Good day of riding turns bad...

[tcoop]

After getting the nut out of the engine and putting it back together, I rode it to work and man it felt good to ride it again. On the way home I was rolling along at about 50 mph and went to pass a car, twisted the throttle and the bike took off like expected. ...Then came a pop and a loss of power and rattling from the engine. I let off the throttle and coaxed it into the nearest gas station. Got off the bike to inspect what happened. Oil was dripping from the underneath side of the front fender, Oil was all over the engine and now the ground under the bike. I didn't hitting anything. Looked closer at the engine and found a hole the size of a dime in line with cylinder #3

Now it looks like I will need to finish building the 80 engine that I have.

[DGXSER]

You could keep an eye on fleabay or ask on here to see if someone has a set of pistons and cylinders. Get the matched set from a decent engine and you could be set in no time. But what in the world caused THAT in the first place??

[tcoop]

My own stupidity!! I had dropped a nut into the engine, forgot about it, turned the engine over, then remembered the nut. I did get the nut out and there didn't seem to be any damage, but I was obviously mistaken now.

[DGXSER]

Hard to say really, but somehow I do not think the nut that you got out did the damage your describing. It would have to had put the hole there to start with, ar at least had been up in the cylinder wall area. With where it fell down to and where you got it, it seems very very unlikely to have done anything to the cylinder section of the engine.

Reality is, you may never know, and since you already have a spare engine, would not make sense to invest in what you would need to fix this one I guess.

[tcoop]

It's acually below the cylinders but in the top case. I've got picture to post as soon as photobucket lets be get to my albums.

[petejw]

mate that sux,
a pic would be good when u get the chance.

[SFSPECBIKER79]

hole

sounds as if you had a lock washer and a nut in the crankcase, that is if you removed a nut. most nuts have lockwashers if mounted inside the engine. a washer could have got in between the rodcap and the case, and that would explain it, just several thousants cleareance between the too. at some point during each revolution. and the washer is light enough to be picked up at high rpm. just my theory for what its worth.

[b.walker5]

Don's right, you may never know, unless theres something obvious when you pull it down. Till then you may just have to put it down to the "Little Men With Hammers" that sometimes reside in engines.

Or it had a self destruct feature...

or it had reached 30 and didnt want to go to Carousel...

or..... STOP THAT !!!

Dont mind me, ramblings what i do when i've got too much time on my hands..

[rman]

or it had reached 30 and didnt want to go to Carousel...
D

I love the referance!!!!!

[Wildkat]

Oh man! I heard that noise once before too... ended up with this:




Pics are fuzzy, but you get the idea...

I love the referance!!!!!

That was a good one... I LOVE that movie!

[tcoop]

Is that really a piston??? That must have been one heck of a noise! I will have to take the engine apart to find out. Mostly because I need the head off that engine but also I just HAVE to know!!!

[Wildkat]

Well... it USED to be one
lol

Funny, it was more of a loud pop than anything... bunch of smoke though.
(smoke keeps things running, once it's released, they never work the same again)
I shut the engine down immediately and pushed it to the nearest gas station.

I think the PO had it rigged to implode
(you know who you are )


Ended up putting a 78 engine in her after that and haven't had a lick of problems with this one...

Keep us posted on what you find out when you open her up

[DGXSER]

Just for the giggles of it, have a look at what this poor fellow had happen to his bike.

[tcoop]

Wow! That sound almost exactly what happened to me. Heard a pop then loud rattling sound. I could tell it was missing on one cylinder then it started losing power. Fun times.

I will be tearing into it late tonight or tomorrow after work. I take the gruesome pictures so you all can see.

[cywelchjr]

Wow! That sound almost exactly what happened to me. Heard a pop then loud rattling sound. I could tell it was missing on one cylinder then it started losing power. Fun times.

I will be tearing into it late tonight or tomorrow after work. I take the gruesome pictures so you all can see.

I can tell you that changing them isn't really that bad. I changed mine pretty much by myself, and I'm an old fat guy. My daughter came out and helped with the first bit coming out with the old, and the last little bit going in with the new one, but with a floor jack and some finesse I managed pretty well removing and installing it from the wrong side.

My original engine had a rod knock at 160+k. Got to be pretty loud but never quite blew, and it could still lift the front wheel, but I got nervous enough to change it before it got to that point. Still not sure which cylinder it's on, haven't cracked the cases yet, don't have a work bench for the garage yet (or the clear space I was promise I would have in the garage when we got the place, to put the bench, I have the bottom for a bench at my dad's place, just need to put plywood on it when I have a place to put it).