My engine has locked itself. Is it me?

Is it me?

Today I've had the timing cover off to adjust the cam chain. Also tightened up the engine plate bolts, which were suprisingly slack. Fitted a new clutch basket as the supplier had supplied me with the wrong one, fitted a new cranlcase oil seal (see recent post) and of course re-assembled the whole lot.

When I tried to kick the bike over, it is all but impossible. Something is locking up! I can barely move the engine at all. So I ponder what it could be. Could something have fallen into the main bearing whilst the seal was out causing it to lock? Is the cam chain so tight that it's stopping the engine turning....is that even possible? Surely re-tightening the engine mounting bolts can't compress the cases together and lock the crank? Is the sprag bearing in back to front? etc etc.

As I eliminate all of the above by undoing what I have just adjusted/assembled, it turned out to be one of the outrigger plate studs had turned itself into the crankcase so far that it had entered the crankcase and locked the crank by being screwed against the flywheel cheek! It must have turned the stud as it was on the final tightening.

Has anybody else managed to do this, or is it just me. It was very very annoying undoing all of that work, just to find out it was as simple as that.
Is there any way of stopping this happening again? Or is it just a case of checking on how far into the nut that the stud is when tightened. It had me scratching my head.

Reggie said:

Is there any way of stopping this happening again?

Click to expand...

= Loctite.

I think you were just unlucky!
But at least you found out what it was without too much trouble.

...and I thought that everything that could go wrong with a Mk111 had happened to me ! I've never heard of that. Has your stud got too long a threaded section or is the thread in the case in some way damaged ?

Normally, the stud should "bottom-out" before it extends too far.

I suppose it reinforces the general Commando rule - Never take anything at face value and double check everything :shock:

It's happened to me.
This is going to sound lame but I don't remember what I did about it or which bike it was. (I've had several)
I just wanted to reinforce to you that it has hapened before.

"All's well that ends well," as the saying goes.

The crankshaft oil seal carefully tapped carefully into place, just beyond the circlip groove with a bit of Loctite bearing fit, and for good measure a smear of RTV around the shoulder after fitting. (See recent thread). Thanks 79x100.

A new stud fitted, despite the old one appearing OK. I loctited the studs into the crankcase, as per L.A.B.s recommendation, and then checked that the crank would turn. All threads appeared OK in the crankcase, so I don't know why one stud went too far in last time? Possibly the threads where the nut ran were not free and this maybe caused the stud to turn rather than the nut on the stud.....if you see what I mean? I checked that the nuts were free on the threads this time before assembly. I marked the stud ends so that I could check if they were turning whilst tightening the nuts. The studs didn't turn.

All is built up again, and it's running really well.

Micheal B wrote;

It's happened to me.

Click to expand...

That makes me feel bit easier about my mechanical abilities, or lack of them.

Thanks to all for your replys.

"All's well that ends well," as the saying goes.

The crankshaft oil seal carefully tapped carefully into place, just beyond the circlip groove with a bit of Loctite bearing fit, and for good measure a smear of RTV around the shoulder after fitting. (See recent thread). Thanks 79x100.

A new stud fitted, despite the old one appearing OK. I loctited the studs into the crankcase, as per L.A.B.s recommendation, and then checked that the crank would turn. All threads appeared OK in the crankcase, so I don't know why one stud went too far in last time? Possibly the threads where the nut ran were not free and this maybe caused the stud to turn rather than the nut on the stud.....if you see what I mean? I checked that the nuts were free on the threads this time before assembly. I marked the stud ends so that I could check if they were turning whilst tightening the nuts. The studs didn't turn.

All is built up again, and it's running really well. 8)

Micheal B wrote;

It's happened to me.

Click to expand...

That makes me feel bit easier about my mechanical abilities, or lack of them.

Thanks to all for your replys.