So this 250R came in to school today..

[Jay300ex]

We got another 250R up at school today I have to work on. It's an 88 everything looks stock.

The kid said that he was riding it, ran it dry on gas and it wouldn't start back up. So I figured OK maybe there was some crap in the tank that got into the carb.

Take the carb off, take the bowl off and the float comes off with the bowl. That is not suppose to happen. There was no pinch pin in it!!! Well that explains why it is leaking gas out the overflow. Put a new pin in and cleaned the carb up real good. Wasn't really dirty though. Go to start it. Nothing. Put a spark tester on, NO SPARK!! Took the plug out to kick it over easier using the tester, there wasn't even any gas on the plug. Grr..

I take the front plastix off low and behold, a bunch of ele. taped wires and connectors, all hanging everywhere. Oh boy I hate that! I made sure the connectors were tight and I squeezed the CDI box a little, kicked it over, got a good spark every like 10 kicks. That's not right, but atleast it's something! I take some more electrical tape off and discover the wire that goes from the magneto to the CDI, from the CDI to the coil, they were just twisted together, when I untwisted them half the wires fell on the ground. So I cut them and got some better wire stripped out and put an actual wire nut to see if it helped. One of the connectors I found had a lot of dirt in it and was almost corroded away, but I sprayed it with electric parts cleaner to see if it would clean up a little to spark better. Kicked it over, gave me spark every time. So problem fixed. Now for that carberation!

I knew I had a clean carb. For the bike to run it needs SPARK, FUEL, AIR, COMPRESSION, and TIMING. So I put a compression tester on it, reads 124 lbs. My instructor said it should read about 150. So that's running low, but wouldn't it still have enough vacume to suck air/fuel in? Hmm now I am stumped..

I was sitting there looking at it, like a lot of stumped grease monkeys do. And I said to myself. Dang those tires are pretty darn clean. Now that I think about it, the frame looks like it was JUST painted and not ridden yet. Not to mention half a dozen parts were not tightened, like the muffler, rear brake caliper, even the tie rods were loose. Heck didn't even have brake fluid in the front brakes. To top it off, I just so happened to take a glance down in the spark plug hole, what do I see? A BRAND NEW PISTON, no carbon, no oil on it. Oh, and there is a wicked clean WISECO sticker on the fender. Hmm..

What do I think? He had someone rebuild the motor, poorly. Stripped the entire thing to paint the frame and half azzed it puttin gback together. Now it wont run. I place being a mechanic, is like being a doctor. If someone goes to the doctor, tells him that they don't do drugs, but has the exact problem caused by the drug, that messes with the doctors head and he can't troubleshoot correctly. Grr

What are your guy's thoughts on this? I should offer him $50 for it heh.

Jay

[brokeitin3]

id say 500 maybe

[F-16Guy]

He's obviously already had some really bad luck with it, so why not use your powers for good. Get all the major stuff fixed, get it running right, and suggest that next time he has it rebuilt, to take it to a competent mechanic. It might be easy to weasle it out from under him, but that just doesn't seem right. Not everyone that rides is a mechanic, ya know.;)

[joeroadking]

make sure the piston arrow faces the exhaust, on the wiseco, if you have good spark good compression ,and fuel it should run or at least start.

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by joeroadking
make sure the piston arrow faces the exhaust, on the wiseco, if you have good spark good compression ,and fuel it should run or at least start.

Yea I know about the arrows. I am going to take the head off on monday and check out whats inside there, probably use a can of starting fluid, even though we're not suppose to lol.

It just bothers me that there is NO fuel at all getting to it. I'm sure the real reason for my problem will show up to be right in front of my face.

jay

[Bill Fuller]

Originally posted by F-16Guy
He's obviously already had some really bad luck with it, so why not use your powers for good. Get all the major stuff fixed, get it running right, and suggest that next time he has it rebuilt, to take it to a competent mechanic. It might be easy to weasle it out from under him, but that just doesn't seem right. Not everyone that rides is a mechanic, ya know.;) My thoughts exactly!Help a guy out it's obvious that he needs it,maybe a new ridding partner for you.We all needed some help in the beginning. ;)

[terko440]

Hey Jay, even though youve narrowed it to a fuel problem, and youve noticed the frame has been painted, double check that whoever put it back together took some paint off wherever that bikes grounds are. I realize you said your were already getting good spark but it still might act funny with poor ground. Out!

[Jay300ex]

Yea the ground was the first thing I checked. But I think I will actually take it off and check it on monday.

And I am going to help the kid out, because the more I get these kids to know who I am the better buisness I will get when they find out I am one of the top technicians at the shop here. Besides, I have some good ideas of how to make this thing rock!
Jay

[Doibugu2]

Originally posted by Jay300ex
Yea the ground was the first thing I checked. But I think I will actually take it off and check it on monday.

And I am going to help the kid out, because the more I get these kids to know who I am the better buisness I will get when they find out I am one of the top technicians at the shop here. Besides, I have some good ideas of how to make this thing rock!
Jay

That is a much better response then your first. Take the time to learn something and build up a client base. Then maybe you can start charging people to make some money on the side. Just think how many dirt bikes and quads are around you, and need your Dr.'s touch.

Rule #1 when owning a quad. Always try and help another quad rider out.

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by Doibugu2
That is a much better response then your first. Take the time to learn something and build up a client base. Then maybe you can start charging people to make some money on the side. Just think how many dirt bikes and quads are around you, and need your Dr.'s touch.

Rule #1 when owning a quad. Always try and help another quad rider out.

I didn't mean to have my post make me sound like an arse. I wouldn't try and scam him out of his toy. I know how it all works. The customer is always right.

As it is right now work that I have to do at school I don't get paid for. And that's all good because I am learning up there, my teacher was a motorcycle mechanic and was on the AMA board. I love working on bikes, quads, and sleds. When I get people to start asking me to do stuff on my own time ( which is happening a lot now ) I HAVE to get paid for that, because I just don't have time to do it and not get paid, got to work for money for college :(

It's a fun life though :)

Jay

[250rpilot]

check the reeds!!! if the reeds are not closing all the way, it is possible for the air fuel mixture to be pushed back out of the cylinder. good luck!!

a branb new piston & only 124 lbs of compression ..:confused:

[Jay300ex]

Ok here we go.. The piston was installed correctly, and the reed valves were okay, little old but wouldn't stop it from running.

So okay the outside diagnostics had little sucess, so next step was take the head off. Got that off, and oh gosh! The exhaust side of the cylinder was trashed. The piston rings were seized right in there. SO it needs a new bore. What caused this?? Perhaps low coolant? Drained a little over a liter of it so it had coolant. How about it didn't have premix? Maybe.

But I think it would be safe to say that this kid doesn't know what a break in period is, went down the street 5th WOT and it went. Oh well, his money not mine :)

Thanks for the input guys it's all easy from here.

Jay

Originally posted by Jay300ex
exhaust side of the cylinder was trashed. The piston rings were seized right in there. . What caused this??

Jay
sounds like it may have been running lean

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by "2-R's Rider"
sounds like it may have been running lean

That's a possibility, but it will be properly adjusted this time.

Jay

[TRX300X]

Chances are he had the rings installed incorrectly. On some pistons there's a pin in the ring groove to set the rings in facing a certain way. If the pin is not lined up with the gap it can cause the ring to gouge the cylinder in a particular spot. like a ring end over the exhaust port. The ring end can catch and rip the $hit out of it.

[Bill Fuller]

Originally posted by Jay300ex
That's a possibility, but it will be properly adjusted this time.

Jay Way to go Jay!Sounds like he's in good hands.Keep us posted.

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by TRX300X
Chances are he had the rings installed incorrectly. On some pistons there's a pin in the ring groove to set the rings in facing a certain way. If the pin is not lined up with the gap it can cause the ring to gouge the cylinder in a particular spot. like a ring end over the exhaust port. The ring end can catch and rip the $hit out of it.

That's a good thing to consider. The rings are fried right in the groove, and I can see they were installed correct, they are right on the nock pins like they are suppose to be. And to be even more correct, pretty much ALL 2 cycle pistons have that pin, because they do not have an oil control ring, just compression rings.

Jay

[Jay300ex]

Originally posted by Bill Fuller
Way to go Jay!Sounds like he's in good hands.Keep us posted.

THANKS! I am aiming for a career here so I am trying my best.

The next thing I am rebuilding is a XR200R that is whooped. Parts list is $500 right now, this thing is going to rip ( it is goin to be GOOD parts )

Jay

Originally posted by Jay300ex
The rings are fried right in the groove,.
Jay ;)