Well I think I am going to have to take a short break here. It's not that I want to but I am awaiting parts, partially because of my poor logistics skills and partly because Amazon are trying to prove a point. After I discovered that the local engine shop was no more I decided that I could quite easily hone the cylinder myself. Locally the tool is $32 but Amazon has one for $12 and being financially conservative tight I went for the Amazon option, figuring if it is the usual Chinese crap, well it will only be used once anyway. Now as usual Amazon try to persuade me to pay for 2 day shipping and as always I click on the free stuff. So 4 days after I post (and pay for) my order they send me a text to say it has shipped. 4 days to pick an order! Oh dear looks like this is turning into a rant, let's move on.
One of the things I have discovered about the Savage is that the top end lubrication is not that good, in fact the owners club suggests that you should not let the engine idle when the machine is on the side stand. The owners manual makes a big deal of setting the idle at 1000 rpm but doesn't explain why. (The owners club says that this is to keep the oil pump running fast enough). This is bourne out by my experience that when it is run low on oil the top end is trashed. The cam lobes have survived but the rocker arms are toast and that I don't mind as they can be replaced. However the cam sits directly on the aluminium head so if it melts, the head and head cover are screwed. The manual glibly states that if the cam bearing surfaces are out of spec, the head and associated parts should be replaced. Just for fun I looked up the price of a new head and it is an eye watering $740. It goes without saying that I have polished mine up and I am optimistically calling the score marks "oil retaining grooves". Now when I was a boy (which admittedly was many, many decades ago) bearing surfaces would have a phosphor bronze shell and when the wore thin they could be winkled out and replaced for pennies. It is hard to imagine some Japanese engineer thinking that this is a good idea. Does anyone? Enquiring minds want to know. Oops it looks like I am back into rant mode, moving on.
Lots of good news. In the latest batch of parts were several pieces of bright work bearing the grime of 5 years of storage. In a quiet moment I cleaned then with some polish and they came up like new so I am confident that this nearly 20 year old machine is going to look like new when it is all done. Also, apparently some years ago the dealer cross threaded the inspection plate on the left side cover. I tried to remove it but even with a pneumatic impact screwdriver it is on for life but the good news is that I found one on eBay for $10 so high five me. Also in the good news department is the fun I am having in working out how this all goes together. Having not taken it apart it can be a challenge but also a high when WTF! turns into "oh that is how you go".
Finally Gerry and Lee if you are reading this (and I know you are) the Savage is still not mine. The wretched DMV are not playing nice and even tears and Lord's name taking of in vane won't help. I think that we will will all have to go together with the Savage and a Supreme Court Justice to notarize the transfer. To this end I have booked my drinking pal His Honor Justice Antonin Scalia, or Dog Breath as he like me to call him, to attend the DMV next week. They will not defeat me.
One of the things I have discovered about the Savage is that the top end lubrication is not that good, in fact the owners club suggests that you should not let the engine idle when the machine is on the side stand. The owners manual makes a big deal of setting the idle at 1000 rpm but doesn't explain why. (The owners club says that this is to keep the oil pump running fast enough). This is bourne out by my experience that when it is run low on oil the top end is trashed. The cam lobes have survived but the rocker arms are toast and that I don't mind as they can be replaced. However the cam sits directly on the aluminium head so if it melts, the head and head cover are screwed. The manual glibly states that if the cam bearing surfaces are out of spec, the head and associated parts should be replaced. Just for fun I looked up the price of a new head and it is an eye watering $740. It goes without saying that I have polished mine up and I am optimistically calling the score marks "oil retaining grooves". Now when I was a boy (which admittedly was many, many decades ago) bearing surfaces would have a phosphor bronze shell and when the wore thin they could be winkled out and replaced for pennies. It is hard to imagine some Japanese engineer thinking that this is a good idea. Does anyone? Enquiring minds want to know. Oops it looks like I am back into rant mode, moving on.
Lots of good news. In the latest batch of parts were several pieces of bright work bearing the grime of 5 years of storage. In a quiet moment I cleaned then with some polish and they came up like new so I am confident that this nearly 20 year old machine is going to look like new when it is all done. Also, apparently some years ago the dealer cross threaded the inspection plate on the left side cover. I tried to remove it but even with a pneumatic impact screwdriver it is on for life but the good news is that I found one on eBay for $10 so high five me. Also in the good news department is the fun I am having in working out how this all goes together. Having not taken it apart it can be a challenge but also a high when WTF! turns into "oh that is how you go".
Finally Gerry and Lee if you are reading this (and I know you are) the Savage is still not mine. The wretched DMV are not playing nice and even tears and Lord's name taking of in vane won't help. I think that we will will all have to go together with the Savage and a Supreme Court Justice to notarize the transfer. To this end I have booked my drinking pal His Honor Justice Antonin Scalia, or Dog Breath as he like me to call him, to attend the DMV next week. They will not defeat me.
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