plz, why is my ex ticking?

[450raider]

about a week ago my 06 250ex motor started to make a ticking, noise when you start it and i havent taken it to the dealer yet (dont open till tuesday) but would like some early theories on what it may be and more importantly, how much it could cost, all i can tell you is that when you put your ear close to the motor you can hear it coming from the top of it and its loud at first but quiets down but not much, thats all i know......

thanks

[BlasterEaten250]

When was the last time the valves were adjusted? Verses paying 70 bucks to have a dealer do it I would spend 30 and get a clymers manual and do it yourself. It is very simple to do

[450raider]

believe it or not thats what i was thinking, but i had one friend in one ear yelling "its the timing chain", and another on the other side saying "needs rings", but i myself probably will dive into it to see if its the valves but what all would i need other than the manual? couldnt all that stuff get pretty pricey itself?.......and to answer your question the valves never been checked, i bought it like march of '06 and its given me not an ounce of trouble (typical ex talk:cool:) for technically over 2 years, is that long enough for the valves to pop loose or whatever it is they do? oh and would that valve problem cause it to smoke a light white out of the exhaust?

thanks

[prairiemonster]

About two weeks ago our 06 got the same ticking noise,I also thought it was the valves set them at .004,.005,.006 and the tick stayed the same.I then changed the oil looking for signs of something wrong,but when I put new oil in it, the tick even got louder.Now I'm pretty sure it's not in the head area but the cam chain tensioner,cam chain or cam sprocket teeth.
It takes me less than 30 minutes to do the whole valve job,metric sockets,allens,pliars,.005 feeler guage and a manual.The hardest part of the deal is getting the timing mark to come up and stay in place.The cranks counter weight makes it spin past the T mark that you need,even with the plug out. :mad:
If you find out what this tick is before I do please post it and I'll do the same with what I find.
Nobody else with this problem,is it a 06 are newer problem?
Technically as you ride and your motor gets more miles on it the tighter your valves get,if your valves get loose then something moved, slipped, are broke.
If you think it's in the head are piston run a compression check first.

does it have a hotcam or aftermarket cam? cause thatl make it tick much louder than stock even with your valves in spec its just the nature of the beast

[BlasterEaten250]

Well im pretty sure 250ex's dont even have timing chains, and rings wont make it tick. So yeah adjust your valves. All you need is a basic set of tools and the manual. Should quiet them down (remember the 250s will always tick a little bit)

i cant imagaine them not having a timing chain. what would turn the camshaft then?

[BlasterEaten250]

The cam is in the bottom end. There could just be a gear going off the crank that spins a gear on the cam which spins the cam. Then pushrods go up and open and close the valves as the lobes on the cam go up and down.

[BlasterEaten250]

I could be wrong there may be a small cam chain but I honestly doubt that is worn out already.

never heard of a quad with a cam in the bottom end

[BlasterEaten250]

Yep, it's because it's a pushrod engine design. It's more of a "low tech" design as compared to ohc engines

[prairiemonster]

Well our tick has nothing to do with the cam chain are the cam area ,it's comeing from the very bottom on the other side of the motor.Might have to get it in the honda shop for this one,as much as I hate too.:mad:
Right now I have honda pro 10w-30w oil in it and was told to go to thicker weight for the summer,never have before,but I'll try it.
The

[prairiemonster]

Well our tick has nothing to do with the cam chain are the cam area ,it's comeing from the very bottom on the other side of the motor.Might have to get it in the honda shop for this one,as much as I hate too.:mad:
Right now I have honda pro 10w-30w oil in it and was told to go to thicker weight for the summer,never have before,but I'll try it.
The Vapor says it's running about 329* F when hot, honda could not say if this was hot or not. Tee Hee

[jpconard]

I have two, 04 and 07 and they both do it, regardless if the valves have been recently adjusted.

I wouldn't worry about it, it goes away after a few seconds. Probably just oil not to a certain place in the motor right away.

I don't understand Honda, on the 07 they recommend 10W-30, on the 04 they recommend 10W-40. I think at minimum it should be 10w-40 even in cold weather. I'm thinking of going to 20W-50 in summer. My 98 XR250 recommends 20W-50 except when below 32F then 10W-40. I've followed that and it never burns any oil. Motor is as tight as when new.

The 07 especially runs so lean it seems hot, especially when outdoor temps are in the 90s-100s. Honda has changed the jetting on the 07 to the point that it doesn't run very good.

FYI, from the internal pics I have seen it does have a cam and short cam chain but is a push-rod design (many Honda ATVs are). It keeps the motor shorter so they say.

[450raider]

okay then ive decided to go in and tighten the valves (if needed, if not im not gonna worry with it) now would anyone happen to have pics of what it is im looking for (this way would be cheaper and peobably easier to understand than the manual)? and what all would i need? ill have to go out and get a torque wrench, but would i need to get a new gasket or anything?

thanks

[jpconard]

Adjusting the valves is pretty easy on these. You should only have to do it once or twice a year at most. I think they recommend within 6 mo. of new, then yearly afterward.

I don't even use a torque wrench, just tighten up to a "normal" tightness (just a small locknut).

I don't remember the entire procedure, but you have to remove the tank, then clean the top of the motor, take cover off the flywheel (this is the back side of motor and is just a thin metal cover no seals or anything.) Take inspection port cover off side of case. Bump starter to see direction flywheel turns, this is the direction you will manually turn the flywheel with a wrench. Also remove spark plug to make it easier to turn over motor.

Take off two valve cover caps. Using a wrench (I use socket & ratchet), rotate engine until you see the "T" through the inspection hole. Check valve looseness, if rocker arms are both tight, then continue to rotate engine another 180 degrees until you see "T" again.

Both rocker arms should have some play, but hold the flywheel on "T" (may take another person, or some way to block the wrench). Using feeler gauge check valve play. The manual indicates gap, .004 or .005 I think.

If they are that or close, I'd leave them alone. If too tight or loose, loosen locknut and turn screw to get proper adjustment. While holding screw tighten locknut. Check again. If both OK, rotate engine around again and check final time. Check locknuts are tight (not too tight). Re-assemble.

Sound lengthy, worst part is taking off tank. The rest is easy.

[450raider]

hey thanks, i got it all apart and i found the flywheel cover and the valves (which didnt even seem loose but i tightend em) but never could find this inspection port cover you speak of or this T, and still after all that it still ticks, i dont get it, might it be something else?

[honda rider118]

I know what it is. The bolt on time of your engine needs to be taken off and switched and tightened.. thats it.. sorry in a hurry!

[BlasterEaten250]

Originally posted by 450raider
hey thanks, i got it all apart and i found the flywheel cover and the valves (which didnt even seem loose but i tightend em) but never could find this inspection port cover you speak of or this T, and still after all that it still ticks, i dont get it, might it be something else? You need to find that T to adjust the valves right. There is an allen head cover above the left footpeg on the engine, take that off and spin the engine counter clockwise until you see a T through that hole. It can be a pain sometimes. Just a tip, take the sparkplug out before you start spinning it. I wouldn't ride it anymore if you adjusted them without putting it at tdc first, that could possibly wreck some stuff

[bigj250]

its the valve my friend had the same problem he took it 2 the shop and they only charged 135 they said that the valves were almost stuck

[rev-man]

mine ticks it about 1700 rpm and it has done it before and after the valves were adjusted i think it is just a natural tick that all the hondas have at that rpm for some reason