CX500 GL500 650 Global

i have never done major engine work, so i'm a little intimidated with the task. but i'm mechanically inclined and plan on doing it under the watchful eye of a retired mechanic. he knows his stuff, but has never worked on a cx500 as far as i know. so i'm wondering if there's a list somewhere of where to start, what things will need replacing and torque specs.

Do you have any ideas on the condition of any of the engines? Without some sense of what is wrong, there isn't a good way to tell you what to do. I would say that in most cases, there are the three main issues - cam chain, water pump seal and stator. Make sure all engines are the same, a GL engine or a 82 CX uses a different ignition system. The differences go all the way back to the flywheel and stator inside the case. So don't just swap random parts from random engines without them being the same.

I would not swap water pump seals, stators, maybe. If you have a nice light brown color stator, it may be OK. You can check them before installation, except for actual AC output.

I suppose I would pick the nicest one and build from there. New O rings, new oil seals, new gaskets and see what happens. You could even do a leakdown test, if you have the tester. That would show valve, ring, and head gasket condition. The heads can be serviced with the engine in the bike, so you wouldn't have to drop it again if they needed attention.

Dean

Sounds a lot like what I'm doing with my 2. One engine has blown rings and bad chain, the other has a burnt stator and a bad chain (along with tensioner bolt stuck in the block).

My plan is to swap rear cases and cam parts into the engine with good rings. Take your time and if you haven't already, get a manual. You can download them somewhere. Also visit the Drop.io site, I don't have the link someone else may chime in with it. From the drop.io site you can download everything you will need for the rebuild (pics, manuals, gasket patterns, etc...). Lastly, since I am also rebuilding mine let me know if there are parts you need, maybe we can work out a swap for something I'm looking for. Good luck!

Take lots of pictures. And keep your parts separated and labeled for easy reinstall. Are you planning a full rebuild? While the engine is out you may want to get at the frame and repaint or powder coat.

i have no clue about any of these engines. just hoping i can get a good one out of them. they are all cx500 engines though.

you mention getting all "New O rings, new oil seals, new gaskets"

is there a list of these somewhere or a kit. i just went on a parts fiche and the engine is separated into so many different sections. i could go through and dig out all the part numbers but i'd be afraid i'd miss something. and if there is a "kit", is it cheaper to get them in kit form or to track down each part and order them?

and phil, i am taking it down to the frame. i don't have the money to powder the frame so paint is the next choice. although bed liner was recently brought to my attention and at this point i'm leaning heavily towards it.

If you buy a FULL gasket set which you will need it comes with all the O-rings for the engine.Be careful though as some advertisers post a Top-end set as a,"Full" set.

Admin wrote:If you buy a FULL gasket set which you will need it comes with all the O-rings for the engine.Be careful though as some advertisers post a Top-end set as a,"Full" set.

just did a quick check on ebay. there seem to be full kits but at varying prices. can you tell me if there's a difference in any of these 5 i found? are these decent prices?

option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

option 5

Options one and two seem fine but are the cheaper ones.
Three and four may or may not have the better OEM Head gaskets but these are rare these days.

I have a several of the older and better head gaskets that I have re-used several times as they are made of a different material than the newer ones but this is not an issue.
I'd buy the cheapest set for now and use as I do a gasket sealer on them as well.Some people will tell you not to do this but I disagree and it's also recommended in my Haynes manual but has to be done correctly.This allows you,if you need to remove the heads again after a few miles because of a problem,to give the chance of re-using them.Most modern cheaper gaskets are only meant to be used once as they have a glue seal in them that bonds when heated but these type are destroyed when you remove the heads.Using a quality high temp gasket seal on both sides of the gasket will help prevent this but still give a good seal.
I use either Blue Hylomar on new ones,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HYLOMAR- ... ccessories

or on re-used ones a special High Temp one,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/High-Temperature- ... 2ea94a5644

Either are good.

I apply using a small 1/4" brush evenly and then let set for at least 30 mins before putting the heads together and also wipe off excess.Always clean out the head bolt holes so they are spotless.I use cotton buds and or twists of toilet paper and some carb/Brake cleaner.Any debris in the holes will cause head gasket failure.
Also the correct torquing procedure MUST be adhered to.I cross tighten in the manual correct order all bolts to 10 Ftlbs and then increments of 5 Ftlbs.This means there's no chance of warping the heads.

Here is a nice walk through of an engine rebuild.

http://www.honda-cx-gl.com/CX500-Rebuild.pdf

Yes it's not s not bad that one

thanks for the gasket id help.

and thank for the link on the engine rebuild. i had downloaded a while back and completely forgot about it.

oh, and it turns out that one of my engines is a GL engine. so is it just stuff in the rear of the gl engine that i can't use?