250ex engine problems

[dirt-king]

My 250ex was in the shop last week for my vavlves to be re-adjusted...well i took it home and something else was pinging, i thought they didnt tighten my valves up.......so i took it to the shop and they looked and my valves were fine....it didnt sound like this until they fixed my valves....they said something about my rockers and cams.....they said they could look at them or something? does anyone kno wat might be wrong? should they fix this w/o me payin agian because it wasnt like this before?

[dirt-king]

well i might have figured it out...i think my cams and rockers are rubbing...so there gonna get shaved...does this make sense?

[250xTrailRider]

I'm just curious how you came up with that as the problem? Have you installed an aftermarket highlift cam? I have stock parts and I have no clicking noise?

[dirt-king]

this is wat my dealer said.....he said they could be rubbing

[250xTrailRider]

On my 91 the intake and exhaust covers have 2 bolts holding down the inspection cover. It has a rubber seal in/on it so becareful but it will seal backup (no gasket to buy) It is real easy to see on the front (exhaust) but in order to work on the intake side you would need to take off the plastic and gas tank. Not to hard to do. Make sure you shut the fuel off before you do. Any way what I am getting at is to have a look inside and see if any thing was left in there by the mechanic (part of a feeler gauge) and rotate the engine over by hand and see if anything moves out of the ordinary. Maybe they forgot to adjust one of the four valves/rocker arms. I got to tell you that the cam hitting the rocker arm thing would be a really low probability. No engineer would design a engine that would allow the cam to hit anything other than the rocker arm pad. Not the side of the rocker arm or the head or spring or anything else. They built in the adjustment capability they would know how much clearence would be needed through out the adjustment range. In my opinion they fed you a line of cr@p.

[dirt-king]

thanks 250xtrail rider .......i really dont like the local dealership's service......im not really engine knowledgable so i didnt kno if it was right or not.....thansk for ure help ill get bak to u when i inspect it!

[dirt-king]

also on the valve part....i took it bak to them after i noticed the sound, they done my valve's again and they were fine...also im not real clear on how to take the bolts and stuff out to check wats wrong do u mind clerifying?

[250xTrailRider]

Well I see that you have an 03 250 X and I think the engines are layed out differently but I have a picture of mine. The red arrows show the cover plate that allows me to adjust my vavles. I all I need to do is remove those two bolts (red arrows) and lift off the plate.This allows me to see inside and adjust the valves. I can see the rocker arms moving the valves. Then I use my kick start lever to manually roll the engine over. There is an identical plate on the intake side. that is why I said you might need to remove the plastic and that gas tank. I can see it from the under side but it sucks to work on.

[dirt-king]

i have a EX not an X......does it matter? will it still be the same

[250xTrailRider]

Well I am not 100% positive, but all should have some sort of an inspection cover. The location maybe different, but the idea is the same.

[redrider9045]

Hey the pinging could be someone messed the the timing ive never worked on a 250ex engine but they are about the same the valves could be closing too late and the piston is hitting them had a problem with that on my friends 450r

[dirt-king]

well really its more a grindin sound then a pinging...wat could it be now....?

[250xTrailRider]

Man I'm not sure. I guess the shop could have loosened the timeing chain tensioner (I have no idea why though) and now the chain is able to flop around a bit. This maybe factory proceedure( backing off the chain tension before adjusting valves), I just don't know. The 03 maybe gear driven ,I just don't know the engine layout. At which case it would not be a chain that turns the cam it would be two gears messing together. Have a look here Service Honda (http://www.servicehonda.com/hard%20parts/atv/trx250ex%20sportrax%2001-02/trx250ex%20frames%20page.htm) This is for the 01-02 model 250ex. Look on the left hand column and you will see different parts of you ride. Take a close look at CAM CHAIN and it will show you the tensioner I'm talking about part # 3. I do not know the adjustment speck but if you are missing a bolt or something looks really out of place that maybe it. The only other thing I could think of is that your cam is starting to walk (move back and forth) like the bearings are starting to go. I would say that with as new as your Honda is that would be highly unlikley but on the possibilitly list.

[dirt-king]

ok...first off 25xtrailrider i need to thank you so much for helping me...you took time to these long posts and i really appreciate it.....now, how do i get to the cam chin to check the tensioner?

[ethanp87]

hate to tell you the 250ex does not have a cam chain they are a push rod engine but they might have the valves to tight and the cam is rubbing the pad way to hard. thats all i can think of.

[250xTrailRider]

That sounds more like it. Do you know if the pushrods have a lifter either solid or hydrolic that assists in the opening of the valve.

[dirt-king]

well i dot kno...my friend is going to help me out...hes one of the best mechanincs around...he was on vacation when i needed it fixed so i took it to a dealer...well thanks 250xtrailrider!

[dirt-king]

ok i want to take a hit at it...so what do i have to do to check it out..? like to check wats wrong and stuff?

[TCracin440ex]

well first of all...you dont have an overhead cam motor....2nd of all a 250ex and 250x are 2 different machines...3rd it sounds to me like its your rod i had a recon (same motor as a 250ex) and the motor was knocking...it was a bent rod....and my littlest brother kept on riddin it and it threw a rod...now i have a hole in the motor the size of a fist..or bigger....

i need more symptoms to tell you exactly whats wrong...any smoking or anything comming from the motor

[dirt-king]

some smoke came out of the exhaust but thats about it...really nuttin else. how am i gonna get to the rods?

[TCracin440ex]

your gonna have to get a mechanic to tear the motor down

[250xTrailRider]

Hey dirt king what part of the country do you live in?(maybe someone is close enough to come listen to it.) TCracin440ex he stated that it sounds more like a grinding noise. In my experience rods have more of a klunk or ticky tick almost like a bad valve but it has more bass to it than the ticking of a lifter. So with a grinding noise would you think it is low on oil? Maybe something isn't getting enough oil? I don't think I asked that question yet.

[dirt-king]

my oil level id fine i check it every time i go out......i live in scioto county Ohio.......i think i will let my buddy do it ...he knows motors very well...thanks...now i need help on my brakes...i created a thread about it.

[dirt-king]

ok i was lookin for th inspection valve so i took it off and it broke....here is wat i am talkin about...it is number 7...http://www.planethondaracing.com/cgi-bin/hondaparts/results_parts_details?mv_session_id=XWuprLYo&mv_pc=14&se=pg_d_id%3d435%20and%20pg_my_id%3d89....it broke right under the first thread of the bolt.... now what am i suppose to do?

[dirt-king]

anyone?

[dirt-king]

ok n/m about the valve cover i got it out.....anyways i took the valve cover thing off the top and checked my pushrods and there fine....wats else could it be? and also when i have to put the headon how am i suppose to get the rods to fit bak in the rocker arms ?

[250xTrailRider]

I don't think I would take the head off at this point. From Planet Honda site it looks like that thing is screw on and if it was over tightened than I would think that it might have been just touching the rocker arm ( or some other part of the valve train) so look at the back of it ( the part inside the engine) does it have a little wear mark or some sort of scuffing on it at all? Maybe someone lost a rubber o-ring and just decideded to put way to much umph on it and as it is aluminium it just killed the metal.

[dirt-king]

Yes there is a little scuff on the inside...im ordering new ones...so when i put them on i will get bak to you....and thanx so much for the replys and your help....VERY appreciated....

[FasstMidnightZ]

i had my valves readjusted today, on my 250ex, they said they were tight, and now it runs smooth , no problems :macho