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Welcome to part 2 of the engine disassembly tutorial. To split the engine cases on a z900A4; requires that all engine side cases, cylinder head, barrels and pistons be removed first so that the crankshaft can be correctly removed amongst other things.
First step is to tip the engine upside down.
Start removing the sump bolts, sump drain plug and oil filter bolt. The exact order does not matter, all must come out.
When you loosen the oil filter bolt, the filter will come with it. Look for the O-Ring seal and check its condition, you may need to install a new one during re-assembly.
Once the sump bolts and oil filter is removed the sump should lift straight up, if its been a while since the gasket has been installed then chances are some of it will come off with the sump. If you have the chance to compare a z1 sump with a z900A4 sump, you will notice that the z900A4 sump has some additional baffles to slow down the oil from draining to the back of the engine, most liky done to reduce the damage that can occur during wheel stands. :)
In this case the gasket has removed quite clean, but some residue will be left.
Removal of the oil pump.
Although not an engine case, the inner case that covers the gear change mechanism must be removed to enable the cases to be seperated. It is a good idea to remove these parts and store them all together in a clean container.
The home stretch......
The key to seperating the engine cases is to use the supplied thread holes to gently screw a crankshaft bolt in till it causes the cases to part. mke sure you clean the bolt thread before hand and if you can clean out the thread hole with a tissue then you reduce the chance of damage to both the case thread and the bolt thread.
There are two threaded holes at the front of the engine to enable the cases to seperate correctly... Use them!
Success!
The bottom case lifts away clean, revealing the crankshaft and gear box which are all bolted into the top case. The gear box dog legs will drop away when you lift the top case up.
With the top case removed, the bulk of the engine parts can be seen. In front, the crankshaft held down by 4 main bolts which can only be accessed once the top case is off. Behind the crank is the clutch, behind that the gearbox which includes the output shaft and then at the rear, the kick start ratchet.
First. lift the clutch basket, complete with input shaft. I also removed the kickstart mechanism at this time.
With the clutch assembly out of the way, remove the gear shaft.
Lastly, the output shaft can be lifted out, this is what the front sprocket is bolted to.
Here is the bottom engine case, only the shift dogs can be seen and the gear change mechanism. Now is a good time to remove them and box them up.
The crank can be removed by just unbolting the 4 main bolts on the centre cap. There is now nothing stopping the cranshaft from being lifted straight up.
Lifting the crank is best done by grabbing each end. The cam chain should lift clean with it. I suggest that during re-assembly you install a new cam chain.
I have a timber box that is exactly the right size to hold the crank so it is stored in a clean environment.
The final mess! Next step is to clean each part down ready for cleaning.
One of the other reasons for stripping the engine - a worn cam chain - guess which one! A new chain and the old chain side by side shows the wear that ocurs with age... it also changes the cam timing and reduces engine power delivery.
