I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopped.
 

[color=#0000FF]Hi there, I bought a GZ250, 1999 for my first bike. I'm almost 50 :) I enjoyed riding that thing until one day, I was idling at a red light and I heard what sounded like when you pick up a penny in your vacuum cleaner. I was hoping it would "go away", but several seconds later the engine just "locked up". I put it in neutral and tried to start it, but it would not even turn over. Does this sound familiar to anyone??
I have worked on cars some and can handle a wrench, but I don't know if it's something in the engine or the transmission. I was thinking about pulling the cylinder head and cylinder off to see what I can see, as I'm guessing that that would be easier than taking apart the transmission :poke2: Or, maybe I could drain the oil and take off that plate on the side to look at the crankcase (?). Any help would be most appreciated, even guesses.

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

It sounds like it got starved for oil and seazed.Maybe oil pump?

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Thrown rod comes to mind, or broken/jammed cam chain leading to valves getting beaten to a pulp. I'm guessing it's unlikely to be a transmission problem, as the total failure occurred with the clutch disengaged.

Whatever happened, it is likely that some kind of lubrication issue brought it on. I say likely, not certain.

Sorry to hear this happened to you. By the sound of it, it won't be an easy fix.

One possibility to keep in mind is keeping an eye on Ebay and Craigslist for someone parting out a GZ250, and getting a replacement engine/transmission. You might get lucky.

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

I'd lean toward a valve problem. A broken rod tends to make much bigger noises......and a bigger mess too !!

Flip a coin for which cover comes off first. I guess the bottom one would be a little easier but I really think the problem is going to be on the top. Of course, if a valve beat up on the piston, both covers will have to come off anyway.

Wonder if there is any chance of a broken starter mechanism jamming the flywheel ??

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

I don't know. It had enough oil, as I checked it after it "stopped", but perhaps the pump was not working? Thanks.

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Thanks, dhgeyer! Do you know what causes, a "thrown rod"? The weird thing was that it kept running with all this noise happening for about 10 seconds or so. I would think that if a valve was broken up, it would start running rough, or stall, but it kept running. I don't know.

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Funny you should say that, EasyRider! Prior to this incident, even many weeks before, sometimes when I started it, it would make a nasty "grinding" noise, like a garbage disposal gone bad. I would say, "Whoa! Ok!!" and then start it again. After the incident, I did remove the starter and the middle of all the splines had lost about 20 percent of their "stock". But the noise was much "heavier" than some little bits of metal, unless it led to larger pieces (gears?) breaking down??
Thanks so much, Easy, for your post!

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Thanks so much, Blaine, dhgeyer and Easyrider for your help thusfar. I really appreciate it!

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Thanks to Blaine too!

Re: I heard marbles rattling in the engine and it just stopp
 

Not really. I'm going to admit at this point that I'm way beyond my depth when it comes to a problem that is likely to be this severe. I do all my own routine maintenance, but the last time I tore a motorcycle engine down was about 40 years ago, and it was a 2 stroke. I'll just confess that if it were mine, I would take it to "the man", and if the bill was going to be too high, I'd look for a replacement engine. If that didn't work, I'd buy a new bike. As I said, I'm out of my depth here.