Cannot post in the technical page - need some advice!

[Pierce1989]

Hello, I've posted in here before and cannot start a thread elsewhere. Looking for some advice! My 1981 ATC 200 would ride for a while, suddenly die, but would start right up again then die a few feet later. It was suggested that oil may not be getting to the head and the piston would seize when hot. This was absolutely true. Didn't think to check it because I had just changed the oil but it leaked out the drainplug. So I put new oil/drainplug on the trike and now have oil spitting out the valve holes when the covers removed which is great. I got it started, it idled for about 5 minutes, then suddenly died. When idling, white smoke was coming out and it smelled awful like something was burning. I could start it up again, idle, then dies again. Now it won't start at all. Pulled plug, it has soot but is dry and extremely hot (hotter than any other plug if that means anything). I have gas coming through the float bowl. I am going to do valve adjustment and check timing on Thursday. Has anyone else experienced this and could give some guidance? I think it's more major than the usual carb/spark/ect problems. I really appreciate it!

[El Camexican]

Sounds like you are at the point of needing a competent mechanic to look over your machine. If you seized your engine due to a lack of oil it likely needs a complete overhaul.

FYI, once you have posted 20 times and been a member for a couple months you should be able to post in the rest of the site.

[Pierce1989]

Sounds like you are at the point of needing a competent mechanic to look over your machine. If you seized your engine due to a lack of oil it likely needs a complete overhaul.

FYI, once you have posted 20 times and been a member for a couple months you should be able to post in the rest of the site.

Thank you, I am not positive it was seizing due to that. It is not seized and was running yesterday. That was just a suggestion about why it was cutting off. People always say take it to a mechanic, but I will never learn anything new if I always take it to someone else. Does anyone have any more advice about why I'm having this issue?

[yaegerb]

Borrow/Buy/Use your own compression tester and get a baseline (remember to have throttle wide open when checking). Then remove sparkplug and add a teaspoon of oil (what you use in your machine) into the cylinder. Take another compression reading and post both results in this thread.

[Pierce1989]

Borrow/Buy/Use your own compression tester and get a baseline (remember to have throttle wide open when checking). Then remove sparkplug and add a teaspoon of oil (what you use in your machine) into the cylinder. Take another compression reading and post both results in this thread.

Thanks! I will order it now and post the results Friday. I also just read on another thread with a similar issue that the ignition coil may get too hot and kill the engine. Let it cool down and engine starts back off. It's the original '81 coil so perhaps it could be that but that wouldn't explain the white smoke that smells like crap :/

Does anyone know what MM adapter we use for the compression test? Want to make sure I order the right one.

[yaegerb]

Thanks! I will order it now and post the results Friday. I also just read on another thread with a similar issue that the ignition coil may get too hot and kill the engine. Let it cool down and engine starts back off. It's the original '81 coil so perhaps it could be that but that wouldn't explain the white smoke that smells like crap :/

Does anyone know what MM adapter we use for the compression test? Want to make sure I order the right one.

Order this one. It fits most ATV/small engine plug threads.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Pierce1989]

Order this one. It fits most ATV/small engine plug threads.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks I have one coming in Friday. So yesterday I cleaning up the sparkplug and got it running again. Rode it for a minute and let it idle to get oil going through the passages again after it lost all oil the other day. It idled for 30 minutes but with heavy white smoke (especially when reving) and then all of a sudden SQQQUUAAAPPPP it stopped running with a sound like that. I thought uh oh the piston just seized. Tried to check by pulling the pullstart slowly, pullstart rope came out but would not retract. Removed pullstarter 5 minutes later (which retracted after off the engine), and put a socket on crank nut and the crank turned fine and the piston was moving. What the hell happened there?!?!?!?! Piston seized then unseized itself?

[El Camexican]

They tend to do that... until the rod lets go and stuffs the piston into the head and/or the rod ventilates the cases.

Sounds like your dead set on running it until the problem makes itself well known or goes away. If that's the case I suggest you start it up again and rev the snot out of it until you are good and sure that you have a problem that needs a rebuild.

Picking at a scab doesn't make a cut heal faster.

[RubberSalt]

This engine needs a rebuild. Once it ran out of oil, it probably trashed both rod bearings and scored the jug. Potentially damaging the rocker arms and the cam shaft in the head.

That SQQQUUAAPPPP was metal binding up in a way that it shouldn't. A scored piston/jug isn't going to expand correctly and eventually seize. A bearing that refuses to rotate will also cry when you force it. Some bearings that refuse to rotate will internals and make them externals. The upside to this, you usually get a good view of the reason a motor quit running.

You may want to do some studying up/research opposed to the hands on approach for now. Hands on only goes so far if your trashing expensive parts in the process.

Your currently potentially looking at a gasket kit, crank+rod+bearings, piston, bore job, head with rocker arms+cam, cam chain, and the specialty tools for rebuilding.