CRF(Problem) Ruined the Weekend

[desertrider89]

I went out riding this weekend on my 04 CRF250R, and my bike would not start . A few weeks prior to this weekend, my bike would kick out on me(die basically) when I would come to a stop on a trail. Once it would die the bike would be kinda of hard to start. This weekend though, the bike would not even start . It had no compression and it kind of sounded like something was loose inside the engine ? . The weird thing was...my dad and his friends would give my bike and I a bumb start, and the bike would start up a little over half the time. I got in a few rides with it, but wouldn't stop, unless at the top of a hill (I could role down and bump start it ), because once it died there was no getting the thing goin again.

Problems:

1. No compression

2. Sounds like somethings "kinda" loose

3. Can't kick start it

4. When it's warm, from getting bump started, it still wont start again after dying on me ?

5. Is money an issue here? (How much are we probably talkin here?)

[damn-yankee]

How are your valve clearances? Hard starting can be an indication of your valves going out of whack.

The sound you're hearing is probably the auto compression release on the cam. How many hours on it? Have you done a top end yet?

Hard starting can also be caused by dirty/clogged pilot jet. (slow jet)

[NDC]

Well, your symptons are exactly what mine was was doing, when the valves had gone to zero, and the top end was done.

The first thing you need to do is check your valve clearances. It doesn't take any special tools other than a torque wrench and a set of feeler gauges. The procedure is outlined well in your manual, any service manual, and here:

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179775

You can shim them, but once you have to shim them, you need to start looking into new valves and the work/parts that go along with it. Shimming is not a fix or repair, it is only a band-aid for valves/shims that need to be replaced.

04 was the first, and the worst for the valve issues.

Out the door if you do it yourself and do it right (06 head, aftermarket valves/springs, new top end, etc) is around $800.

But you defintately need to find a good place to sit and starting reading on TT, there are hundreds of valve posts.