Experiment: Easier Cylinder Torquing

[Tbrock77]

Torquing the cylinder to the bottom end with a proper torque wrench is impossible because of the limited space between the nut and the fins so I thought, why didn't Yamaha puts holes in the fins so you could reach a socket down and properly torque the nuts? I decided I would experiment with my cylinder and put 4 holes in the fins so I could easily torque the nuts. I'm not sure if I'm the only one to do this but looking around I couldn't find anything like it.

I first started off by drilling pilot holes from the bottom to the top, that way I knew the holes would be centered over the stud. I then enlarged the holes just big enough to get a socket through them. This is how they came out.

As you can see, the holes do not impact the head gasket mating surface and they do not effect any of the ports. These holes make it drastically easier to torque the cylinder down to the right spec compared to guessing with a wrench or using an adapter. The 2 front nuts which are normally very difficult to get to are a breeze.

I checked compression before and after the modification, 150 psi. I have no idea what this will do to cooling or durability. I made sure to install all the anti-vibration rubbers on the cylinder and the head to hopefully rule out any increase in vibration through the fins. As soon as I get the chance to run it I will post temperatures to compare to a normal set up. If anyone else has done this feel free to chime in. Thanks for reading.

 

[pudvah]

You're def thinking outside the box and can never knock someone for trying new stuff but why wouldn't you just use the crows foot on your torque wrench? Or weld a old socket to a wrench and use that on your tourqe? Much easier and don't have to drill holes in your engine.

 

[pudvah]

http://www.blasterforum.com/threads/crows-foot-tension-conversion.58800/

 

[Tbrock77]

You're def thinking outside the box and can never knock someone for trying new stuff but why wouldn't you just use the crows foot on your torque wrench? Or weld a old socket to a wrench and use that on your tourqe? Much easier and don't have to drill holes in your engine.

The point of this was to avoid using the other methods of torquing those nuts. Even with the crows foot it is still somewhat annoying to get to the front 2 nuts because of the clutch cable and the "water pump" cover and the frame getting in the way. You also have to try to factor in the crows foot into your torque spec which isn't very easy. I wanted it to be straight forward, torque wrench on the nut, set at 18lbs, push til you hear a click.

 

[brian degand]

The extension will throw off the right torque.

 

[Tbrock77]

The extension will throw off the right torque.

Unlikely, it would be very minimal at most. For it to cause a change in the torque it would have to twist itself and it being made out of steel, 20 lbs is no where near enough to cause any noticeable change. I could have used a shorter extension but someone misplaced my 6" one.

 

[brian degand]

I know that Lol. But I got yelled at one time in the shop I work at for that ! But great idea I think !

 

[Tbrock77]

I know that Lol. But I got yelled at one time in the shop I work at for that ! But great idea I think !

Thank you! I think it's a good idea too but only time will tell.

 

[brian degand]

Your welcome !!

 

[bansheedave]

I took torque training class at GM when I was a line leader. I had to take torque readings every 2 hours because of strict government regulations due to saftey concerns. Using an extension right off the wrench will not effect the torque readings. It's when you begin using offset extensions that change the readings. Click wrenches aren't super accurate for taking readings but are the most used torque wrenches. They need to be calibrated every year or every time they get dropped. The most accurate torque wrenches are beam and pointer wrenches. Just thought I'd add my 2 cents...lol

 

[Tbrock77]

I took torque training class at GM when I was a line leader. I had to take torque readings every 2 hours because of strict government regulations due to saftey concerns. Using an extension right off the wrench will not effect the torque readings. It's when you begin using offset extensions that change the readings. Click wrenches aren't super accurate for taking readings but are the most used torque wrenches. They need to be calibrated every year or every time they get dropped. The most accurate torque wrenches are beam and pointer wrenches. Just thought I'd add my 2 cents...lol

Thank you for your insight. I agree with you but because the click torque wrench is so common and the only one I have I wanted to make it easier to work with.

Torque is calculated using force times the distance from the rotating point aka foot x pounds. The torque wrenchs have a known length so they can be made to click with the right force but adding an offset to it causes the length to change, this then makes the actually force on the nut higher because the torque wrench does not know you made it longer and will click with the same force. For example if you set it to 20 lbs with an 18" torque wrench and put it straight on the nut it will click when you push with 13.3 lbs of force. Now if you add an offset of 3" (a crows foot) and set it to 20lbs with a 21" torque wrench and push with the same 13.3lbs it will cause the actually torque to be 23.3 foot lbs.

 

[jus_me]

If you look at some of the older/original Blaster cylinders they have holes in the cyl like the ones you drilled only they have what looks like a dowel through them. I don't think the holes are aligned up to use for torqueing the base nuts but since they already made cyls with holes like this I don't think you will really have a problem. My only thought is if they originally made the cyls with holes through them why did they change ? Was it because something was wrong , maybe somehow they were used to manufacture them and they just changed the process ?

Edit, finally found a pic of one. The holes aren't even close to lining up with the base studs but they are there. Keep us posted on this, interested to see how it holds up.

 

[Tbrock77]

If you look at some of the older/original Blaster cylinders they have holes in the cyl like the ones you drilled only they have what looks like a dowel through them. I don't think the holes are aligned up to use for torqueing the base nuts but since they already made cyls with holes like this I don't think you will really have a problem. My only thought is if they originally made the cyls with holes through them why did they change ? Was it because something was wrong , maybe somehow they were used to manufacture them and they just changed the process ?

Edit, finally found a pic of one. The holes aren't even close to lining up with the base studs but they are there. Keep us posted on this, interested to see how it holds up.

View attachment 23092

I have one with those pins. I think they were to combat the vibrations. I actually started this experiment with one of those cylinders, it is my "experiment" cylinder so I used it to check if the holes would cause any problems. I'm also doing a home clean up port on it too.

 

[Larry's Shee]

Only issue I see is that you can't re-torque after heat cycles.

Carry on.​

 

[Tbrock77]

Only issue I see is that you can't re-torque after heat cycles.

Carry on.​

Good point but I can just pull the head. Yes that will cause me to have to replace the head gasket but I already have something planned for that

 

[Blaaster]

Whilst I applaud your efforts in thinking outside the box, I really see no point in re inventing the wheel!

Would the friction caused by the extension rubbing the inside of the hole cause the tensions to differ?

To be able to re tighten the base nuts after heat cycling would mean a new gasket plus another set of heat cycles to recondition the new gasket.

Taking an extra minute in fiddling around with the crows foot using the conventional method would save $20, a little fuel and a fair amount of time.

 

[Tbrock77]

Whilst I applaud your efforts in thinking outside the box, I really see no point in re inventing the wheel!

Would the friction caused by the extension rubbing the inside of the hole cause the tensions to differ?

To be able to re tighten the base nuts after heat cycling would mean a new gasket plus another set of heat cycles to recondition the new gasket.

Taking an extra minute in fiddling around with the crows foot using the conventional method would save $20, a little fuel and a fair amount of time.

The extension doesn't touch anything so no added friction. I do understand the head cycle issue but I did think of a way around that, although I don't think I'm the first to do it and I will update as soon as I can test it. No spoilers.

 

[Dutter]

Good point but I can just pull the head. Yes that will cause me to have to replace the head gasket but I already have something planned for that

The extension doesn't touch anything so no added friction. I do understand the head cycle issue but I did think of a way around that, although I don't think I'm the first to do it and I will update as soon as I can test it. No spoilers.

This guy hates when anybody does anything different than him, he seems to think he has the best answer to everything!
Rock on, do as you like, so thumbs up to you!'

 

[Tbrock77]

This guy hates when anybody does anything different than him, he seems to think he has the best answer to everything!
Rock on, do as you like, so thumbs up to you!'

I see where everyone is coming from but I did this to learn and share the knowledge. I excepted the feedback and I welcome it. No hard feelings with anyone who chimes in

Thank you!

 

[Bluesman]

Why stop at the top of the cylinder? Bore right on through the head. Personally, I think it's a waste of time, but hey, it's your bike. The cylinder base nut torque isn't critical enough that it needs to be that precise.