'55 ES2, swingarm frame, pre-Featherbed. I don't have an Owner's or Service Manual which covers my model year, I have one which is considerably older, and one which is for later models. The older manual is clearly for a very different beast. The newer one is essentially for the same engine, but alternator model.
I'm trying to remove the cylinder head; I figured this would be a fairly common back-yard operation back in the day. Manual says undo the 9 stud-nuts and remove the rocker box, then undo the head nuts. However there is insufficient space to lift the rocker box over the studs. I was able to remove push-rods and tubes. I can't remove the studs from the head because they are not long enough to get a jam-nut on. Is there a simple trick I am missing? Or do I need to remove the cylinder head before I can remove the rocker box? Or remove the engine from the frame?
Cheers,
- Roger
ES2 cylinder head removal
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Mine is earlier of course....
... but my rocker box is held by setscrews into the head. It's not possible to get the back 2 out because of the frame tube so I have to remember to insert them before refitting!
I would have thought that there might not be enough clearance over the cylinder studs to do what Philip suggests although as I say I'm not familiar with your model.
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Thank you Philip and Ian. …
Thank you Philip and Ian.
From review of drawings in the later manual and inspection of the engine, there are 4 studs from the crankcase up through the cylinder barrel, ending probably a little above the spigot at the top of the barrel. Sleeve nuts reach down through the cylinder head to these studs. So there should be enough space to lift the head up and over the studs. I will know for sure later today.
The old manual refers to four fasteners holding the rocker box to the head compared with nine in the later models. And four nuts holding the base of the barrel to the crankcase. I'm curious to know the configuration on yours Ian.
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Hi Roger.
My 1952 ES2 has a cast iron cylinder head and has 4 long studs going through the barrel into the crankcase and sleeve nuts holding the head on - probably similar to yours. However, what stops everything coming off vertically is the top frame tube which of course you don't have.
Mine has 9 setscrews holding the rocker cover on - 7 are 5/16", 2 are 1/4". All have reduced size heads.
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Head successfully removed
Ian, thanks for the info, it is the top frame tube which causes the problem. I suspect there was not much difference in the front part of the frame between '52 and '55, just the rear.
I loosened the 4 sleeve nuts, two could be removed completely, two had to stay in their recesses because of the rocker box. Note to self: put the two sleeve nuts in place before assembling rocker box to head.
On first "lift", the cylinder barrel came up with the head. Let everything down again, then a couple of upward taps on the inlet and exhaust ports with a dead-blow hammer and block of wood and the head separated from the barrel. The rest was straightforward.
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Roger,
There is not a lot of room to do this, but if you've removed the pushrods and tubes you can now undo the 4 head bolts and lift the head and rocker box off together. No need to remove the engine from the frame.
Philip