250sx question

[85ytz250nj]

i was looking at my 85 250sx earlier and i was playing with the kicker lever. now i think i know what the problem is but i just want to make sure. when you move the kicker with your hand, it doesnt have any compression and theres a wierd "clicking" noice comming from where the lever is. every once in a while if grabs compression but wont hold it if you push down hard. is the piston ring blown? or is there a differant problem at hand?

[hondaracer11]

sounds like you need new rings i would get your compression tested

[ChrisD]

it sounds like your kick starter gear is stripped and is slipping. Does the bike run? You can bump start it if the electric starter doesn't work either. I doubt it's rings as you describe it.

[85ytz250nj]

well heres the thing, i WOULD have tried to start it but i ren into three problems. 1) the key and key hole are cut off. 2) theres no battery and 3) 1 of the rear tires are flat. the valve stem is in the tire somewhere. i thought the kick lever was stripped but why will is sometimes get compression and other times more freely? you can move the lever probably 15 times and out of that only once (1) will it actually stop like theres compression. if the lever is stripped, how and what will i have to do to fix it?

[87250es]

it sounds like your kick starter gear is stripped and is slipping. Does the bike run? You can bump start it if the electric starter doesn't work either. I doubt it's rings as you describe it.

chris is correct, i am 99.99% sure it is the starter gear. if it was the rings there would be no way that it would just gain compression every 15th kick. the only other thing it could be would be that the ex valve is getting stuck open and every once in a while it frees up and you get a good kick. take your jumper cables and hook them up to the battery leads or hook the ground up solid and then bump the pos post on the starter to see if it will spin over and sound right. if it does then you know all you need to do is to keep a hot battery so you do not have to use the kickstarter.

[ChrisD]

The chances are that you are faintly grabbing one of the remaining teeth on the gear, only to have it slip when you put pressure on it. I had a KX that had that problem.

If the key is on the "ON"position, I would fix the tires and try to bump start it.

You will have to do motor surgery to fix the gear.

[87250es]

i am sorry, i missed the part about the key being broken, so you cannot connect the jumper cables to the battery leads you would have to hook them directly up to the starter. it will not start but it will spin over.

[Tri-ZNate]

you dont need the key there to start it. there should be 4 wires going to where the key switch should be a black, green, red and blue, hook red and blue together, now your key is on. Its hard to bump start a SX because inorder for it to start running you have to get it back to neutral, remeber that when your going down the road in gear and it wont start. Just hook the wires together like I said if they are there then jumper cable it.

[85ytz250nj]

so hook the possitive to the starter and the negative just ground out to where? i think its about to rain by me so this will have to wait till tomorrow. where can i purchase gears for the kick starter? i probably wont use it much, but if my battery dies in a trail, it would be nice to know the kicker works.

[87250es]

you can just hook the ground to the frame or to the ground on the battery lead

[85ytz250nj]

250sxwheeliepop: sorry i didnt see your replay before i reposted. must have dont it before i got done typing. so hooking up those wires should give power to the neutral/reverse allowing my to get it into neutral. than do the jumper cable bit right?

[Tri-ZNate]

wrap those wires together, put it in neutral, then hook jumper cables to each battery lead.

[85ytz250nj]

after doing all that the trike will start and ill be abe to hear if there is a problem with the piston. if there isnt than i guess its just the gears in the kick starter. but where would i be able to buy one of those to replace the broken one?

[87250es]

i think your best bet would be to get some off of ebay.

[Dirtcrasher]

Most likely the one way clutch is bad. It will allow it to grab once in awhile or slip and click any other time.

Not bad rings
Not bad kicker gears - never seen an SX with bad kicker gears
Get the starter working and screw the kicker

[ChrisD]

you can bump start it, you hold the shifter up with you foot as though you were going to shift for 6th and push it. Once you get up enough speed you let it kick into gear by lowering your foot. It will pop it into gear and turn the motor over. My SX does not have this problem, but my freind's big red did years back and we used to bump start it all the time.

Dirtcrasher is correct. I should have been more specific. It is the ratchet gear on the kickstarter shaft.

[88 Turbo Coupe]

Get a shop manual!!!

[85ytz250nj]

Dirtcrasher is correct. I should have been more specific. It is the ratchet gear on the kickstarter shaft.

i have no idea i havnt taken it apart yet to look into it all i know is when you go to kick it it only catches compression once in a while. im restoring the bike so everything will rebuilt or as new as i can find, but a back-up way to start your bike i think comes in handy. plu with my luck ill be stuck in a mud hole wishing i fixed the kicker!!:naughty: