how screwed am i..first oil change on this bike not good

[chargerlover]

ok i removed the plug on the tank an a massive mound of shavings came out...omg..then i removed the filter an their was no spring behind the filter and i could see some more shavings an the filter is is nasty looking..it has been runing fine i can pull the front up in second gear not clutchin it...so how bad an is that spring needed im sure it is lol

[chargerlover]

here is a pic of the screen in the bottem of the oil tank...

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt51/chargerloverrt/2011-10-23171043.jpg

and after i rolled it onto a rag

http://i597.photobucket.com/albums/tt51/chargerloverrt/2011-10-23171123.jpg

....what ya think

[DnB_racing]

the spring is needed to keep the pressure to seal the filter so it filters better, but to be honest if I were you I would worry about the shavings more then the spring...

it doesnt look good:scary:

give your motor a good flushing and put fresh oil in and run a little and change oil again to see how bad your problem is...

Im not sure how long since your last oil change, but by staying on top of maintenance you can judge the wear, and damage

[chargerlover]

ok thanks i have only had the bike for 3 weeks an rode it 3 times ill fill it back up an put new filter in then ride it for 30 min an change the oil an filter again..

[chargerlover]

rode around my neighberhood for 10 min thinnk thats good enought,,,what do you think the shaving could be from im lost lol

[01boneless]

well did you buy the bike new or used? if new take it back!! if used someone could have rebuilt it and never cleaned the screen on the oil change. but if it hasent been rebuild something in the motor went south :eek2:

[CJM]

Shaving means metal on metal, either something was rubbing or someone ran it out of oil (or close to it) once.

Course it coulda just been rebuilt at some time and the shavings are a result of not being cleaned after rebuild.

Flush that sucker good cheap 4 stroke oil and let run for 20 mins and warm up then drain, do it 2x to be sure if I was you.

[chargerlover]

used its a 02 400ex. i think the guy was an idiot all the plastics are zip tied the rim had a hige crack in it the rear axle nuts were both hand tight thier was no brake fluid in it the headlights are not bolted so they move side to side so it was total lack of maintence it wouldnt surprise me it the oil has been changed maybe 3 times im hoping its something in the trans cuz i dont think it goes into 5th all the time..the shaving were damn near cloging up the tank drain plug but their was no shaving at all in the oil i draned from the engine it self an verry few in the oil filer housing..

[chargerlover]

Originally posted by CJM
Shaving means metal on metal, either something was rubbing or someone ran it out of oil (or close to it) once.

Course it coulda just been rebuilt at some time and the shavings are a result of not being cleaned after rebuild.

Flush that sucker good cheap 4 stroke oil and let run for 20 mins and warm up then drain, do it 2x to be sure if I was you.

should i just let it run for 20 min an not ride it? an will it overheat sitting that long i know alot about vw aircooled engines their fine from the fan but since this thing has no fans idk how long it can idle an be safe and what is the recomendation for how aften to change the oil and filter

[HondaPohl]

Change the oil and run it. If something comes apart.......... **** happens.

[CJM]

Originally posted by chargerlover
should i just let it run for 20 min an not ride it? an will it overheat sitting that long i know alot about vw aircooled engines their fine from the fan but since this thing has no fans idk how long it can idle an be safe and what is the recomendation for how aften to change the oil and filter

It will be fine. You want to warm it up so all the oil circulates and gets a bit warm and takes the shavings with it when you drain.

[chargerlover]

ok cool ill do that b4 work tomorrow. just incase anyone have a link to a good engine rebuild kit maybe a 417 i dont think i would wana go any bigger with a air cooled engine.

[Baileygunns]

Last thing I would do is run that motor... You're asking for trouble sending that stuff back through the motor. Cut your losses now and start a tear down and figure out where that came from. Last thing you want is a rod poking through the cases because you ran it again...

[CJM]

Originally posted by Baileygunns
Last thing I would do is run that motor... You're asking for trouble sending that stuff back through the motor. Cut your losses now and start a tear down and figure out where that came from. Last thing you want is a rod poking through the cases because you ran it again...

Thats a good point-but on the same note its probably toast anyways. Shavings like that mean something internal-not a bad piston, ring, etc. Your talking lower end more than likely.

[chargerlover]

im leaning to the trans im gana drain it tomorrow then ride the piss out of it like normal an see if theirs any more metal if not ill assume its gana go at anytime an start buying things peice by peice an rebuild it in feb when its ubber cold id like to get 2 or 3 snow rides in lol..

[chargerlover]

can anyone point me in a good direction for parts im thinkin it may be my rod bearings who knows..but any good sites to buy from

[crownandmonster]

If all of that came from a rod bearing, it would have already blown apart. Just going off the size and color of the flakes, I would say it has either had a piston explode in it before and it wasn't cleaned out properly, or you've got some serious trans issues.

[Ntensweapon]

What kind of drain plug is that?

Are the shavings magnetic? It could be a bearing in the bottom end. Highly unlikely they are gear shavings. The gears usually just roll an edge on the dog. I think your trans problem is unrelated.

I agree with an earlier post..Someone had a catastrophic failure in the top end and they didnt go into the bottom end like they should have.

[CJM]

Thats the filter screen on the oil tank.

[chargerlover]

well i drained it all again an their wasnt much in the oil im hoping it was rebuilt up top an poorly cleaned. rode it around my neigberhood a couple times still feels strong so i guess we will see what happens from here out if it comes apart ill report back after i go threw it an tell you guys what it was hopefuly i wont be doing so tho lol. thanks for the help everyone

[Thumpin440ex]

I can not believe the oil pump is still working with that kinda slop in the system..



John

[chargerlover]

Originally posted by Thumpin440ex
I can not believe the oil pump is still working with that kinda slop in the system..


John


lol i was thinkin the same thing u should have seen the clump that came out of the oil tank drain plug it was lil bigger then a gum ball...things a trooper fersure

[xX-Clutch-Xx]

welp, sorry to say but crap plastics=beat the hell out of, bad shape of bottom of a arms=ridden like hell, and metal shavings= he was mantainence impaired, i think he conned you

[chargerlover]

Originally posted by xX-Clutch-Xx
welp, sorry to say but crap plastics=beat the hell out of, bad shape of bottom of a arms=ridden like hell, and metal shavings= he was mantainence impaired, i think he conned you

well i traded a sand rail for it that i payed $1000 for an put $300 into it still needed atleast 1000 to drive it an the quad has new nurfs new itp holeshots itp c series 6 wheels full procircut exhaust k&n intake dg bumper tag bars.so i think it was a fair trade if it does blow up i want faster anyways i went an looked at a polaris 500 today till i convinced myself i can make the 400 what i want it to be lol

[xX-Clutch-Xx]

you can make a 400ex fast enough, 11:1 compression piston, stage 2 hotcam, play with your gearing, and maybe a port and polish and im sure youll be happy and itll still be pretty reliable as long as you change the oil and adjust the valves < lol thats a biggie

[chargerlover]

how often are we supposed to change oil an check valves on 400s

[CJM]

I check valves every 40-50 hours and oil every 25.

[chargerlover]

oh i keep hearing people say they change it after everyride an stuff..guess their just anal.i have to change my plug every ride since im so Damn rich

[CJM]

Originally posted by chargerlover
oh i keep hearing people say they change it after everyride an stuff..guess their just anal.i have to change my plug every ride since im so Damn rich

Drop the jetting lower lol.

I ride VERY hard and usually all 5-9 hours when i go out. A bore usually lasts 2-3 years at best. I change my oil every 3-4 rides and like I said I check my valves every 40-50. Im anal but not that anal lol.

[chargerlover]

lol im scared of carbs

[dxcody]

if you pop the right case cover off, check the little screen in the bottom end too, on the very bottom of the case just to make sure you get all those metal shaving out of it also. Its a 10mm on the bottom of the case.

Does it have any incorrect bolts in the head? They COULD have drilled and tapped a few bolt holes with the head still on the motor and they dropped down the timing chain hole or something, but thats an awfully large amount of metal for just a couple tapped holes.

Check your camshaft for wear also, (i am going through this right now actually) if they rebuilt it and didnt loctite those cam sprocket bolts on and the sprocket came off while the previous owner was riding, it could have shaved all kinds of metal into the bottom end and he may not have flushed it out afterwords.

[chargerlover]

lol im scared of carbs

[dxcody]

mee too to a point actually, so many little springs and crap everywhere!

[chargerlover]

theirs two stripped valve cover bolts wonder if he tried tapping one of them oil comes out of the front one when its reved high enough lol..im gana strip it all down sometime this winter

[mudder67]

Where is this oil screen located at and how do I get it out I would like to check mine also.

[CJM]

Originally posted by mudder67
Where is this oil screen located at and how do I get it out I would like to check mine also.

There are 2 different ones:
1. One you see pictured in this thread is of the lower bolt on the oil tank. Theres a screen there if you remove the lower bolt with the line connected to it.

2. Theres another one internally by the oil pump inside the clutch side case.

[dxcody]

i have to pull my clutch cover off tonight to replace the clutch arm spring.. i can take pics of the oil screen inside the motor if you want.

[mudder67]

I would really appreciate it. I'm still getting used to my 400ex

[chargerlover]

well i wnt on a 4 hour ride the other day rode pretty damn hard. she still runs good lol. next day off im draining my oil again an changing my filter then after that ill change them after every 3 or 4 rides. shes leaking gas fromt the bottom of the carb tho idk where my hole garage smells like gas tho

[CJM]

Could be a stuck float, could be one of the seals (theres one on the nut on the bowl and one on the bowl itself), could also be one of the lines (which does mean floats getting stuck).

Id start by verifying where its coming from.