I have compression!!! I messed up the valve clearances, I think I didn't have the piston at TDC before. Regardless, I'm in good shape now.

Going to start it up tomorrow - when I can start fresh and take my time.

 

Kinda hoping it was something like this that you'd find.Valve adjustment was the first thing I did after I installed the cam chain and tensioner while I still had it at tdc. Compression,spark(at the right time) fuel and air. If you have that now I'm ready to hear this beast run after all this time you've spent on it..

 

I did a quick start this morning. Sounds really good. Will let it run longer today when I have time to bleed the air out of the coolant lines. I'll record a video and attach it here too.

This is a good day - it's been a long project, but it has been worth it.

 

I ran the engine for about 5 mins. Lifted the wheels up. Only issue I see on the outside is a leaking banjo bolt. The coolant started to circulate. Heard a minor noise I didn't like, so I shut off the engine. I checked the oil and now it is all milky. Is this to be expected? Just water that needs to be cleared out after a long project?

Do I need a couple of oil changes to clear this up?

 

I would recommend not to run it any until you hear from OPT what to check for specifically. That's a fair amount of coolant in the oil and no, not normal after a rebuild on a motor.
Hope it is something easy that just got missed when putting together!

 

I noticed the crankcase was freezing up before I started it. Have been working on this project for awhile. And when cleaning up around the stator plate I might have gotten some water in the crankcase by accident. Really hoping this is easy to fix with an oil change!

 

If it's just a film of coolant at the top of the tank that may not be a problem.Cold as it's been possible moisture build up or a slight seeping from the head gasket untill the engine gets fully warmed up. Look at the radiator coolant level and you can tell more about whether a head gasket may have blown.Coolant level will go down as air is bled from the system,but then radiator should maintain a constant level.Plus another check is to pull the oil filter and drain it. Hopefully just oil and no large amount of coolant. If this checks out,run the engine for a few hrs then I'd do another oil/filter change to be on the safe side.

 

Milky oil at filter too. The coolant didn't go down too much. And I don't see any oil in the coolant.

Should I change the oil and try again? Not sure if the engine has run long enough to bleed the air out of the coolant lines. Would I need a new oil filter too?

 

Change the oil and filter again and see what you have.. Hopefully that will solve it. Get the engine good and warm.

 

Good news - I ran it for 15 minutes with fresh oil and a different filter. Didn't go milky this time, and the coolant level didn't drop. I'll try tomorrow, letting it run longer. There might be a small amount of residue, I'll do another oil change soon.

One of the Banjo bolts is leaking - I'm guessing I should replace the silver washer? Also - the thermostat is leaking a little bit - the rubber seal looks old. Do I need to replace the thermostat, or can I try some gasket maker to seal the metal elbow to the head?

One concern however - after I rev up, there is a "scraping sound" when I let go of the throttle. This is the sound I'm worried about. I'm not sure if I can rev the engine much right now until I figure out what's going on. Here's a quick video, I can record another if needed.