Winter Project XL 185 motor issue what to do?

Guys,

I have purchased a couple XL 185S bikes to work on. The first is an 81 in rough shape where the PO tried to adjust the cam chain and it fell off. I am going to see if I can get it going at least and go from there.
The second is an 82 with no ownership (working on that) that has 7200 km on the odometer. It has been stored out in a shed perhaps and is pretty oxidized but otherwise in good shape. It was sold as "stuck in gear" and I drove 5 hours to get it at a reasonable cost. I drained the oil and found a bunch of aluminum particles and what I thought initially were gooey bits but turned out later to be aluminum pieces. I opened up the clutch side and a bunch of broken aluminum bits fell out. Oh boy I thought, this is going to be interesting. I identified the broken bits as the oil filter rotor. There were bits of it stuck under the shifter fork so it couldn't move down! I have the three screws and the spring and pin in the middle but the circlip has not shown up yet! Motor looks like new inside and the oil was not that bad. The 81 oil is molasses...
So the question is what to do? My gut says tear the thing down and split the cases to remove all the bits inside. I worry about the oil passages in the head (plain cam bearing) and bits in the gearbox. Nothing damaged in the primary drive and in the oil pump and the motor turns fine (so far!) but there is a lot of aluminum flakes in the oil and in the motor. I will take the other cover off and maybe the clip is stuck to the magnets on the flywheel. I worry more about the steel parts hurting something more than the aluminum bits but I think otherwise the motor is probably fine and I worry about risking that. I would fill and drain the oil a few times in an attempt to remove more flakes but this may not get all the big pieces. I really don't want to tear it down but I don't want it to blow up either. I want to get this bike street worthy over the winter as a project and I can't stop thinking about it!

What would you do?
Sean

 

Went through this with an 86 XL250, after $700, I chalked it up as a loss and learning experience and moved on. Ended up in a landfill. You can buy a relatively decent example for $1000 - $1250 USD, depending upon the sellers mental condition. But that is taking the practical approach and I am getting the feeling you're just looking for something to keep you from going stir crazy during the winter.

The impractical approach, doing it because you just want something to do, I completely get that. All I can offer is: If there is that much trash floating around in the engine, the engine is toast and those tiny shavings have infiltrated the entire oil circuit, i.e., any place where the oil has circulated through the engine, post self destruction. I'm sure a complete teardown and visual inspection will show the tell tale smearing of aluminum on the cam and crank journals and associated bearings. continuing to turn the engine over, even by hand, is just adding to the carnage. It's not just a missing circlip at this point. You're in it to win it now, time to pull the engine and rip it into pieces, really giving all the bits a good cleaning, flushing, and thorough visual inspection. You might just decide to call it quits when you can clearly see the entire picture of it's true condition, or not, lol.

If you're going to continue, no matter what, first, I would remove the valve cover, because it is quick and easy, and have a look at the cam lobes, if they have aluminum smeared all over them, it's going to be time to roll up your sleeves and get out your credit card out. The real answer depends upon what your true intentions are, and that isn't very clear at this point.

 

Just a quick update on this. I was able to obtain an ownership for the 82. That was an interesting process but it worked out well. The 81 will be a parts bike as I need the fork tubes and a few other bits. Mentally I have overcome this and started to pull parts off I need! Engine is completely torn down and is in remarkable condition. I will of course check clearances and such but it looks really good so far. I have a lot to complete cleaning wise before I re-assemble but it has been interesting. This will be a resurrection over a restoration and yes all the little things add up but finding the bits I need at a reasonable cost has also been a fun part of the challenge.

 

The journey is often better than the destination. Glad to see you're still in it to win it.