straight motor swap

i have a bare bones 82 650 max bobber. head light, tail light, r the only noneccentcial wiring on the bike. motor has been running bad for awhile and now the bike is stuck in first. i want swap everthing at 1 time and b done with it (motor, transmission, and whatever else i might need to get this this thing running right) from another complete well running 82 650 max. my questions r what i might need? how difficult is this? and how long this might take 4 a couple of mechancally inclinde 1st timers?

 

I'd say with two people, probably 1 day. Don't start drinking until the next day =).

That's if all the nuts / bolts come out fairly decent. If some are stuck, then you have that slow down / frustration to deal with.

I'd say a engine lift /hoist thing would be a great help, but with 2 people, you can probably do well without it.

A manual, and paper to make checklist would be good. Write down everything as you remove, then reinstall backwards.

Torque wrench would be good to have too.

 

Take lots of pictures with your digital camera, they could be very useful as reminders, and would help some of us to help you if needed.

 

This is VERY helpful. you can't ever take enough!

 

Straight swaps are pretty easy. Lots of little things, though. Mounting and unmounting the engine will be the easiest part. Hooking everything back up to the right places takes a bit more.

 

On the 750 Seca you have to

- Disconnect the battery!
- put the bike on the centerstand, tank, sidecovers and seat off.
- Disconnect the 4 bolts on the driveshaft flange(under the rubber boot on the back of the engine. Hold the brake pedal down or put the bike in gear to stop the driveshaft from freely spining. Make sure to slide the driveshaft flange away from the engine for the largest clearance possible.
- Disconnect the exhaust system. Remove the 8 nuts clamping the pipes to the cylinder head then remove the rear two bolts. I suggest an assistant and a jack under the center of the exhasut to help guide it down. Putting the exhaust back on is going to be the hardest task.
-Remove the carbs, not a fun task.
-Loosen the rear motor mounts, they are near the centerstand.
- I'd suggest removing the battery box and the piece with the TCI unit on it to allow better access. May be non-optional anyways.
- disconnect the wiring. At the very least you have the kickstand switch, neutral position switch, TCI pickup coil wires, starter, ground, oil level switch and alternator wiring. Pull the wires back out of the way.
- Drain the oil and remove the oil filter cover(engine wont fit out with it in)
- Loosen the airbox so it doesnt get in the way. Dont bother trying to remove it with the engine still in.
-place rags or leather or something over the frame rail near the front of the engine. Place a jack under the front of the engine and apply slight pressure to the motor.
- Remove the 6 bolts/nuts(3 on each side) holding the engine mount/brackets to the frame and engine. Now remove the two larger bolts that go directly from the frame to the engine.
-Now slowly lower the jack so the front of the engine rests on the frame where you have protective rags.
-Repeat the jack procedure on the rear of the motor with the two large bolts you previously loosened.
-Now that the engine is completely loose, GENTLY rest the bike on its side(you probably want a helper) so that the engine is on the floor, then stand the bike back up minus the engine.



this is all easier said than done and I probably left a few steps off. Not to mention I have a SECA not a MAXIM. But I hope this helps or at least ups the ante so that someone more experienced replies.

 

Check the compression on the "good" engine before doing the swap. No sense swapping one bad engine for another.

What's the compression on the "bad" motor. Transmission uses might take some real work to correct, but are you sure it's the mill that's the problem and not the oil/clutch/carbs/intake/exhaust?

Transmission and Engine are "one" on the XJ series.

Are you running pods? Are you well tuned for pods? Do you want, or ever think you want, the stock airbox? Believe it or not, the airbox goes in BEFORE the engine, so that's something you can install during the swap.

Also important, don't forget the install the rubber final drive boot before installing the engine. It's impossible to get it in there after the engine is in place.

 

What motors will swap out? Maybe different year or size? I'm thinking of buying another complete bike to swap the parts I would need to get it running

 

Found a motor. Should b here in a week. Ill take lots of notes and lots of pictures. Might need some help fellas. Ill keep u posted

 

Started the motor swap. Got the old motor out with no problems. Having trouble getting the new motor to settle into the frame. We're close but can't seam to get it. Any suggestions?