I think I detonated my engine...

[loneRider91]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and also a new rider. I purchased my 2000 GZ250 a couple weeks ago. I made a very bad judgement error when checking my oil level before making a 70 mile trip to see a friend. The engine shut off a couple miles from my destination and wouldn't start. I got the bike back home and quickly realized that the engine was seized. So after reading up on this particular problem I decided to dive on in and first thing I did was remove the spark plug.. In doing so this story turned tragic because the first thing I noticed was an unusual amount of difficulty removing the spark plug. When I finally got the spark plug removed I noticed that the end of the spark plug had been smashed. I haven't gone any farther than this because I am pondering on weather it is worth my time to complete disassemble the engine to attempt and rebuild it or if I should just count my losses and sell it. So basically, what are the odds that the only thing that has gone wrong here is the piston hitting the spark plug?


Thanks in advance,
JP

[blaine]

Welcome.Hate to be the barer of bad news,but ii sounds like your engine is toast,especially if it ran dry of oil.Probably cheaper to find a used engine on e-bay. :(

[loneRider91]

That's what I am afraid of.. Money is super tight and I literally put all I had into this bike hoping I would be able to find a job since I just started college in a new town..

I think I'm just SOL..

[ovilc88]

Well bud, I hate to tell, but it's going to be a tough road to get her rebuilt. You have to take a closer look inside and see if the piston hit the plug or if one of the valves broke off and was smashed up against the head. Which could have also hit the plug. If it was just the piston hitting the valve I would say jump on in, but you're telling me the engine seized up from no oil. There is no telling how much damage has been done if that's the case. The bearings could be shot, the rod could be warped, cylinder could be deformed, not to mention the crankshaft also could have taken a hit with the oil level down. I mean...not to dump all the negatives on you all at once, but there is no way for sure to tell if you just replace the piston and rings, throw some oil in it and a new spark plug and it'll just turn over for ya. From my experience with seized engines, a seized engine is a dead engine. Better off looking for a used engine. I purchased a non-running GZ from a gentleman who had experienced a similar event as you. The valve broke off and was smashed up against the head. Seems to happen a lot around here. I was able to get the head redone at a machine shop. Ordered new valves and a good used piston with good rings. Then recently got'er running!

[loneRider91]

Well I plan on staying up all night tonight and pulling the engine and checking her guts out. Now that you mention it the spark plug was smashed more to one side than the other so maybe could be just the valve.. I guess i'll find out tonight..

How much did you end up spending to get her running? Just out of curiosity and trying to explore my options before I just give up and sell her for scrap or parts..

[ovilc88]

Well let's see... The head redone was $90, it was in bad shape, but the valve seats were unmolested..
[attachment=0:gpyhh7ac]uploadfromtaptalk1379589147615.jpg[/attachment:gpyhh7ac]

All new valves from Ronayers were $126

Good used piston was $40

Spark plug $3

Oil and Filter $35

[JohnC]

...I made a very bad judgement error when checking my oil level before making a 70 mile trip to see a friend. The engine shut off a couple miles from my destination and wouldn't start. I got the bike back home and quickly realized that the engine was seized.

Gone.

[jonathan180iq]

This is a horrible introduction story, Mr. 91.... You need to go relive your life and come back in here and start over.

I'm sorry to hear it, honestly. This isn't something that we wish on anyone, let alone a guy who just invested all he had into something that's not going to do him any favors right now. There are several people who are currently going through, or have recently gone through, something similar here on the site. You should be able to gain some insight from them. But I'm with everyone else when I say it doesn't sound too good.

What length of commute are you looking at? What kind of speeds do you need? Maybe we can brainstorm and come up with something.

[loneRider91]

First off thanks for all the advice and the warm welcome to the community.

Jonathan, I would have to agree with you that I need to relive my life.. I was not planning to have to introduce my self to the community this way at all :/ I just have some rotten luck.

As far as the nature of destruction inside my engine, I am unsure what all has gone wrong at the moment. I've almost got the engine pulled from the bike but ran into some more bad luck with a stripped nut. Anyone know how to remove an engine mount nut that has been stripped?

I will also post some pictures of the inside of the top end and bottom end when I have the chance to do so. Seeing how I'm juggling a full time college schedule and looking for work while doing this I only have minimal time to spend working on it.

As far as commute and speeds, I am kind of between friends houses around college and my moms house about 65 miles away from school. I need to be able to at least hit 70mph for traveling on the highways to and from school.

I've also contacted a guy at a part store that my family has a charge account at, and he is looking for & pricing:
Crank Shaft
Rod Bearings
Piston and Piston Rings
Top end

Is there anything else that I should have him look for that would also need replacing in a worse case scenario?

Thank you all so much. My own family, who know about this shit, haven't even been this helpful they just kinda chuckle and mosey on their way, its kinda fucked up but expected..

[JWR]

This bike is really happier at 65 and below.

[alantf]

I need to be able to at least hit 70mph for traveling on the highways to and from school.

Afraid you bought the wrong bike for that. 70 is ok occasionally, but not every day, or for long distances.

[jonathan180iq]

I took several longer trips on the GZ at higher speeds. If she's is good health and you make sure you watch things, like your oil level, tire pressure, and chain slack, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep up with traffic consistently.

I would going to make the suggestion that you look into grabbing someone's trashed scooter in the meantime, just so you have a way to get around. But if you need to travel 65 miles at times, then that's not really feasible. Do you have good friends or people who can cart you around while you get this stuff sorted out?

If you're already into the tear-down phase, just remember to do everything very methodically and in a step-by-step fashion. Don't get too ahead of yourself or think that you need to repair or replace things that you haven't tested yet. ( I would honestly, in your time between classes, start browsing Craigslist or someone parting out a GZ or the Chinese equivalent. Best case scenario you will walk away with at least a running motorcycle, even if the bike has been trashed.)

Keep up in the loop, man. We can guide you through most of this stuff, but unfortunately because of your distance and just the nature of the internet, you're sorta on your own... We can do whatever we can to help though.

[JohnC]

My own family, who know about this s***, haven't even been this helpful they just kinda chuckle and mosey on their way, its kinda f****d up but expected..

Maybe it's the way you talk to them...

[jonathan180iq]

phuckin' phamilies, man....

[OldNTired]

I need to be able to at least hit 70mph for traveling on the highways to and from school.

Afraid you bought the wrong bike for that. 70 is ok occasionally, but not every day, or for long distances.

Please don't say that kind of thing around my bike!
I've had it for 7 years now, and most of the times I ride it,
the SLOWEST speed it will see for most of the trip is 65 mph.
It often sees speeds of 70 to 80 mph, for 15 to 22 miles.
Maybe it is one of those 'accidently' blueprinted-from-the-factory
bikes, or maybe it is just luck.
However, it never ses jackrabbit starts, is kept at a fairly constant speed,
and doesn't encounter extreme hills at those speeds;
it is all highway driving. Also, I maintain the hell out of it.

[loneRider91]

My own family, who know about this s***, haven't even been this helpful they just kinda chuckle and mosey on their way, its kinda f****d up but expected..

Maybe it's the way you talk to them...

Believe me when I say, I treat my family 110% better than they treat me. Although I can be blunt at times, I was raised right and to respect my elders, but respect goes both ways and you get what you give so to speak. I'm always the person everyone calls when they need something done. But on the opposite occasion when i need help, the only person who will lift a finger is my cousin and he just turned 18, so knowledge wise he's not that big of a help but he at least helps out with an extra set of hands and muscles (which I always am thankful to have around).

I took several longer trips on the GZ at higher speeds. If she's is good health and you make sure you watch things, like your oil level, tire pressure, and chain slack, there is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep up with traffic consistently.

I would going to make the suggestion that you look into grabbing someone's trashed scooter in the meantime, just so you have a way to get around. But if you need to travel 65 miles at times, then that's not really feasible. Do you have good friends or people who can cart you around while you get this stuff sorted out?

If you're already into the tear-down phase, just remember to do everything very methodically and in a step-by-step fashion. Don't get too ahead of yourself or think that you need to repair or replace things that you haven't tested yet. ( I would honestly, in your time between classes, start browsing Craigslist or someone parting out a GZ or the Chinese equivalent. Best case scenario you will walk away with at least a running motorcycle, even if the bike has been trashed.)

Keep up in the loop, man. We can guide you through most of this stuff, but unfortunately because of your distance and just the nature of the internet, you're sorta on your own... We can do whatever we can to help though.

I'm doing my best to keep everything movin forward while I'm sorting this out. I'm about half way through the tear-down phase, and so far it doesn't seem to be the catastrophic mess everyone told me it would be. I am going to try and post pictures before morning. So far I've gotten the top end removed, the cylinder is flawless! :2tup: No marks, scratches, abrasions, or indention's of any kind, just a smooth medal cylinder. My piston is toast but is still intact and the drive shaft seems to be free. So far the cylinder head looks like it's the only thing that has damage other than the piston. One valve is completely broke off and the bottom of the spark plug hole is, well it matches the spark plug, smashed to hell..

I'll post another update after I finish this tear-down, with some pictures so that you guys can get a better look at what I'm dealing with.

Thanks again for all the tips and help in figuring this mess out. You guys rock! :rawk:

[alantf]

OldNTired......... I think you're just lucky. If you see the posts over the last few years, from riders who've destroyed their engines by riding WOT for any great distances, you'd realise that. Also, if you're riding at freeway speed, then the GZ hasn't got the extra oomph to get you out of trouble when you need it. I've had mine for over six years now, and while it's a great bike for our island, with the traffic congestion and mostly 50 k/hr (30 mph) speed limits, I certainly wouldn't want to go any great distance on the autopista with its 120 k/hr (75 mph) limit. These bikes just aren't meant for that.

[OldNTired]

OldNTired......... I think you're just lucky. If you see the posts over the last few years, from riders who've destroyed their engines by riding WOT for any great distances, you'd realise that. Also, if you're riding at freeway speed, then the GZ hasn't got the extra oomph to get you out of trouble when you need it. I've had mine for over six years now, and while it's a great bike for our island, with the traffic congestion and mostly 50 k/hr (30 mph) speed limits, I certainly wouldn't want to go any great distance on the autopista with its 120 k/hr (75 mph) limit. These bikes just aren't meant for that.

Whether it's luck or the grace of God or just good engineering and maintenance,
my friend, I'll take it!
I really have no choice; as I've mentioned before, I live in a village. What I may
not have mentioned is that to get to any city I have to travel a minimum of
20 miles on a 4-lane, 65MPH speed limit, highway. That means that 'normal'
traffic moves at 75mph and the trucks (18 wheelers) usually hit 80 to 85mph.
It is either travel at speed with the traffic or get run over.
The only time I had a problem I had run it at 80mph for 20-some minutes
in temps that were in the high 90's (F). The temperature is usually in the low
80's here in summer.