'85 Honda 250sx, ticking in top end?

[estranged]

hello everyone,, first post,,great forum here,, and man oh man some sweet looking 3 wheelers on here,, trike was what i learned to ride on when i was 6 years old, starting on 185s,,have not been on 3 wheels for 14 years when that 185s finally died when i was 14. (Still sitting right where it was last parked),, Been craving 3 wheels ever since,,

Picked up a 85 250sx two days ago,, when i went to see it,, it started up with just a touch of the elec, start,, idles nice, plastics nice, little dent in gas tank,, anyways,, after i got it home and have now rode it twice now, for about 20 minutes each time,, after it is warmed up it has a ticking noise in the top end,, are these machines known for just having some top end noise?

I am going to give it a servicing today, change oils, valve clearence, air filter, you know, etc., etc.,

anyways, the ticking, is that
1) bent valve?
2) valve clearance?
3) cam chain tensioner?
4) just some noise? :)
5) something else i could check?

Did i make a mistake and buy an engine about to blow up?
it only does it after warmed up, after like 20minutes running,,
does not seem to get worse as it gets hotter tho,,
Thanks for any help you could give,,

Oh ya one more thing,, what kind of oil filter do these take,, i downloaded manual, but it does not tell me what kind of filter??
thanks again,, sorry bout the long winded post,, just excitied to start hitting the trails again on 3 wheels instead of 4,,:TrikesOwn

[Dirtcrasher]

Should be fairly silent.

Start by checking the oil and changing the filter, then adjust the valves cold at TDC to spec. I'd also warm it up and crack the bolt at the oil delivery tube on the head, a fair amount of oil showed flow out easily.

If that doesn't take care of it, you'll have to tear it down and inspect the cam and journals and usually the timing chain and guides need replacing. By taking the valve cover off you can get a pretty good idea of how things are up there.

The cam chain tensioner is automatic but can only take up so much slop.

[estranged]

ok,, will do thanks dirtcrasher,,

umm,, as for oil filter,, do i have to get one from a honda dealership?
or is there a commercially made one like by fram, or quaker state or something that would fit? i gotta change the oil, cause looks like some fuel in there,, hope was just flooded a couple times, oil thinned and now making noise,, but i guess i will soon see,, :)

[MonroeMike]

Welcome to here. I think your the 3rd new member with 250sx in about a week or so. Don't forget pics.

[Tri-ZNate]

umm,, as for oil filter,, do i have to get one from a honda dealership?
or is there a commercially made one like by fram, or quaker state or something that would fit?

Walk into NAPA, AUTOZONE, or any atv shop and ask. Its the same for the SX,ES, 350x, 400ex, ect so most atv shops have the filter on the shelf

9 times out of 10 a tick in the top end is just the valves needing to be adjusted

[dz]

Yea, try adjusting the valves first. My buddy's 400ex made a ticking noise only after warmed up and it was his cam chain. Went away when a new one was put in.

[estranged]

ok, will just go to honda shop and get one,,always wanted an sx,, buddy had a mint one when younger,and i had to ride 'pos' 185s with various parts from other trikes, motorcyles, and quads holding it together,, oh how i envied that 250sx,, :)

changed oil,(not filter) and cleaned out fuel strainer, and airbox,,breather tube etc,adjusted the clutch, and took it for another ride,,

now i got either fuel or air probs,, hit the throttle and it hesitates and bogs,, get going in 5th gear for a bit and starts to bog and die,was running out of time and had to be some where, but seemed to run better with gas tank cap cracked open,, strange,, i did'nt really touch nothing and it never did this the first two times i rode it,,hoping not to have to take carb off,,

did not have time to adjust valve clearence, and looks like i need to get a wrench with a 90 degree bend,, still starts ticking as it warms up,,if it is the cam chain tensioner,, do i have to take off the head to change it??

but anways now that i found this forum,, some searching and reading and some help here and there from the people on it, and hopefully it'll be running top-notch in no time,,

once i figure out how,, will post couple pics,, :)

[dz]

I was referring to the actual cam chain, not the tensioner. Not sure on the sx, but I think the tensioner is right on the back of the cylinder towards the carb. To do the cam chain you need a flywheel puller and pull the side cover off and remove the valve cover and tensioner to change the chain. If it is the chain, don't skimp as your timing can jump (had it happen) and mess a whole lot of things up lol.

[estranged]

oh ok, thanks dz,, how can i tell if the chain is stretched or not,, i know i can see it with valve adjusting covers off,, should it be tight and no play at all or some play ok,,

and here's some pics, right after got home with it,,
both brakes on the bars dont work,, just pedal,, did notice today that the kick start will slip after about 3 kicks,before air/fuel prob it only took one kick,, but the electric start works like a dream, small tear in seat,, hole in tire took 3 plugs,, but just bought carlisle strykers for the back,, , hopefully thats it, and hopefully ticking is not ticking like a time bomb,:wondering , cause man i love riding this trike, its like i am right back to 3 wheels after so many years being on four,,i thought it would take a bit,, but nope,, :)

[dz]

Thats a pretty nice looking SX. The chain should be relatively tight. Been awhile since I did one though. My buddys sx kickstarter was always wonky. Take your time with her, she'll be a beauty in no time.

[MonroeMike]

I think it's a nice bike also. As far as the kicker problem, search for "250sx kicker", there's some threads about it.

Here's one http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/showthread.php?t=77637&highlight=250sx+kicker

[rzsox05]

My '85 sx makes a ticking noise all the time, warm or cold, worse when warm though, it's in rough shape and have not addressed the noise. The kick start slips when used and then you hear another ticking noise from the kick start. As long as the electric start keep working I'll just leave that as is. Motor seems to run fine, but I'm sure the "noise" will be a problem eventually. If the rest of the bike wasn't so rough..well.......... It's still a blast to ride.