Head bolts were also very tight, had to use lots of muscle power to get them also loose, but we managed to get the head off after much of cursing and sweating. Then it was clear, we were going to need new pistons and cylinder block because piston #3 had lost few pieces. But, this wasn't the only cylinder, 3/4 had marks on the head that piston ring pieces had hit them (and there was also those pieces stuck on the head).
We found "new" set of pistons and cylinder block, and as I was pulling the old block of and the pistons this destruction was discovered.
All the parts on the table.
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4615.jpg)
Cylinder #3
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4616.jpg)
More of cylinder #3, huge grooves
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4617.jpg)
Head
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4618.jpg)
Head at cylinder #3, you can clearly see the piston ring chips lodged in
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4619.jpg)
Pistons out, left to right, 1,2,3,4
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4622.jpg)
Piston #1, piston ring pieces on top of each other
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4624.jpg)
Huge hollow on piston #1
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4625.jpg)
Piston #2 hollows
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4627.jpg)
Piston #2 top
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4628.jpg)
Piston #3
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4630.jpg)
Another angle of piston#3 (right side)
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4631.jpg)
Piston #3 (front)
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4632.jpg)
Piston #4 hollow #1
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4636.jpg)
Piston #4 hollow #2
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4637.jpg)
Piston #4 from top
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4641.jpg)
Cylinder #3 grooves
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4649.jpg)
Head #3 and pieces I took out
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4675.jpg)
There is also some problems with the intake valves at #3. We are trying to find a machine shop that is not on summerholiday to check if the head can be repaired.
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/be6f4e95-a97c-4a63-9b3d-65b00a721e9e.jpg?t=1373385514)
But does anybody have any idea what could have caused this kind on carnage on the engine? Running too lean, oil problem or what? Bike have had some sort of running issues now and then, but it have always seemed like carburetor issues as it has cleared when I have rebuild carbs. Btw, bearings at crankshaft are ok, there's no play on them.
Other pics of the bike engine http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/Ih...?sort=2&page=1
Janne K
![Smile](https://katriders.com/core/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
My friend has a -93 Suzuki GSX 750 F, (Katana in USA). Well it had only ~38500km, which is about 24 000 miles when it broke down. He accelerated in the city and started to slow down to stop at traffic lights when it shut off and made some clanking noise along the way. Started very hard and it sounded like it was firing at only three, but no other side sounds (have had some sort of high pitch metal sound many times earlier, but sounded like it was coming from gearbox, or so we thought atleast)
He got the bike to my garage and I started to work on it. First I checked the plugs, rebuild the carbutetors and was still firing at only three cylinders. At this point we feared the worst and that there was something wrong inside the cylinderhead, (valve adjustment screw or something else had come loose).
I opened valve cover, everything seemed fine, checked and adjusted clearances (they were pretty OK), and then we realized there had to be something wrong inside the cylinder. I took all the plugs out and tried to look inside but didn't see anything. Then I tested if there was any compression on the cylinders by putting only one sparkplug on at the time and rotated the engine. I could hear some sizziling from 3/4 cylinders so it came clear there wasn't any compression on cylinder #3.
Well, at this point we decided to take the head off. We spent about an hour just to get the exhaust out, the bolts were very well rusted to the head, but we managed to get them out without stripping any threaps or bases.
Head bolts were also very tight, had to use lots of muscle power to get them also loose, but we managed to get the head off after much of cursing and sweating. Then it was clear, we were going to need new pistons and cylinder block because piston #3 had lost few pieces. But, this wasn't the only cylinder, 3/4 had marks on the head that piston ring pieces had hit them (and there was also those pieces stuck on the head).
We found "new" set of pistons and cylinder block, and as I was pulling the old block of and the pistons this destruction was discovered.
All the parts on the table.
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4615.jpg)
Cylinder #3
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4616.jpg)
More of cylinder #3, huge grooves
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4617.jpg)
Head
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4618.jpg)
Head at cylinder #3, you can clearly see the piston ring chips lodged in
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4619.jpg)
Pistons out, left to right, 1,2,3,4
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4622.jpg)
Piston #1, piston ring pieces on top of each other
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4624.jpg)
Huge hollow on piston #1
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4625.jpg)
Piston #2 hollows
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4627.jpg)
Piston #2 top
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4628.jpg)
Piston #3
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4630.jpg)
Another angle of piston#3 (right side)
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4631.jpg)
Piston #3 (front)
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4632.jpg)
Piston #4 hollow #1
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4636.jpg)
Piston #4 hollow #2
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4637.jpg)
Piston #4 from top
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4641.jpg)
Cylinder #3 grooves
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4649.jpg)
Head #3 and pieces I took out
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/IMG_4675.jpg)
There is also some problems with the intake valves at #3. We are trying to find a machine shop that is not on summerholiday to check if the head can be repaired.
![](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u517/IhmeJanneFIN/Purku/be6f4e95-a97c-4a63-9b3d-65b00a721e9e.jpg?t=1373385514)
But does anybody have any idea what could have caused this kind on carnage on the engine? Running too lean, oil problem or what? Bike have had some sort of running issues now and then, but it have always seemed like carburetor issues as it has cleared when I have rebuild carbs. Btw, bearings at crankshaft are ok, there's no play on them.
Other pics of the bike engine http://s1071.photobucket.com/user/Ih...?sort=2&page=1
Janne K
Comment