left scratching my head again

[Leepol]

Hey guys I am looking for some advice with this trike,it is a 82 Kawasaki KLT 250,so the problem I am having is this:around Christmas time it lost all compression on me for the second time since I have owned it.I have had this trike since the summer,the first time I lost compression my brother and I checked the valve clearances on it and the clearance was too small so we opened them up to what the book said was right and did a compression test we got 150 psi on the tests.Now I rode it up until December when one night it died on me in the yard and it has not run since then,I did the test again and only 30 psi so I put some oil down the cylinder and it the reading shot up quite a lot to like 90 psi if I remember right,so I figured it was the rings.I ordered new rings and gaskets for it and put them in,when I put the rings in I made sure that the gaps were where they are supposed to be,then I got my dad to help me with the valve timing and everything and it lined up right,so whats the problem?well it is still only reading 30 psi and when I put the oil in it goes up to 90 or so again.Everything I have read on this points to the rings I think,but it has new ones in it.Is it possible that I overlooked something on this thing like mabey the cyclinder is worn out too much or something?.I never changed the valves because I thought it was just the rings that were worn out,but I do remember that there was a lot of ticking coming from the valves,I am not very experiencied in these kinds of things so I usually ask for help.Should I just order new gaskets and all the parts for the valves and the spring compressor tool or is there something I can do to make it go again?I am thinking new valves and everything but I am not sure,Spring is coming soon and it will be a real bummer if I can't ride this thing.Sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure that I got the whole history of what has happened here,thanks alot.

[dizasterzrfun69]

i dont mean to sound like an ass but did you put new gaskets in it?

[Erics350x]

did you check the piston clearance? did you make sure the ring grooves where turned away from one another? when you checked the compression did you hold the throttle wide open?

[Leepol]

i dont mean to sound like an ass but did you put new gaskets in it?
you don't sound like an ass at all,yes I did put new gaskets in it,a new head gasket and a new base gasket also and I torqued all the head bolts down to what the book said to do also.

[Leepol]

did you check the piston clearance? did you make sure the ring grooves where turned away from one another? when you checked the compression did you hold the throttle wide open?
I did make sure I put the ends away from one another and yes when I did the test I made sure that I held the throttle wide open,the only thing I never did check was the piston to cylinder clearance because I did not have the micrometer or the dial bore gauge to do the measurements with so mabey that is where I messed it up then huh?Should I just get those two tools and new gaskets and do it again then?I am sort of new at this but I didn't think it would matter mostly because my dad and brother said it would be ok,but it's not really a big deal I suppose,it'll just be in the shed for a bit longer that's all.I don't know if it really matters but when I tried to start today it did pop a bit out of the carb and gas shoots out of it,not a lot but enough that I can see it coming out.

[team-red-rider]

if i were you id either
A get a new gauge LOL
B try and start it...it cant hurt anything

[Leepol]

if i were you id either
A get a new gauge LOL
B try and start it...it cant hurt anything
I started to laugh when I read your reply red because I had the same thought about the gauge lol,I'm going to try to start it again tommorrow because I drained the battery today trying to do it but it was almost dead from the last time I tried it so tommorrow it will be all charged up thanks again guys

[Vealmonkey]

As for piston to valve clearance, you don't have to have the fancy gauge or anything. Just put some silly putty or play dough on the top of the cylinder, torque everything down to spec and slowly kick it over. Take the top end off again and measure from the top of your cylinder head to the indentation of your putty. Don't use a ton of putty just a nice small glob. Also when you have the head off, turn it upside down and pour water into it. If the water leaks past the valves, that is where your problem could be. If the valves don't seal right, that will cause you to lose compression too. It could be as simple as removing your valves and relapping them in or as costly as a new valve, valve seats and valve guides. If you've never done valve guides, have them done by a shop when you have your valve seats and new valves done if you need that. Get them all done at the same time. Hope that helps.

[whipit]

does this machine have a manual or automatic comprtession realease that may be hanging up due to a bad cable or something?

[Leepol]

Hey Vealmonkey that sounds like a good idea with the silly putty,I am going to try the water idea this weekend,I thought about trying it with a thin oil but I think water would tell me if the valves are leaking quicker than oil would huh?and whip-it no I don't believe that this one has a compression release at all on it,it's kind of a bummer because it only has electric start on it no kicker or pull cord on it at all why they did that is a mystery to me although I guess I could always try to tow it or get a couple of my buddies to push me for a bit,thanks alot for all the ideas guys I'll get back to you on this one,I'm going to try it again this afternoon hopefully I'll get it going soon.

[Leepol]

Hey Guys just wanted to let you know that I got it to start today and I took for a little test ride up and down my street,now all that is left is to put the rear fender back on and all the other parts and I'll be ready to ride again thanks again for all the ideas,it is much appreciated.