AJS & Matchless Owners Club

ajsm18 wrote:....the sump plug was covered with iron filings ..........I wondered if it would be possible to measure valve lift .....

In short, something is seriously worn if steel swarf has been circulating; measuring the valve lift is merely widdling in the wind to avoid some stripping.
(Other pessimistic thoughts are available).

Yes Sprids is spot on, it will have to come apart!! Big fillings also mean fine fillings and they go everywhere

Hi Mark, I wouldn't be too fazed by the prospect of dismantling and re-building. You'll find that its far more straight forward than you think. When looking at an exploded diagram it can seem a daunting task with so many parts. In actual fact its pretty simple and much of it is common sense. The only advice I would offer is that you take plenty of photos, have a clean prepared work surface to lay things out and label items. And as already mentioned, when disassembled have somebody who knows what they are doing inspect certain moving parts for wear. When all back together you'll be rewarded with a great sense of satisfaction. And a certain amount of pride in doing it yourself rather than having it all done by some so called expert. And, a big bonus in my book is its a great saving in cost.

Thanks for the replies, chaps. Looks like I can't put it off any longer and am going to have to rebuild it or get it rebuilt. I'm fairly comfortable with the top end but am really unsure about the bottom end so I may see if there is anyone who could rebuild it for me but have no idea how much that would cost. Although I'd like to do it myself, I'm not really that confident about doing a good enough job.

Hello again i am willing to help you as i offered before and i am in hampshire so if you need let me know dave

poptsova wrote:Hello again i am willing to help you as i offered before and i am in hampshire so if you need let me know dave

Hello Dave,
That is very kind of you. I will try and find out more this weekend and then decide what to do. If you would be able to help me to decide what work needs doing etc. then that would be brilliant.
Thanks, again
Mark

Just let me know if you send me a personal message i can visit you if that helps dave

poptsova wrote:Just let me know if you send me a personal message i can visit you if that helps dave

Thanks Dave, I'll pm you...
Mark

A quick update now that Dave (poptsova) has stripped the engine down. The problems have been caused by a lack of oil circulation (despite seeing oil returning to the tank whenever I checked) caused by the oil pump drive on the exhaust camshaft failing (no sign of any bits inside the engine) leading to a completely wrecked drive side big-end and a less wrecked timing side big-end.

Dave is being an absolute star in organising and doing all of the work for me and I cannot praise and thank him highly enough. All being well, I will have a really nice bike that I can use sometime next year instead of one mouldering in my garage!

Thanks, also, to everyone who has helped on this forum with kind words of help and encouragement.

Mark

And the crank is scrap