Wow, did i just blow up my 250sx?

[k00leo]

Please delete . Problem solved. Thanks for all the help guys.

[SUPERBEAST]

sounds like its toast to me, if its easy to kick down then you've lost all compression

[k00leo]

i wouldnt say its that easy. It feels about the same as it was when it was running perfectly

[Dirtcrasher]

Tick, tick, tick then stop? Sounds like something in the top end seized; Maybe the cam? Was the oil 100% full??

I'd rather seize a piston that jam up a cam. Then you need a head/cam/ and probably some rocker arms. Maybe just the cam chain tensioner let loose, cam jumped a tooth etc. Does not happen very often.

Whats most important is "was the oil full"..........Unless it's been apart, I can't see it falling apart/loose unless it's been touched recently.

[CRAZY70MAN]

Driving along, heard A LOT of ticking in the top end, lost power and came to a stop. I couldn't push the kick starter down and when i pushed the electric start button all it did was kind of click... not the same kind of click you would hear if the battery was dead.

Towed it back to the house, took the gas tank off, along with the sparkplug. I sprayed a bunch of PB BLASTER down in the sparkplug hole in hopes of freeing up the piston. Next thing i know, the kick start is easy as pie to kick down. **EDIT** Not easy as pie as in i have lost compression, easy as pie as in, its not my 350x which can be a mule to kick.** Looks like i freed the piston up, right?

Now i try to start it up with the electric start and it seems its turning over but it wont actually start.

Could all the PB BLASTER that i sprayed down the sparkplug hole cause the 250sx not to spark? Where do i check if i have a spark? If i look down the sparkplug hole and press the electric start should i see a spark?

If spark is not a problem, what would cause the bike not to start now?

hopefully i didnt melt or blow up the piston.....


Any advise would be great.

First........the spark plug is where your spark is that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder. Take the plug out, leave it connected to the wire and cap as it was when it is running. You want to ground it or place it against the cylinder making sure it is touching at bottom of spark plug. It should then spark whether it is kicked or electric start is used. Try a new plug,you may have fouled it with the blaster.

[Vealmonkey]

Almost sounds like you cold seized your engine, but this happened in a 4 stroke engine, right? It it more common to happen in 2 strokes in cold weather as the cold dense air actually causes a lean condition. But it sure sounds awfully similar.

[k00leo]

Tick, tick, tick then stop? Sounds like something in the top end seized; Maybe the cam? Was the oil 100% full??

I'd rather seize a piston that jam up a cam. Then you need a head/cam/ and probably some rocker arms. Maybe just the cam chain tensioner let loose, cam jumped a tooth etc. Does not happen very often.

Whats most important is "was the oil full"..........Unless it's been apart, I can't see it falling apart/loose unless it's been touched recently.

There was oil in the bike, though i do not know how much. There should have been enough to keep the top end lubed up though.

[k00leo]

I just checked, the bike does seem like it has spark.

Could all the PB BLASTER that i sprayed down there be wetting the plug everytime i try to start the bike? should i take the plug out and let the inside of the motor dry out a bit?

[TheRealFatShady]

PB won't ignite, but it should get flushed out via the exhaust as you try to start it and the engine turns over.....try carb spray into the cylinder via plug hole or the carb, that should always ignite. May have jumped time also as Dirtcrasher mentioned.

My 250sx has a god-awful top end noise, I believe it to be the timing chain + guide and/or valves. It has seized 3 times, all from gas getting into the bottom end and mixing with the oil (completely overfilled). See if your oil is full of gas, it will have a LOT in in, and feel watery as opposed to regular oil.

My SX still runs to this day.

[k00leo]

What have you done in the past to un-seize your engine?

Maybe i have the same problem.

[k00leo]

wow.... what the hell.


I just tried to drain the oil to see if there was any gas in the oil.................. My Oil drain screw is not there........ so all the oil in the bike drained out and probably fried the motor.....

[cosmohawk]

Well...there you go champ...you ran her dry of oil...good stuff!

Get a drain bolt...fill it up with fresh stuff...check your oil filter for metal bits...if it's clean (no shiny stuff)...try to get it fired up, and listen for more bad mechanical sounds.

From what I can tell so far, you might have tested the motor to it's breaking-point.

[k00leo]

I just checked to see if there was any metal chunks, shavings, or debris in the oil filter. There is none, so there is a little good news.

[k00leo]

does anyone know what thread size the oil drain plug is?

[Pafrig]

well, there probolay wont be any stuff in the filter, because there was no oil to carry it there.

[yooperman]

if it was me i would probally tear it down and check every thing out. because if the oil plug is gone who knows how long it was ran dry and how hard it was ridden with out oil. and if it seized up there may be cylinder damage even though there is spark and some compression in all. which could to lead to more issues. that just my opinion on what i would do in that situation, opinion that is all

[hillbilly 200x]

Could have been in the filter befor the oil got dumped out. Go to the dealer for a drain plug or try ebay put some new oil it. Its a honda it should fire back up and run for ather 20year. lol

[Dirtcrasher]

You really ran the prick that ,low on oil or dry?? BAD trike owner BAD!!

[swifty]

pry toasted the cam/ head rockers real bad could try reseting the valve lash even .001 to tight it wont start, im sure the whole top end is junk but you might get it to restart,if you do it will have a new name...OLD SMOKEEEEEEEE ! rattler

[k00leo]

im going to go to lowes tomorrow and see if i can find a replacement plug.

when i took the oil filter out to check for metal shards, there was still a good bit of oil in there.

I dont know why.... but i seem confident that it will start back up....


Dirtcrasher, of course i wouldn't purposely run the bike dry... I put some oil in the bike two weeks ago. The drain plug must have come loose and fallen out.

[bugler30]

have access to a parts sx motor, I'm fairly sure it has a good head/valve cover. Jug I'm sure is rusted up as the motor has been sitting outside with no spark plug for a few years now. send me a PM if you end up needing a topend and we'll see if we can work something out.

[Xfile]

There was oil in the bike, though i do not know how much. There should have been enough to keep the top end lubed up though.

Pre-ride check list?....it's in the owners manual. I don't do it all every ride, but I cover the basics. Checking the oil is a big one.

[k00leo]

It fell out while i was riding, a pre-ride check would have done nothing. I was riding for a good hour before it locked up.

[whipit]

the first thing to overheat and die will be your cam journals in the head. If it got so hot it locked up, there is probably considerable damage. dont assume the piston locked up, either. The part that kept your motor from turning was more likely the cam which momentarily seized in the head....then cooled off enough to spin again.

[Xfile]

It fell out while i was riding, a pre-ride check would have done nothing. I was riding for a good hour before it locked up.
Usually fasteners and bolts are loose before they fall out....not saying this would have saved you, but keeping a close eye on the engines oil level is important. If the plug was loose...you may have noticed the engines oil level dropping before it actually fell out completely and started searching for a cause. Thats why I check the oil before every ride. Anyway, the main thing now is getting it back up and running....I guess it does't matter how it happened.

[ATCrider42]

Well you must know he's not keen on checking his oil when even after he thinks he blew his engine he still didn't check the oil. It wasn't until someone on here suggested he had gas in his oil that he decided to go check it, and then found he had no oil. Word of the wise......"Assume = asses out of u and me"

[k00leo]

The crankcase has a small leak in it. I put oil in to less then two weeks ago. So it has nothing to do with me not being aware of the oil level. I knew that there was enough oil in the motor to keep everything lubricated. I did not know the freaking drain plug was loose as hell. oh well. trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro happens. I will either sell it as a parts bike for 300 bucks or i will buy a new motor to throw in it which i will ensure the damn thing is full of oil and the drain plug is secure.

[cosmohawk]

well, there probolay wont be any stuff in the filter, because there was no oil to carry it there.

Good point! Hahahaha! I thought that maybe leading up to the drain plug falling out...some stuff may have been deposited in the filter. I know when the rocker-box failed on my '85 XR250...there was all kinds of shiny stuff in my filter, and when the con-rod bearing went, the oil glittered like new fallen snow! (Just copper colored)

Not sure on the drain plug size...either order one, or check your local auto-parts store...and don't forget that it's metric.

[k00leo]

I got a new drain plug, filled it up with oil, and the 250sx won't start. it turns over but will not catch to start....

[blue27]

its blown up!, prolly toasted the cam , valves are not opening,and scored the cylinder..so it has low compression. time to pull it apart

[oscarmayer]

i woudl get anotehr motor at this point. the clutch and gearing will also be jacked up. it's not worth trying to fix at this point. sell the motor as parts to soem oen for $60 and go get a good motor.

[Name Brand]

Stop trying to start that engine.
Sounds like you've already done damage to the cam and journals. If the valves are not moving correctly with the piston, the valves will be demolished by the piston (as you're trying to start it...) leaving chunks of valve in the cylinder. These chunks will destroy the cylinder walls and piston. If the piston jams up in the cylinder you can bend/break the connecting rod and crankshaft. Those big parts failing can shatter the engine cases too.

Don't try to start that engine again. Tear apart the top end; inspect the cylinder and piston for damage and fix everything properly.

You either need to fix this trike correctly or get rid of it as you suggested.

[hondamaniac]

if you decide to part it out id be interested in a few things....
hate to hear the bad luck.... thats a serious bummer... did it not feel like there was something wrong with it?? like loss of power etc... had to be some signs... an i agree with Name Brand... just gonna cause more damage if ya keep on trying to start it...
good luck !!!

[k00leo]

Sold it today.