'76 550 wont turn over....

[chargercris]

Ok guys. I finally got my Dads '76 GT550 & '75 GT250. The 250 is to be sold. The 550 is to be ridden. I sold my V-ROD to fund this project. Both bikes ran fine when parked. The 550 was parked in '81 with 11,000miles. The 250 parked in '91 with 4800 miles. The 250 turns over just fine with the kick starter. Heres my problem. The 550 wont turn over. I tried over a period of 2 weeks putting PB Blaster & 2 stroke oil through the plug holes. Carbs & pipes are off. Left piston is all the way down, so i squirt it in through the exhaust. Center piston is almost all the way up so the oil stays put. Right piston is down far enough that it will leak out. What I found interesting is that if i disengage the clutch the kick starter pushes down without doing anything. Engage the clutch & i cant move the kickstarter. Bike is in nuetral & plugs are out. I also put 125psi into the plug hole of the center cylinder. To no avail!!
Is it possible that piston rings are not the problem? The cylinder walls & piston skirts look really clean. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

[Cliff]

Kick starter won't work if the the clutch is pulled in!
Sounds like the rings are stuck/rusted to the walls. Try using Evapo Rust, PB Blaster etc. and let it sit and work for a week!
If that doesn't work, I'll come down and take it off your hands!!
Cliff!

[Coyote]

Remove the head. Whack each piston top with a short 2x4 and a hammer. Easy at first and try after each series of whacks. I freed up a GT750 that had sat for 25 years with that method. In my case it only took 3 hard whacks. I had tried for weeks with all kinds of stuff to free it up and standing on the kick starter for what seemed like hours. Finally desperation set in. That's when I took the head off and proceeded with the board and hammer. Stood on the kicker again and it spun over so fast I almost fell off the bike.
What happens is the rings stick in the old dried up oil. If you move them just the slightest bit it will come free. I am assuming the bike was stored indoors and there is no internal rust.
GO FOR IT!

[chargercris]

Geez thanks an awlful lot guys!!! Ive been doing the penetrant for 2 weeks now with no luck so I guess the head is coming off. Any good sources for a new gasket, or just keep watching ebay?

[GT750Battleship]

Geez thanks an awlful lot guys!!! Ive been doing the penetrant for 2 weeks now with no luck so I guess the head is coming off. Any good sources for a new gasket, or just keep watching ebay?

Hi,for parts I use this Guy Email: gtreiner1@aol.com I always check locally first as parts can be cheaper at times by shopping in your own Country !..it varies quite a bit,depending what it is you're buying ? Also some parts may not be right for your region. You have plenty of choice in the States...Alpha Sports Suzuki just to name one,I've bought parts from them in the past...no problems
Cheers,
Roger

[Coyote]

Surprise! There are 3 head gaskets. If you're gonna do a lot of work, eBay for a gasket set. Head gaskets come with them and the set I just bought even has the exhaust gaskets. Look for a while when you find them. The kits vary a lot in price. A good price is $25 or less.