Cracked my case! What went wrong?

[Damon367]

Was in the process of reassembling my 2004 rmz 250, while mating the cases back together everything seemed to line up good, cases were near flush with each other. Began to tighten down the crankcase bolts and on the very last bolt my left side case cracked..... the shift drum was pushing up against the case???? What could have caused this? Unfortunately now I have yet another new set of cases in the mail as fixing the cracked case was the goal in the first place. Now I have 2 sets of ruined cases, go me.

[cdf450]

wow. all that for a 04 rmz250.  sell that POS and move onto something made in this century.  not worth the time. ouch.

[Damon367]

Thanks for the helpful reply, unfortunately not everyone’s made of cash. My little cousin bought the bike for 200 buck so and I was hoping to get it up and running for him.

[EmpireofDerp]

Jb weld that shit. Nbd

[Dean Tomlinson]

Wow, not very friendly advice there. I'll have to bring up the assembly fiche to see for sure but, it appears there is a locating pin in the shift drum assembly that, If not aligned correctly could fracture the casing while tightening the bolts. JB weld would not be a fix if that were the case.

[SS109]

Why is everyone being so unfriendly to people needing help lately?

First, don't ever use the bolts to get the cases to pull together. They should be completely together before you ever think of tightening a bolt on them. Next, looking at where you broke it, what could have caused it to break? Whatever it is, make sure it is aligned and fully seated so it doesn't happen again.

[bweighmaster]

2 hours ago, Damon367 said:

Thanks for the helpful reply, unfortunately not everyone’s made of cash. My little cousin bought the bike for 200 buck so and I was hoping to get it up and running for him.

Don't let Anybody deter you .  Tap lightly with small ball peen to re locate case to as flush as possible .   Have a  competent welder lay a bead on it and reassemble ..   next time be sure cases fit flush before tightening screws ....

[76xtdrvr]

8 hours ago, Dean Tomlinson said:

Wow, not very friendly advice there. I'll have to bring up the assembly fiche to see for sure but, it appears there is a locating pin in the shift drum assembly that, If not aligned correctly could fracture the casing while tightening the bolts. JB weld would not be a fix if that were the case.

 

9 hours ago, Doctor Shakalu Rotazion said:

Jb weld that shit. Nbd

^This is about the best advice one can give advice for a 16 y.o. bike with the owner on a limited budget. That is if the cause is corrected, and there's no internal damage. It's what I would try first. What's so unfriendly about it?

[EmpireofDerp]

Yeah seriously. I use jb weld and water weld all the time, whole lot cheaper than buying yet another new case for that two wheeled prolapsed rectum. Wasnt being a smart ass, get it together and seal it up and go ride. 

[bweighmaster]

Get it repaired properly ,   J B Is for amatuers ...... or lazy mechanics.........

[hondaxr650rrrr]

There are actually 2 distinct separate cracked areas. Make sure the problem is fixed, assemble the cases again to make sure everything is correct. then plan your ultimate fix, JB or weld or new cases.

[highmarker]

tig,   gotta find out and fix the problem too

[mbrick]

As others said tap it back down, TIG or JB Weld it, will hold fine.  It needs to seal and is not exactly structural.  Dry fit the shift drum into that side with the cases still open and try to understand aligning the pin so it goes together correctly.

Yes welding it would be proper, but this is a budget bike.

Edited May 22, 2020 by mbrick

[SS109]

Come on now. It's not expensive to get it TIG welded up by decent welder. I know two locally who have done crack repairs for me and all have been under $20. Found one because I drove by his shop almost every day and just asked him. The other I found through a Google search.

[BPPerformance]

Until you figure out the problem welding it will just break again - something is not completely set in place and protruding out, look behind bearing could piece of metal holding it from going into place.

[John Scott]

I have a Honda trx300, did the same thing to it on the shifter side and it was a washer that I put on in the wrong sequence that held out the side cover so get a diagram and follow it to the end on the internal parts and visualize everything before you put the cover back on.

As far as JB Weld goes, I used it to put a broken clutch cable bracket on an older bike when I was a teenager and it was still holding after 5 years when my bike got stolen. Anyhow it does work when you don’t have lots of pressure on it so best of luck on the rebuild.

[yz250f 78]

Don’t force it! If things are made to fit they will. 

[Damon367]

Thanks for all the help guys, yeah next time around I’ll be a little more cautious before tightening things down... I have split a few cases before in the past with no issues so I was quite surprised when I heard that dreaded crack sound lol. Live and learn I guess, most likely going to JB it as it is a budget bike. Thanks again guys!

[Damon367]

On 5/20/2020 at 11:25 PM, Dean Tomlinson said:

Wow, not very friendly advice there. I'll have to bring up the assembly fiche to see for sure but, it appears there is a locating pin in the shift drum assembly that, If not aligned correctly could fracture the casing while tightening the bolts. JB weld would not be a fix if that were the case.

That’s what I initially though as well, as you can see where the pin on the shift drum made an indentation into the case, however the shift drum has to constantly spin so it can’t  just sit in that one spot... could the shift forks have been slightly holding the shift drum up, not allowing it to seat all the way down?

[KnotAPro]

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2020 at 11:23 PM, Damon367 said:

Thanks for the helpful reply, unfortunately not everyone’s made of cash. My little cousin bought the bike for 200 buck so and I was hoping to get it up and running for him.

I have written in other threads on TT for 2004 RMZ250 owners to consider. If in fact you end up buying OEM parts for your 2004. Suzuki and Kawasaki co-built this bike. The 2004 oil filter change is not of the best design. Purchasing the 2005/2006 clutch cover/water pump components is my biggest suggestion to ease the job.

The other suggestion is using Partzilla.com. Cross referencing the Suzuki Parts listing with the Kawasaki Side of the OEM house. Some Kawasaki Engine parts are less expensive than the Suzuki Engine Parts. This is relative to engine parts only as far as I know. I once owned a 2004 RMZ250 for a very short time. If you need any help crossing engine part number to save money using the site, just message me, i'd be glad to help...