Note on previous post: Brewsky @ honda305.com forums pointed me to NGK LD05F plug caps as good replacements for the damaged ones on my bike. I also learned from member Jethro that Autolite 4173 spark plugs are equivalent to the somewhat rare NGK D6HA plugs that are recommended for the Dream. Thanks, guys!
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I had some ups and downs tonight, but overall I’m feeling a bit negative. I started by mixing up some of the pink stuff, acetone plus ATF, in a jar that once held maraschino cherries; it looked more than a little like cherry juice, but it sure didn’t smell that way. Poured some in each cylinder until it started running back out.
Next I pulled the valve covers and took a look inside; things look surprisingly good in there, and I was able to verify that all four valves are free.
So I turned my attention to the steering damper knob. I’ve been spraying it with PB since I got it home, every night, but had not been able to move it. I put a bit more force into it tonight and broke the darn thing off flush with the top of the steering stem.
Crap.
After carefully removing the damper friction discs (and coming up one short, according to the schematic), I carefully drilled a hole straight through the bolt stub, applied some heat, then after it was reasonably cool I poured on some of the pink stuff. I was surprised at how it seemed to clean up the whole area.
I drove in my easy-out, put my crescent wrench on it and promptly broke the easy-out.
Crap, again.
I found a punch and drove the broken-off piece of the easy-out through the bolt stub and into the steering head. So at least I still have my hole in the stub to work with. I poured a bit more pink stuff on it, documented (photographed) and bagged up the damper parts, and called it a night.
I guess I’ll have to get another easy-out and have another go at it. I won’t have time to work tomorrow, so hopefully the time will be well spent by the pink stuff as it eats its way through the rust.
I suspect I can screw the bolt stub into the steering stem rather than out, letting it fall through the hollow tube. Having never seen one taken apart before, I don’t know that for sure. Hopefully someone will chime in and let me know.