noise from motor when try to start?

[fox400]

alright guys i need some serious help a few months ago i was out riding and went threw some pretty deep water..my bike dident stall or anything but sence then i havent drove it much or did anything with it, but now when i try to start it the motor turns over then there is a screech sound from the motor..? could my bike have took in water and now its f***** my engine? the oil is kinda dirty i'm not sure what to do. any help would be awesome thanks adam.

[maxfior]

Hmmm... where EXACTLY is the sound coming from? I wonder if you got water in your starter motor and something got messed up in there. I see where you live it's getting cold, yes? Could something have froze? If you have some sort of heater it might not be a bad idea to point it at the engine (not too close to melt anything) and get the motor warm and then try and drain the old, change the oil filter and then check your air box for anything ugly. I would also pop off the flywheel side to see if water got in there. If you would have got water in the engine you would have known it right then and there while riding. I really don't think something happened to the engine, but try and give us alittle more info on where the noises are coming from...
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Other things that I am thinking of:
1.) did you pull the spark plug and try and crank it? (to get anything out of the cylnder) 2.) Did you check for spark? 3.) is your battery good? (in the cold weather ALWAYS run a battery tender to keep the battery warm and fresh!
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Let us know, good luck!

Max

[fox400]

hey thanks max, i got it too start the plug is a little dark not bad though, it seems to be a clicking knock sound from the bettom of the head i had the valves set a few months ago, could it be somthing with the cam or timing chain are bad? i dont know much about this stuff just kinda learning as i go haha

[maxfior]

Glad you got it started. Few things:
- What year is the quad?
- Who performed the valve adjustment, someone that knows how to set them properly? Your cam and cam chain should be fine as setting the valves has nothing to do with them.
- Please keep in mind that the 400EX engine will make a little noise since it's air cooled.
- If you had a knock or rapping sound coming from the bottom of the engine, where the rod is you might have bad rod bearings. When you got the engine running was there excessive vibration?
- I would still let it idle for 10 minutes and then change the oil and filter since you said it was kind of dirty looking. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to spend a few bones and get a new spark plug. Then after you do the oil and filter change pop the new plug in, warm it up good and ride it for like 15 minutes. Then pull the plug and take a look. It shouldn't be any darker then tan (dark tan is okay) If it's oily and black, sooty, etc, you might have bad valve guides or seals. OR, your jetting could be off. Is this 400EX stock?
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Don't worry about the whole learning process with working on your quad. It's actually pretty easy and fun. Just make sure to work safely and ask questions if you get stumped. There are plenty of members on this forum that will lend a helping hand. Good luck and keep us posted!

Max

[fox400]

yes its a 02 ex stock engine its got a fmf and k&n filter the guy that adjusted the vavles has a bike repair shop i think he knew what he was doing, is a rod bearing a big job?$$ i think thats what it might be. thanks for all the tips and pointers this site is great for guys like me just getting into this stuff
thanks alot adam

[maxfior]

Yeah, pretty much anything bottom end is going to be time consuming and costly. You have to split the cases and take apart quite a lot of stuff to get to the rod. If you have to do this, you might want to either sit down and plan a budget or call a decent engine builder and find out what they would charge for a re-build. Now would be the time to uprgade the motor. If it was me, I would build a 460 stroker, since you have to pull the rod, you can get the cases cut and matched at the same time. Having said all that, be prepared to spend some cash if your going to build up the engine. You can spend money fast! Let us know!

Max