Balance shaft adjustment

[Oxfordman]

Following a 2500 mile trip to the south of France and Spain, along with some quite severve vibrations at high speed, I tried to carry out the balance shaft adjustment yesterday. What I found was even if I undid the pinch bolts totally, I could not turn the adjustment shaft at all on both the top and bottom, they appear to be seized solid .

Has anyone come across this before and if so what is the solution, apart from a very expensive trip to the nearest Honda dealer??

Thanks

Paul

 

[Burger]

That doesn't sound good Paul... if it were me I would try a squirt of Plusgas or WD40 before anything else although Plusgas will penetrate further. Just don't soak it because you don't want it penetrating right through into the engine.

Also, and I don't mean to imply you would, but you are trying to turn the adjusters the right way and it's definitely the pinch bolts you've loosened off? I only ask because I remember seeing more than a few bolts down there. Infact I'm pretty sure you could remove the entire clamp mechanism from each shaft.

Another thing to watch for... as you slacken the pinch bolt, do you see the clamp gap opening up - you should. If it is then the shafts not stuck on the clamp, more likely to be internal. In which case a honda dealer is probably needed unless you fancy rebuilding the engine.

Regards,

 

[Oxfordman]

re-Balance shaft adjustment

Dave

Thanks for the comments, I did try the WD40 overnight, to no avail. I did undo the pinch bolt until the gap between the head of the bolt and the clamp was around 2 mm, then forced the blade of a screwdirver in until the clamp was against the head of the pinch bolt, so the clamp should have been well and truly off the shaft, but the shaft was still solid, so it looks like a visit to the nearest Honda dealer!, I did think about removing the adjuster altogether, but I don't have a service manual and was not sure whether the bolts that hold the clamp on also hold something else on the inside.

Thanks anyway

Pau
l

 

[nisbeam]

Hi Paul.

I have just had the same - in fact the screws in my lower cowl were also siezed so I had to remove the whole left fairing. Anyway, loostening the clamp on the top I was easily able to turn the screw, BUT even after removing the clamp completely, the bottom one will not move. I have tried PlusGas to no avail. I considered giving it a sharp tap with a hammer, but I dont think it's worth the bother in my case as I dont have any serious vibrations, I just wanted to check (but am unable to !) Good luck with yours !

 

[Oxfordman]

Update on the balance adjustment

Nisbeam

I finally got the adjusters to move.

What I did was to remove the clamps altogether, soak them for 2 days with 3in1 oil, then I bought the largest flat blade screwdriver I could get from Wickes(10mm), which has a hexagonal shaft, inserted the screwdriver in the slot of the adjuster then with a 10mm wrench on the screwdriver, rotated the adjusters back and forward until they became loose. It took a few turns to and fro before they were loose, but at least now I can adjust the balance. I now have to take her out for a test ride to see whether the vibes have gone.

So if anyone else has the same problem then the above worked well for me!!

Paul

 

[nisbeam]

Hi Paul, Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try it, though I would have thought PlusGas should be better as it is a penetrating fluid. Still I'll give it a go. It's just a pity that things can sieze up that shouldn't. As an aside, I have written to Honda about my catalogue of rusted & siezed parts (yes - I know ooh! matron!), so I await their reply. I'll post it here. Cheers, Andy.