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Ok so I opened the valve cover and all the locknuts appear to be holding. They aren't super tight (almost certainly below the factory spec, but I just got a small enough torque wrench in the mail so I can fix that), but I don't think one of them shaking loose is what caused the issue. Looking around further I can see for sure that something is wrong. Here is one of the cylinder 2 exhaust valve rockers:  It looks fine. Here is one of the cylinder 2 intake rockers:   ... and it's nut:  These are busted somehow. It looks like the rocker is detached from the valve and jammed under one side of the cam. I tried to gently shift it back to the middle of the cam with a little screwdriver but it was stuck. It was quite hard to see inside but it sort of looked like the face of the rocker might have gotten damaged (although reading the ninja wiki it is normal for them to get worn down I think?). I guess now I need to work out what I did that caused this to happen, what (if anything) needs to be replaced, and how to fix the valve. Any ideas? e: in case it is unclear-- only one of the 8 valves is broken as far as I can see.
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Jun 10, 2015 05:14
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You should be able to pull the cams and replace the rocker/cam and be ok. Can you take more pictures at a wider angle, and rotate the engine over by hand, and take pictures of the cam mating surface? Could have gotten lucky and not destroyed the cam but I doubt it. Rocker will need to be replaced as well. Then I'd start shopping for a new (used) engine or a new bike.
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Jun 10, 2015 05:31
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Also with your next bike please avoid doing any work to it. Did your bike need valves done? IIRC so far you've managed to buy a bike, poke a hole in the gas tank, then break the top end in about 2 months.
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Jun 10, 2015 05:43
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Z3n posted:You should be able to pull the cams and replace the rocker/cam and be ok. Can you take more pictures at a wider angle, and rotate the engine over by hand, and take pictures of the cam mating surface? Could have gotten lucky and not destroyed the cam but I doubt it. Rocker will need to be replaced as well. I'm a bit confused-- do you mean most likely if I replace the rocker/cam I won't have to replace the whole engine, or either way I will have to replace the engine soon? I can take more photos now, too. Is the mating surface the lobe or the bit on the opposite end to the lobe? nsaP posted:Also with your next bike please avoid doing any work to it. I was following the wiki people linked me ITT that said to assume previous owners hadn't ever adjusted the valve clearances and to adjust them. I'm sorry for asking so many questions in here, I was just really interested in learning how to do this stuff but maybe I should just throw in the towel if I'm bugging people and breaking things 
Seashell Salesman fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 05:45
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Seashell Salesman posted:I'm a bit confused-- do you mean most likely if I replace the rocker/cam I won't have to replace the whole engine, or either way I will have to replace the engine soon? Yes, and yes. Who knows what's happened with the engine as a result of that. You shouldn't have even loosened the rocker arm itself, iirc, so you could have gotten really unlucky or this could be some PO fuckup coming to bite you in the rear end. The mating surface is the parts of the rocker and the cam that touch each other. nsap, everyone learns by breaking poo poo sometimes. A ninja 250 is a great bike to learn to work on, spares are plentiful and it's not like he's working on the last Honda RC152 or some poo poo. It's not trivial to learn to do this poo poo without someone around to watch over your shoulder when you're loving things up.
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Jun 10, 2015 05:50
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Sure I agree but...baby steps. I broke plastic bits or lost bolts that I left too loose, and I didn't start off tearing into the top end. FZ6 superiority, still 500 miles from the first valve check. Seashell Salesman posted:I was following the wiki people linked me ITT that said to assume previous owners hadn't ever adjusted the valve clearances and to adjust them. I'm sorry for asking so many questions in here, I was just really interested in learning how to do this stuff but maybe I should just throw in the towel if I'm bugging people and breaking things Keep asking questions and keep trying but A man's gotta know his limitations. Start smaller and if you are getting into the motor with little experience you are better off with someone who know's what they are doing helping you out. I've had fairly minor issues that took internet bros a while to help me figure out but if they were there with me they probably would have just pointed and said 'well there's your problem". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0 nsaP fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 06:03
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Z3n posted:You shouldn't have even loosened the rocker arm itself, iirc, so you could have gotten really unlucky or this could be some PO fuckup coming to bite you in the rear end. The adjuster screws weren't able to turn until I loosened the tappet locknuts (assuming this is what you mean by loosening rocker arm). The wiki says "If the clearance is not correct, grab a long 1/4" drive 9mm socket and loosen the tappet locknut; there's a small screw on top of the nut. " The thing that bugs me the most is not being able to tell precisely what I did wrong. Especially since the engine seemed to be running better after I adjusted the valves, until something broke. nsaP posted:Sure I agree but...baby steps. I broke plastic bits or lost bolts that I left too loose, and I didn't start off tearing into the top end. I very much wish I had taken this approach now! I had/have basically no perspective on what is easy versus hard, the wiki doesn't have any dire warnings about doing valve adjustments and the procedure (I mean there's a chance I grossly misunderstood it, but still) was quite straightforward. Seashell Salesman fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 06:03
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It's not super hard and frankly from what I can tell that's an oddball failure that is not all that normal. I guess a particularly loose adjustment could have caused he cam to slam into it aggressively enough to break it, but even still - more pictures will help. Valve adjust on a 250 is a reasonable thing to try for early maintenance, mistakes are just made sometimes before you know what to look out for. Adjusting the tappets as you describe is normal. Might be damage from the loose adjustment, might be bad luck, who knows. Live and learn, and start learning on a cheap bike for just this reason.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:13
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Go for an oil change next tho, just for me
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Jun 10, 2015 06:17
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nsaP posted:Also with your next bike please avoid doing any work to it. Yeah, don't listen to this. I once broke a US Navy ship bad enough to keep it leaving port for two days, but here we are years later and I'm pretty comfortable doing valve work when needed. We all gently caress up at times; it's the learning from the mistakes part that is key.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:20
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nsaP posted:Go for an oil change next tho, just for me After I get myself out of this mess I promise I'll do an oil change and post photos of the process ITT 
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Jun 10, 2015 06:23
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Bought my first bike today. 1984 Honda XL 350 R Paid $200 for it. Drove it around the house tonight. Needs a valve adjustment and has a slight oil leak. Need to clean it up. The bike hasn't been registered since 2007 but has been kept inside. I don't know much about bike maintenance but can't wait to jump in. First thing is an oil change and a new headlight bulb. Need to chase down the oil leak also. Any common issues with these bikes? Pics:       15k miles on it
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Jun 10, 2015 06:26
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predictive posted:Yeah, don't listen to this. I once broke a US Navy ship bad enough to keep it leaving port for two days, but here we are years later and I'm pretty comfortable doing valve work when needed. We all gently caress up at times; it's the learning from the mistakes part that is key. Yeah he won't listen but that's good. I just need y'all to not pad his ego so much cause you at least had the experience of screwing up a Navy ship first. Just look at mailbox, he's a perfect example. When he first started posting I told him to stop riding or he'd die and I questioned if his family was worried for his well being. Now he's riding like a boss.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:27
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I'm not saying don't work on your bike but despite the claims of semi-pro mechanics with 15 bikes in the garage, things like valve checks can be harder than following internet directions if you have no experience. Maybe I'm a dummy (probably) but it took me a while just to learn to approximate tightness on bolts. I left poo poo loose/stripped a lot of bolts tand pieces that were way less importantant than anything involved with valve checks. Start small and work up, and especially take a step back if you make mistakes like swapping the fairing bolts on an old ninja despite the big bold warnings on all of the walkthrus. Even with those warnings there are little things that people with experience wouldn't blink at but will mess you up when you come across them. Never assume. I've been telling Casull on IRC to sell a GS500 he bought that was dripping oil apparently while others have been telling him it might just be a gasket or something easy. Yeah, it might be, but when you don't have the experience to not strip a cover bolt or w/e, hunting down that kinda poo poo is probably more trouble than it's worth and if its your learner bike you should be riding it and not worrying/wrenching. nsaP fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Jun 10, 2015 |
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Jun 10, 2015 06:34
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nsaP posted:Yeah, it might be, but when you don't have the experience to not strip a cover bolt or w/e, hunting down that kinda poo poo is probably more trouble than it's worth and if its your learner bike you should be riding it and not worrying/wrenching. Okay, that's pretty solid advice.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:37
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nsaP posted:I'm not saying don't work on your bike but despite the claims of semi-pro mechanics with 15 bikes in the garage, things like valve checks can be harder than following internet directions if you have no experience. About the fairing bolts: I measured them all afterwards and they are all 18mm. I'm also quite certain I didn't exchange any of them, since I have a diagram of the fairings and tank drawn on cardboard and I keep the bolts stabbed into the diagram, where they go to. Don't want to give the impression that I think I know what I'm doing, just following up on that because I measured the bolts after someone mentioned the different lengths of bolts on some bikes earlier in the thread.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:43
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Where do you live? Could be a goon near you willing to help out. I'm around if you're in Arizona.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:48
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BlackMK4 posted:Where do you live? Could be a goon near you willing to help out. I'm around if you're in Arizona. Kirkland, WA. There is also a rather large mailing list for motorcyclists at my work, I think. I'll try there if there aren't any goons who can help out.
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Jun 10, 2015 06:55
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predictive posted:I once broke a US Navy ship bad enough to keep it leaving port for two days That sounds like a story I'd like to hear. jdfording posted:Bought my first bike today. This is loving glorious and it blows my mind that you could have that for the price of one tyre.
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Jun 10, 2015 07:57
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Seashell Salesman posted:The thing that bugs me the most is not being able to tell precisely what I did wrong. Especially since the engine seemed to be running better after I adjusted the valves, until something broke. "An Engine Shall Always Feel As Though It Is Running The Best It Has Ever Done, Right Before It Blows Up." This is like some kind of scientific Law of Reciprocating Engines or something.
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Jun 10, 2015 15:19
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Linedance posted:"An Engine Shall Always Feel As Though It Is Running The Best It Has Ever Done, Right Before It Blows Up." Especially true for Wankel RCEs, if you choose to ignore the blue clouds that follow you everywhere.
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Jun 10, 2015 15:30
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jdfording posted:Bought my first bike today. They're invincible. That thing is perfect in every way.
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Jun 10, 2015 17:33
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predictive posted:Yeah, don't listen to this. I once broke a US Navy ship bad enough to keep it leaving port for two days, but here we are years later and I'm pretty comfortable doing valve work when needed. We all gently caress up at times; it's the learning from the mistakes part that is key. Wow, that must have been one amazing first wrench on a bike if it broke government equipment.
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Jun 10, 2015 21:10
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What's a fair price for a wheels-on tire change? I've been quote $160 (lol) and $125, but is it unrealistic to try and get them done for $100? This is for a Honda CTX700.
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Jun 10, 2015 22:57
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You buying the tires from them? I think I paid 35 a wheel ride in but I bought tires from the shop. They actually beat revzilla and some other online vendors by a few bucks too.
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Jun 10, 2015 23:06
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I usually pay like $50/wheel after disposal fee if I buy the tires there. Same price wheels-off if I get them somewhere else.
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Jun 10, 2015 23:13
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Those were both bring-in-tires prices, so I guess they're not that far off. Guess it just goes to show the economies of scale involved with changing car tires! I might give the first place another call to see if they'll match tire prices, since they'd do it for $80 (half off $160) if I but the tires there.
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Jun 10, 2015 23:20
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Places here are an hour labor on bike ($65-85) or 15/wheel off bike.
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Jun 11, 2015 00:45
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I need to get some new grips on my 1984 Honda XL 350 R. Will these fit? http://www.amazon.com/Renthal-G094-Waffle-Compound-Motocross/dp/B001C1HLYE/ref=pd_sbs_263_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RSH6XY53R527NTPSA4K Looks like some are 7/8 and 1"?
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Jun 11, 2015 04:53
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jdfording posted:I need to get some new grips on my 1984 Honda XL 350 R. Will these fit? You want 7/8". Metric bikes are fairly universally 7/8. (1" is the Harley size.)
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Jun 11, 2015 05:13
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How hard is removing and reinstalling your own wheels for someone who can do an oil change and brakes but not much else? I had a bad get off a few years back due to a bad tire so I'm pretty skittish about doing anything relating to the wheel, as silly as that sounds.
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Jun 11, 2015 13:20
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iwentdoodie posted:Places here are an hour labor on bike ($65-85) or 15/wheel off bike. That's about right. Cruiser wheels off bike - $15/each Sportbikes are $10ish On the bike it's about an hour labor, but we'd also clean, lube, and adjust your chain, as well as check about a dozen other things including suspension sag. Now if you're trying to put a car tire on a goldwing it's obviously more because it's a complete bitch to get that thing on the rim. If you own a Harley, gently caress you. You're paying full price because I have to take your exhaust off to get your rear wheel off. Also, it's a Harley and everything is hosed. Radbot posted:How hard is removing and reinstalling your own wheels for someone who can do an oil change and brakes but not much else? I had a bad get off a few years back due to a bad tire so I'm pretty skittish about doing anything relating to the wheel, as silly as that sounds. GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Jun 11, 2015 |
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Jun 11, 2015 13:28
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I just wish I could find someone willing to do a change for an hour's labor. Oh well.
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Jun 11, 2015 16:15
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Where are you located anyway? The shop down the street from me charges 40 per wheel whether the wheels are on and off and this is in socal (LA east suburb area).
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Jun 11, 2015 16:19
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I'm getting ready to install babby's first 2-stroke crank this weekend. This is my first time with non-babbitt bearings.I have a Tusk crank puller, but I'm wondering if I should still drop the bearings into the case halves before installing the crank (using heat/cold, I guess)? The instructions in the FSM are pretty vauge. Do the bearings need to be cleaned or prepped in any way before install? They look like they have a packing grease on the balls. Also, a few places Yamaha recommends using lithium soap lube. The grease that was in there didn't look like white-lithium, is there something readily available that will work?
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Jun 11, 2015 16:23
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Boys who love boys
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GnarlyCharlie4u posted:I've seen some people really gently caress things up when they try to DIY. Forget parts, put poo poo on backwards, destroy sprockets in <1000mi because of terrible chain tension. There's a lot of things that can go wrong, and you're putting your life at risk if you don't know what you're doing.
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Jun 11, 2015 19:05
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Angryboot posted:Where are you located anyway? The shop down the street from me charges 40 per wheel whether the wheels are on and off and this is in socal (LA east suburb area). Denver. I haven't been able to get any lower than $125 for wheels-on.  Guess I'm gonna have to suck it up and pay the piper for not having any wrenching skills.
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Jun 11, 2015 20:49
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Radbot posted:How hard is removing and reinstalling your own wheels for someone who can do an oil change and brakes but not much else? I had a bad get off a few years back due to a bad tire so I'm pretty skittish about doing anything relating to the wheel, as silly as that sounds. The front is generally a cakewalk, and you should know how to do it in your sleep. The rear, as Gnarly points out, is more complicated and best left to a shop given your stated skill level. I don't think I've ever owned a bike where both wore out at the same rate; some riders will go through two fronts to one rear, or vice versa, depending on a variety of factors, e.g., riding like Lord of Castle Dongington. When the rear is ready for replacement, I just have them do both.
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Jun 11, 2015 21:45
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So my windscreen is severely scratched up. It was that way when I bought it. I'm curious if there's any way I can clean the scratches up? If not, i'm considering possibly doing this to clean it up a bit without having to buy a new one.
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Jun 12, 2015 16:41
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Is it gouged up, or can you just see a bunch of swirls from overzealous cleaning with a rough rag? If it's the latter, I'd get some polish and buff it up. Plastidipped windscreens look kind of dumpy IMO. My new Uly came with one, and I swapped the clear one off my old one.
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Jun 12, 2015 16:54
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