Four Wheel Forum

I have used a product called No Smoke (Bardohl).(bad spelling) in my CA95. It seems to help and does not affect the clutch.

If something added to the crankcase affects the clutch , you will have to remove the clutch plates and discs. Not really a terrible job.

There are only four types of additives in my opinion. 1.) Friction modifiers
2.) Thickeners 3.) Suspended solids 4.) Solvent Based

The friction modifiers will affect the wet clutch. These are any additive that promises reduced friction.(Prolong) Thickeners is a wax base additive to oils to increase viscosity to reduce burning.(STP) Suspended solids type claims to deposit solids in worn cylinders and the like.(Restore) Solvent based (like mystery oil) claim to clean the engine and ...that's why it's a mystery.

These additives work to a point. None cure worn engines. Maybe just get you a little further.....like wrinkle cream for skin. Even though you can reduce wrinkles..at the end of the day...you still have wrinkles....LOL

On the Ct 90 forum Shell Rotella 5w-40 is highlly recomended. It is a full synthetic designed for diesel engines. The reason the CT guys like it is it dosen't have the adddatives that can degrade old seals. I used it recently when I changed the oil in both my CT's and it made a huge difference. It is shifting like I just repalced the clutch and adjusted everything and all I did was change the oil.

Robin

Yup, I've heard great things about the Rotella in our old motorcycle engines. I don't want my build thread to turn into an oil thread, but I've had it recommended before.

Anybody have, or ever use Barnett friction plates on these bikes?

With the help of a very generous friend, we adjusted the valves (they were already very close), checked the timing (my point looks brand new!), swapped out the rear brake shoes, installed a new chain and sprockets, and adjusted the front brake. I'm making my final trip to the DMV tomorrow for tags, and once I do a good greasing on all the nipples and get my tank back, I'll be on the road!!

I installed a new front brake cable today. It was a good three or four inches longer than the old one, which was already a little long. Also bought a gun and greased the FIVE fittings on the front wheel assembly.

Picked up a temporary operating permit so I can ride. I've had to fight tooth and nail to keep my black plate, but it looks like it will work out. I have to talk to a manager every time I go to the dmv >

It's only a tank keeping me off the road, mine's at the radiator shop. I almost tried to rig something stupid just to go for a test ride, but decided I didn't want to blow myself due up to limited resources today.

I did 'The Works' (and some nuts/bolts) on one of the spare tanks, flushed it, baked it dry, rinsed with gas, installed original dream style petcock, and buttoned the bike back up. The bike finally idles: awesome. The petcock is dripping slowly, causing the bowl to overflow: not awesome.

On a happier note, I'm taking her for our first ride together today. I'll check back in a few hours with a ride report. It'll be a few blocks around the neighborhood for a warm up/shakedown, then maybe down to the beach

Third time's a charm, right? Well, almost. I buttoned the bike back up yesterday, and changed the oil today. Almost stripped the screws on the inner oil filter cover, so just made the decision to leave it alone. The first ride ended with me at the bottom of the hill with a bike that wanted to rev like crazy; the throttle grip needed to be re installed correctly. On the second trip, I ran out of gas just as I got to the bottom of the hill because the petcock is dripping, and so I didn't put enough gas in earlier: I should have checked before I left. So I pushed the bike up the hill again. On the third trip, I made absolutely sure everything was in order. The throttle was fixed, and now very crisp, and the tank had plenty of gas. This time I made it around a few blocks in my neighborhood, getting the thumbs up from a couple old dudes. But, as I was making my way up the last block (hill) to my house, the bike lost power, and started smoking out of the right pipe. I was at least halfway up the hill, so I pushed it up the rest of the way. My neighbors must think I'm an idiot for trying to ride this thing...So, I called my dad, feeling kind of glum, thinking I'd broken a piston ring, or something mildly catastrophic. He suggested I take a look at the plug and see if it's oily, or just carbon fouled. Well, low and behold, it's just fouled Could a leaky petcock cause an over rich mixture, and end up fouling my plugs? I'll fire her up later with a cleaned up plug and see if she runs on both sides again.

Right now, I need a beer.

Cleaning a spark plug is fine, but try some nice new plugs when you can. Spark plugs are known to die.

I'll replace them, thank you.

I have a friend coming over with a timing light tomorrow. That, and a cam chain adjustment, and re check the valves before another go round. I'll also be installing a transistorized ignition unit from Mark Paris (aka HondaMan).

Ah that will be cool to see someone do this here. Sorry about the gremlins.

Question: My shop manual's instructions for adjusting the cam chain says 'remove the tappet cover, and rotate the crankshaft in the reverse direction, then the opposite direction until the exhaust rocker arm begins to operate'

Does this mean that I want the rocker to be stiff, not loose like when I'm adjusting the valves? I don't know why it would tell me to rotate the crankshaft in the wrong direction

Can anybody help on the cam chain adjustment procedure? Still a little confused, and I don't want to try to run the motor until I do it right.