shanemiller42000 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Just bought a xs500b off Craigslist. The psot read Engine Stuck, Needs Everything. I paid $150. Everything is rusted or locked up. I will take any tips or advice. My first goal is to get the engine free. Updates to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted October 16, 2011 Moderator Share Posted October 16, 2011 give the cyls a soak in diesel for a week or so. if it still doesn't move, you need to strip the top end off a hello would be nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanemiller42000 Posted October 18, 2011 Author Share Posted October 18, 2011 thanks for the info how would you soak the cylinders, while the motor is together and put the diesel in through the spark plug hole? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted October 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted October 18, 2011 correct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laverda Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I had an XS500 (Mine was the C, a strange beast.) Rather over complicated engine if I remember correctly. It took me an ages to source all the parts I needed & then someone broke into my Mum's shed in St.Helens, Merseyside & nicked it . Anyway I was going to point you towards some of the places I sourced my bits from but I notice you'er in the States so probably not of much use, but I will offer advice if or when it's required. (& hopefully it may help!?) Don't forget to upload pics, (before & after will be good.) Is the US version anything like the UK ones ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanemiller42000 Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 Here is an update on my xs500. first i thought i was buying a smaller version of the xs650, come to find out it is totally different. as the previous post stated, a very complicated motor. i was hoping to break this engine free and use it for a while, but i might just source a 650 and put it instead. im currently soaking the heads and i just drained the oil and filled with deisel and gas mix. is there a way to turn the cam without taking the engine apart? I want to see if i have got the engine loose. thanks for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebee Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi , The reason an engine gets stuck is that one or more pistons (or the piston rings ) get stuck in the cylinder due to rust and/or heavy carbon deposits. To free the pistons, spray / pour a half cup of WD40 through the spark plug holes. WD40 is an excellent penetrant. Using a popsicle stick, straw or something similar as a dipstick, make sure the WD40 has not drained away. If it drains away very quickly , pour in regular engine oil and spray some WD40 in with it. Be patient, it could take several days/weeks to free up. It sounds like you put diesel and gas mix in place of the engine oil. Putting a diesel and gas mix into the crankcase will not help, indeed long term exposure to this mix may actually damage some engine seals. You certainly do not want a trace of diesel or gas in the crankcase when the bike is running. Replace the diesel/gas mix with the cheapest engine oil (3 quarts/liters) you can find right now. Then when you can turn the engine over, kick the engine over 10 times. Drain your oil. Repeat this procedure with a new batch of cheap oil. The diesel /gas mix should now be flushed out. Add some good quality 20W50 for running the bike. The owners manual specifies 20w40, but 20w50 works fine, is less expensive and easier to find. If you can't move the engine with the kickstarter, (You cannot move the kick starter down with your foot.) then the engine is locked. No need to check the cam. To see the cams, you have to remove the cam cover, which means you'll need to find a new cam cover gasket. Finally , while you are waiting for the engine to free, check the carburetors. If you are lucky, the previous owner drained the carbs before putting the bike away. I've never been lucky. Remove them, remove the 4 float bowl screws and remove the float bowls . ( A Haynes or yamaha service manual will be helpful here.) At a minimum remove the brass pilot jet and main jet and unplug all the tiny holes in the jets using a spray can of carb cleaner. Spray carb cleaner through all the carb holes that you can find. Carb cleaner will eat rubber, so minimize exposure to the carb o-rings. Rinse under running water. You'll probably need to replace the float bowl gaskets. Hope this helps! The XS 500 is a complicated engine to take completely apart, but it's maintained very much like any other bike of it's era. The balancer chain tension adjustment is the only "extra" thing that I can think of, and it's fairly easy to do. It sounds like are you thinking of replacing the 500 engine with a 650 type? It might not fit in the 500 frame, as it looks to be a taller motor.The engine mounts are in different places for the 650.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebee Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Oh yeah, one more thing. There is a forum totally dedicated to TX and XS500's. It's relatively new and not too many members yet, but worth a shot.I f you have tricky question about something unique to the TX500, The XS500 forum has some pretty sharp members. Just for the sheer numbers alone, the Yamaha Owners Club is great resource too, and you'll probably get a quicker answer. I plan to checkout both forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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