re-shimmed valves....strange noises

[mboehnke]

Hello all. Thanks, Bill P, Dave Carl & Brewster! The insight you have provided in the past helped me rectify my problem. Unfortunately, it was only temporary. I believe that due to the free mods (creating a lean condition), and not re-jetting (to richen up), caused my bikes intake valves to tighten up. It was my ignorance that proved the ultimate failure in not checking my intake valves sooner. I think the damage had been done? This weekend was the GNCC Hare Scramble at Unadilla, and although I got a fantastic start out of the 62 riders in my class, about a mile into the race I began to have a slight clutch/shifting problem. Shortly thereafter, I began to hear a strange noise coming from the engine, and the bike began to bog. I adjusted the idle up a bit to keep the bike running, but that didn't help. I pulled out of the race about .1 mile later. My bike will kick over and run, but the sounds coming from the engine make me cringe. Could this be because my intake valves had already bottomed out before I re-shimmed? Could the valve have actually broken somewhere, and the pieces gotten into my engine?....thus causing the strange noise and shifting problem? I know there is no way to diagnose the actual problem through this sort of forum, but anything you've experienced may help. Although the bike now needs to be completely gone through, and my season over...I will end up finishing 4th overall (vetC) in the NYS Hare Scramble series, and am quite happy that I did it on a KLX!! A note to all if you've done the free mods and ride your bike like you stole it.....check your intake valve clearance!!!!!

[Bill_P]

Hi. I'm a little confused. I remember you having problems, but I can't remember exactly what they were and what you did to "rectify the problem". Please remind us.

Certainly a lean condition is not good for the engine. But I doubt that it was so lean that it was the sole cause of the intakes tightening up. If the bike ran at all, you didn't have a CA needle in there. If you did the free mods with a CA needle in the carb, you would not be racing very well. The bike will barely run. If you had the 49 state needle in the carb, it wouldn't be "dangerously" lean - just pretty lean.

Anyway, I'd like to hear what you did earlier to rectify the problem. Is it possible that you checked the valve clearances, re-shimmed and then put the cams back in and in doing so the cams were timed wrong? If so, a valve could have contacted the piston. Give us some more details.

Sorry that your KLX is sick.....

[mboehnke]

The bike would not start under normal conditions. I would have to open the throttle a bit, then the engine would fire (and run fine). This was the condition that I posted. Your responses were to check the valve clearance. I checked, and they had no gap...zero...zip...nadda. I got new shims, and shimmed the intake valves according to spec. At that time, I also bought a header pipe and DynoJet kit. I installed the jet kit before the header pipe was delivered. The bike ran rich....black smoke rich...not bad, but black smoke when throttled. I didn't mess with the jetting, as I figured that the addition of the header pipe would create a different condition. After the pipe was installed, I yanked my plug (which was black), put in a new one, and fired up the bike. I had some problems at idle and low revs (with the clip in the 4th position, and a 132 main). No matter what I did with the fuel mixture screw...it ran rough at low rrrr's. I ended up moving the needle down (position 3), and putting in the 128 main. With a minor adjustment of the fuel screw, my smoking problem was cured, as well as the low end miss. I'm running at mostly sea level (+500ft) with a stock muffler (butt plug removed). After all the adjustments, I only had about 2 hours on the bike before I had to load it for Unadilla.

[brewster]

Hmmmm, recent installation of Dyno Jet kit.....rich mixture.....

Think, think, think????

Ahhh! Did you check to see if the new needle seats all of the way down? There have been many complaints of the D-J needle being too thick and not being able to slip all of the way down through the hole in the top of the slide.

This causes a rich mixture.

If any part of the valve train broke, the engine wouldn't run. I can't see a valve problem affecting the shifting. Check the idler gear.

Ride on

Brewster

[mboehnke]

I would not have thought that the needle wouldn't fit all the way down. I'm going to assume that it did because I lowered it even further (going from the 4th to the 3rd position).

I will be pulling the clutch off this evening and checking the idler gear. If it is damaged, where can I get a replacement? I've seen the posts on Planet KLX where they've installed a new one from FSW, but the FSW website doesn't have them listed any longer. Any ideas?...or do I get the stock replacement?

[klxd]

What year is it? If the idler bushing is shot you may need the ACR retimed.

[mboehnke]

klxd...it's a 2002.

[brewster]

I would not have thought that the needle wouldn't fit all the way down. I'm going to assume that it did because I lowered it even further (going from the 4th to the 3rd position).

I wouldn't "assume" on this one unless you could actually see the clip seating on the slide.

I will be pulling the clutch off this evening and checking the idler gear. If it is damaged, where can I get a replacement? I've seen the posts on Planet KLX where they've installed a new one from FSW, but the FSW website doesn't have them listed any longer. Any ideas?...or do I get the stock replacement?

I believe that it was Stroker that had the aftermarket idler gears. Stroker is no longer in existance. Either replace with a stock gear or have a machine shop replace the bushing in yours with a better one. Someone around here has the spec's for a replacement bushing.

Ride on

Brewster

[Bill_P]

Yup, stock is the only option for idler gears now.

[mboehnke]

Found out what the strange noise was A bolt from the clutch spring plate had backed out about a half inch...smashed up against the inside of the cover plate....broke off, and began to shred some teeth off my clutch basket. I didn't have time this morning to pull the clutch out and get to my idler gear, but.....it sure is messy in there....metal fragments....busted teeth....woe is me. Not good.

[brewster]

Found out what the strange noise was A bolt from the clutch spring plate had backed out about a half inch...smashed up against the inside of the cover plate....broke off, and began to shred some teeth off my clutch basket. I didn't have time this morning to pull the clutch out and get to my idler gear, but.....it sure is messy in there....metal fragments....busted teeth....woe is me. Not good.

OUCH!

Ride on

Brewster