Long story, but some good info to some people. LOL

[dxcody]

So.. I was riding yesterday.

Ran amazing.

All day I rode.. Like literally 4-5 on the machine yesterday.

I don't know if you guys recall that cylinder + piston kit I bought off ebay a while back?

***DON'T BUY THEM!!!***

First off the gaskets they send with it are complete junk... (pretty obvious just by the feel of them) Somehow My valve cover gasket blew out.. Literally it shot out of the back of the valve cover while it was idling.. I even called my buddy over to have him look at it because I was so amazed.

had a spare tusk metal one, so no big deal right?

a day later my 400 just shut off in the middle of a ride and wouldn't start again until it cooled down.
Blown head gasket..
(Yes I saw that coming, I already had ordered a new top end gasket kit, I just didn't expect it to bust quite as fast as it did.)

So, I replace the head gasket..
Start it up and it smoked like a mac truck.

Waited a few minutes and it didn't come out of it..

Ok, so now I am assuming the piston is junk. I mean, 2 or less hours on this thing and it is burning oil, bad.

No Big deal I guess, I found a brand new 85mm wiseco 11:1 on ebay for $65. Ordered it and put it in. Fired it up, BOOM! She lives, purrs like a kitten.

Anyways, back to my story from yesterday..

We rode and when we got done, loaded her up and everything.. Got it home, hit the start button and CLANK CLANK ERRRRR.

I think I will just push it into the garage...

I knew I should have put loc tite on the cam sprocket bolts.. I figured my cam sprocket rattled off.

I take it apart today and guess what I find.. I snapped the cam flange off the cam and twisted the cam sprocket..

How does that even happen!!??

I will post pics if you guys want to see..

I already ordered a new cam, cam sprocket, cam bolts, inspected the head, and bought a new timing chain.. So anyways, I found it kinda funny..

Not "haha" funny, more of the ironic type of funny.

That is my story..

[81dasher81]

wow, thats dang impressive. now who was it that made the first piston? haha

[DragonGunner]

I don't know what you bought off ebay.....can't go wrong with JE or Wiseco though.....sounds like your motor got hot, low on oil or loosing enough oil might of fried your rings so oil was passing.....lucky you ddin't groove anntear up your cylinder wall.....however when your engine gets hot it can stretch your head studs over time an that results in blown head gaskets.......good news is isn;t this the machine you tried to get ready for Ironman...? At least its a Honda an easy to fix.....just stay away from cheap products....?

[dxcody]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-TRX400EX-TRX-400EX-CYLINDER-PISTON-GASKET-TOP-END-KIT-SET-1999-08-/320977460908?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4abbbf5eac&vxp=mtr

That is the exact cylinder kit I bought.

And Yes, this is the same one I went to the ironman with.

That head gasket that comes with it is the head gasket that caused the whole fiasco of me racing the ironman on it! lol

I will never own another piston other than wiseco.

[DragonGunner]

Ya that ebay one doesn't say the maker......u got a piston made in N. Korea.....lol......sorry.


I had a 416 in mine for about a yr. back around 2002, I did a oil change and for some reason took off the oil outlets on the engine case at the oil pump....when I put back on I forgot to tighten those bolts.....during a 45 min XC type race that bolt came out.....just as I got up by the pits my quad stop, started up an died again. I looked down an my boot was black with oil, I had lost all my oil an the sensor shut off my machine but too late. The JE 10.5:1 had toasted itself into the cylinder.....still got the piston an melted rings stuck in it....lol. I think that was the only race I ever DNF. Any my race buddy's came in an said they had seen oil in the grass track and knew someone was in trouble.....was told I left a trail over a half mile!
Bored it out to a 426 with a Wiseco 11:1 an ran 100 octane aviation fuel for the next 4 yrs. When i tore that down after a zillion hard hrs. the piston had a light rusty brown color an it and the cylinder looked like new.

[CJM]

Lost my swingarm nut one day, put a spare beat up one I had on it with blue loctite and it was looseafter yesterdays ride. Ordered new one, hopefully its just the nut.

Sucks about your quad cody. But thats why I REFUSE to buy cheap junk on ebay alot of the time. Betcha it was a namura piston btw.

[Stickman400]

Man that sucks to hear your luck Cody. Isn't it you that had something go wrong in the top end awhile back? Dropped a valve if I recall. Idk, maybe that was someone else, but you should deff. know the inside of the 400 motor like the back of your hand by know, lol. I've had a few dumb moment like that on both my quads where I forgot to tighten a bolt or something, but I got lucky so far and I realized it before I did any damage. I always look my quad over when we stop on a ride and constantly look down at my feet and the engine if I even THINK I hear a weird noise or if something just doesn't "feel" right.

A few weeks ago I changed the oil on the 450 to get the water out after that run from the cops that I posted awhile back and I changed the oil filter and just hand tightened the 2 cover bolts and then took off without remembering to tighten them fully. I got lucky and they stayed in the entire time and I only went for a 4 or 5 mintue ride down the road and back and hadn't lost alot of oil. That was deff. a "D 'oh!" moment.

[CJM]

The hotcam noise on these things still scares me lol. Sounds like a dang sewing machine.

[dxcody]

I have had multiple engine failures.. A lot due to my mistakes but the cam flange breaking off was just sh*t for luck I guess.. lol

I have dropped a valve..

One of my clutch bolts came loose one time and basically shattered the entire right side of my motor..

uhmm.. I had the cam sprocket fall off once and eat the inside of my head/valve cover alive..

Broke a rocker arm.

I have broke a lot of stuff..

But I have also learned a lot.. By now I think I could have went to college to do this and spent less money, but oh well.. All in all, I am not that upset.. I ordered all my parts today, so I should be riding again by the weekend, maybe early next week at the latest.

Man We went riding yesterday like I said, and you can deff tell that I have only rode 2 times for months..

Ironman and yesterday is the only times I have rode since about May or so. AND BOY AM I SORE! LOL

We made a 6-7 mile practice XC track at my buddies and it is the roughest track ever.

But we purposely did that.. We get used to taking an absolute beating, and then we go to local races and it will feel smooth.

[CJM]

Surprisingly I wasnt sore after I rode all out yesterday. And I havent ridden in a good 2 months.

It was mostly flat and sand tho.

[01boneless]

soory to hear man...but please post some pics :devil:

[dxcody]

Alright. I will go out and take a few pictures..

Prepare to be amazed!

LOL

[dxcody]

Here this is..

I haven't takin the case cover off yet to get the other piece of the sprocket out.

[Stickman400]

Wow, are you one of those kids that can bend a crowbar in a sand box like me? lol, That flange must have been severely weakend to have snapped like that from just the starter, unless your starter is a BEAST, lol. I'm not trying to be an *** or anything but that just seems like something that would happen to me.

[dxcody]

Originally posted by Stickman400
Wow, are you one of those kids that can bend a crowbar in a sand box like me? lol,

No one had ever described me better..

LOL

Yeah, I can flat break some stuff!

[CJM]

DAYUM!

[ford5000]

CJM, I also have a hotcam fitted and have been riding with it for a year now and that noise still bugs me, the guy that installed it told me not to worry but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.

Check out the link below to see myself(400EX) and a buddy(LTR and blaster) playing around on our farm in South Africa. I have about 35 km (22miles) of track on our farm consisting of sand and two short rock sections and my neighbour has about 55km (35miles) of track consisting of sand, rutted mountain roads, rocks and a mudhole or two.

My Track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJASmnlteQ

Neighbours track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMZMi_VxRH0

[CJM]

Very cool ford5000.

The noise has always bothered me, but after hundreds of hours with no issues I just leave it be.