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Thread: 350x help!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Michigan
    --
    89

    350x help!

    ok I figured I would post my problem on here and see what everyone thinks the problem is. I have a 350x that was recently rebuilt with new valves, seals, cam chain, piston and rings. After getting rebuilt it ran great with no smoke and started very easy. Yesterday I was riding and ripping around a sand pit when all of a sudden I gave it some throttle and it started smoking like crazy. I did break it in when I had it rebuilt so its not like I took it out there with a fresh rebuild and opened it up. The guy that rebuilt my motor had to take the top end off a couple times for different problems that kept arising during the rebuild and we kept on using the same head gasket. Once the bike starting smoking I shut it off right away and noticed that around the head gasket, it was wet with oil. The question I am wondering about is whether you think that sounds like I blew a head gasket or does it sound like a ring problem? I would think that if it was a ring problem it would gradually start smoking and get worse the more you rode it. This didnt happen like that. It was running good one moment and then I gave it some gas and it started smoking bad right away. It didnt make any noise when this happened so I dont think anything broke. The engine still runs strong but now it smokes so bad that oil is coming out the exhaust. I was thinking that maybe the head gasket from being taken off and put back on a few times might be bad.

    Please let me know what you think the problem might be.
    1985 350x
    1986 200x
    1984 200s (girlfriends)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    NEPA
    --
    7,049
    Sounds like somewhere from the head gasket up. Tear into it,and do it right this time!!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NW, IND.
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    842
    Did you put too much oil in it? Ring(s) could be cracked, do a compression check.
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Michigan
    --
    89
    I did it right the first time except that problems occured that we had to remove the head right after installing a brand new head gasket. I can only think it is head gasket or rings. Everything else has been replaced.
    1985 350x
    1986 200x
    1984 200s (girlfriends)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Baltimore, MD
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    6,088
    honda200xatc, just a little observation here. If you ask boardmembers for help, listen to what they reply to you about. Don't defend what you did. If it was done right the first time, your top end wouldn't have needed to come apart again. You very well may have a bad head gasket or any of the oil rings that seal the head to the cylinder. I see time and again people ask others for help, and they mainly just go about defending their actions of what they did or already have an idea locked into thier minds as to what the problem is. I hope during your rebuild, you used a honda shop manual. Many times during rebuilds, no shop manual is used and people don't use proper torque values during re-assembly. Also, I'm not sure how you broke your engine in or if you went to the trouble of checking or re-checking your torque values. I hope your problem isn't something major. I would highly suggest taking the head and cylinder apart again and using new top end gaskets and o-rings and such. Best of luck getting your trike back to it's smoke free status. Let us know what you find upon teardown.
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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Michigan
    --
    89
    I know I should have bought another head gasket and not use one thats been on and off a few different times. I didnt know whether that would make the head gasket go bad or not. As far as defending what I did, I know I used it multiple times but when someone writes "Tear into it,and do it right this time!!!" Might as well not write anything at all. The Honda manual was used during rebuild and torque wrenches were used to make sure everything was to spec. Mainly what I am wanting to know is that, "Has anyone ever had the head gasket go bad like that?"
    1985 350x
    1986 200x
    1984 200s (girlfriends)

  7. #7
    acidburn is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Cornwall
    --
    344
    is it a copper re-usable or one of those other matherial gaskets? that could solve a million questions alone

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Michigan
    --
    89
    it is one of the copper gaskets that have multiple layers. Is one better than another?
    1985 350x
    1986 200x
    1984 200s (girlfriends)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    --
    842
    hey, head gaskets don't make them burn oil. broken ring or bad valve guide/seal.
    one cylinder is not enough!!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Michigan
    --
    89
    hopefully its not either of those problems. I just recently purchased new valve seals and rings. What would make the ring break just out of the blue? I have broke in the motor for a while. The day I was riding it, I had ridden for about 15 minutes when it just started smoking. It still runs good but just pours out the smoke so much that no one can stand to be behind me. I will be tearing it down probably sometime this week to see whats going on. I ordered a brand new complete gasket set so everything will be new and hopefully I wont have it leaking out on the outside of the motor.
    1985 350x
    1986 200x
    1984 200s (girlfriends)

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