one valve ticking

[hondamxerd]

2003 400ex just put the engine back together, adjusting the valves, the right exhaust valve screw will not go down as far as the left. i adjusted it to the feeler guage spec and started it, tick tick tick, audible valve noise, so i took it apart again and took the valves out. rolled them
on a table and they are smooth rolling, so they are not bent. so why is the adjustment not equal or close to the other
exhaust valve?

[mojoe2878]

is one of the rockers bent?
what kinda ticking is it? does it sound like the valve isnt closing all the way or does it sound like the adjustment is too loose?
is the cam new to you? some cams are noisy and tick more than others.

[hondamxerd]

the cam is stock, sounds like just loose, when rotating the engine operation and movement of the valve or rocker arm looks normal, visually nothing looks bent , it is a slow tick while then engine is idling, did'nt rev it up, just got it back together, when looking at the screws on both sides the left side is flush with the screws and you can see 3 or 4 threads on the right side, the original engine blew, so it has a used engine on it but original valve train, if you leave it running for a minute it sounds good other than that slow tick, this engine never had any trouble before, it originally came off my ex, but when my little cousin blew his engine i gave him mine and had his bored for my ex, always wanted more power but never could justify boring an engine that ran fine, we did replace the timing key with a sparks key, done this while trying to diagnose the original problem, but that still does'nt answer why the valves are adjusted differently

[chucked]

When you are finding tdc, which direction are you turnign the engine??

[mojoe2878]

since you have the stock cam and not an aftermarket one like i thought,does the cam have the decompressor on it?
if so it may be stuck and holding the one exhaust valve slightly open all the time and it will make it tick constantly.

[hondamxerd]

counter clockwise, according to my manual
on the compression stroke is where i am supposed to adjust them, but i have been wrong before, mojo this is the same quad you tried to help me on b4, ended up he had run it low on oil, the film ended up being scars on the cylinder wall, after i pulled the engine completly apart

[hondamxerd]

sorry, i do have a wb cam but his is stock kinda misleading with all my spec at the bottom, where would the decomp be at?

[mojoe2878]

its the round piece on the cam that is inbetween the cam sprocket and the first cam lobe.
i think i remember the motor now. is it the one that you said had the funny looking patches on the cylinder wall and you couldnt tell what they were? is this the same motor that has been rebuilt?

[hondamxerd]

same motor that had the patches but it is the original motor out of my ex, i took his to have it bored to a 430 so i could put it in mine, i will have to check that out tomarrow, i appreciate all your help i will check back with you tomarrow on it, by the way just wandering do you race?

[mojoe2878]

Originally posted by hondamxerd
same motor that had the patches but it is the original motor out of my ex, i took his to have it bored to a 430 so i could put it in mine, i will have to check that out tomarrow, i appreciate all your help i will check back with you tomarrow on it, by the way just wandering do you race?
dont race any more but i i did race bikes ( motocross ) for 11years but now i feel too old and im only 26.
guess all the broken bones,trips to the E.R. and all the titanium screws and plates i have in me from all the bad breaks have finally slowed me down. i still ride alot but dont go to the track to compete anymore.

[hondamxerd]

ok i got the valve ticking problem fixed i think yet to crank it up, putting it back together, but i got the right front valve to adjust, i turned the crankshaft back and forward fast and it seemed to free up the decompressor, so the valve is now adjusted like the others, but why would the decompressor stick? i will let you know
how it is here in a little while. i guess tomarrow i will put my ex back together with my 430 kit, cant wait to see how it runs.

[mojoe2878]

the springs in it just get stuck sometimes especialy if its just been sittin up and hasnt been run in a while. its no big deal, it just happens sometimes.

[hondamxerd]

ok, now, its back together, but now it will not start. it hits every or every other rotation, just hits on time, timing? is it possible that i have the camshaft out 90 degrees, any way to tell without tearing it down?

[mojoe2878]

did you mess with the timing any when you free'd the decompressor or did you just turn the motor over back and forth?
if you didnt remove the cam or chain or anything then i dont see how you could have gotten it out of time, it was in time and running before you free'd the decompressor wasnt it?
what are you setting the valves at? if you didnt mess with the cam or timing chain then recheck the valve clearances, if they are too tight it will not start.

[hondamxerd]

something is wrong, the thing started before, i will recheck all the valve clearances tomarrow, but while i am cranking it , it does not sound right, it has a slower crank to it, good batt power, dont have no idea, i did not mess with any thing i just reset the right front valve clearence , all specs i am using are from the clymer manual

[hondamxerd]

i checked all vavles, all are to specs, put it back together and still slow crank and hits on time every other crank or every 5 or 6 rotations, it must be timing, but y would it run b4, well i think i am going to check it again ne ways, ok tdc and cam lobes down correct? is it possible it could be out on the crankshaft? but then it ran earlier.
three lines on the cam gear, one up and the others to the sides correct? all this is at tdc, or am i doing something wrong? help!

[hondamxerd]

ok, took it all apart, and check the timing, it was a little off, so i fixed that, now put it back together, start cranking, it sounds better, but, still no start, it hits almost every rotation, tried spraying carb cleaner in it and nothing turned the gas off and pumped the throttle and it shot flames out the carb? stopped cranking when the starter got blistering hot, i may be making progress, but not a lot. anybody with any suggestions far fetched or not i will appreciate

[cals400ex]

we need to make sure the timing is right. the cam needs to be in with the lobes down when the two lines on the cam sprocket align with the head. at this time, the other one line should be facing up, NOT down. also, try using the stock ignition box to start the bike.

[mojoe2878]

are you putting it on the T mark on the fly wheel when you are setting it to TDC ?
the way you desribed the lines on the cam sprocket and the lobes on the cam facing down sound correct.
make sure the tensioner is working too.
after you align the timing marks on everything and get the cam in there turn the engine over by hand with a wrench for about 4 revolations and line the fly wheel mark back up on the T mark and check to see that your cam sprocket lines are still matching up.
do this before you bolt the valve cover back on.

[hondamxerd]

ok here we go, i took it apart again, verified tdc and the 3 marks were in correct places, put it back together, my batt is dead, so i hook it to my rincon and take off, it starts to hit, hits a little, little more and as i take one hand off the bars and look behind it to see the smoke coming out of the exhaust it takes off, my little cousin said you should of seen my eyes, it felt like i was riding a bull, ne ways, so it did'nt keep running, but it hits in spurts while i am holding the throttle, it even raises the front wheels off the ground, when it hits it hits hard, pulls real hard. so what do you think now? this is not my quad so forget about all the specs below, this is almost a stock ex, wb slip on, uni filter, sparks timing key ( installed while trying to diagnose problem) any help is greatly appreciated thanks

[mojoe2878]

what are you air/ fuel screw settings ? how many turns out are ist it.
you may also need to mess with the timing with the sparks timing key but idk for sure about that.

[mojoe2878]

i would also double check everything in the fuel system from the gas tank to the carb and the carb boot and intake to make sure there is no trash or any thing that is clogging it up and check the boot and intake for any leaks. my intake cracked around where the rubber o-ring goes where it bolts to the enging one time and it ran like chit. just make sure that no dirt may have gotten anywhere when it was apart and that there are no pinched or kinked hoses anywhere.
what color was the smoke cominmg out of it when you got it cranked?
how long did it stay running?
was it back firing or any thing when it was running?
im wondering if the valve decompressor is just bad on it and stick up sometime while its running, i know you already freed it up once but it may be bad and sticking again.