1978 GX-444 "restoration" - engine rebuild questions

[ddesi16127]

Hi All,

First time poster here...probably won't be the last.

SOME HISTORY:

I got this rig from a friend of a friend for free. Drove it home one night from buddies house (maybe a mile) and it seemed okay...but it never ran after that. The starter runs, but the engine won't fire.

I did all initial troubleshooting - cleaned carb (it was already new), checked fuel pump (it was new too), cleaned fuel tank, replace fuel lines and filters, new spark plug and wire. Still got same result - starter turns but engine won't fire.

Ordered a compression tester and it only measured about 15 PSI. I've pulled the motor & took all of that apart - cylinder base gasket was torn (about 1" gap in it), I found pretty good scoring on the piston and inside the cylinder, rings were a bit worn too. So I've replaced the cylinder, piston, rings and all gaskets (reed valve, cylinder base, cylinder head).

MY QUESTION(s):

I've got the motor out & all cleaned on my bench.

1. Any ideas of anything else that I need to check/replace while it's out? (15 PSI is pretty bad, could one or more other things contribute to that problem?)

2. Do I go after the crankcase seals since it's already pulled out? I don't have the clutch puller and according to the manual I'll also need a special puller to remove the armature. So those are already one-time tools I'll have to track down and purchase. Any way to test these seals with the engine out? Replacing the seals seems a bit daunting...

THAT'S IT

Thanks so much for reading this far - hopefully someone out there has some time and some wisdom and advice to share!

[cart around]

You had better absolutely change the seals.
All you need for the clutch is a short rod and a 3/4" fine thread bolt to push the clutch off of the crankshaft. Shake the crankshaft up and down to check the bearings.

[ddesi16127]

Cart Around - thanks for the quick reply! I also found a past thread of yours last night related to the specs of an armature puller (showthread.php?t=162815)

I guess I'll give it a shot!