Bought a bike that was under water. Help.

[TooRad4u]

Hi, I'm obviously new here and new to this bike. I just bought a '08 GZ250 with .4 miles on it for my wife and daughter to learn to ride on. Only problem is that it was in a flood and had water up over the headlight. I got a good deal on it and I'm pretty mechanical so I took a chance on it. Can you guys give me any advice as to where to start on it?
I took the headlight off and drained the water out.
I pulled the gas tank and drained the water.
I pulled the oil filter and drain plug and drained the water.
I pulled the spark plug and squirted some oil and pb blaster in the chamber.
The speedo has some mud in it - haven't figured out how to get that apart to clean it yet.
I started pulling all the electrical conectors and spraying contact cleaner in them.
What else?
Any good how to's on cleaning the carb? I took it off and looked into it and didn't "see" any damage.
Oh, the air box was full of water also. - drained that.

[jonathan180iq]

You really need to tear down the whole thing to the frame and give it all a once over. Based on what you say you are doing, I think you are on the right track, but you certainly need to remove everything and clean it before even trying to start this bike.

Removing the carb is pretty straight forward. You will also need to disassemble it and let it soak in carb cleaner over night.
Watery mud can get into places you wouldn't even think about.

I would also remove the exhaust and hang it upside down in the sun for a few days. Pull the face of the rear brake off and clean that out as well.


.... Like I said, tear everything to the basics and get it cleaner and let it air out.

Once the bike is finally running, you'll want to change the oil 2-3 times in quick succession to make sure you have removed all of the mud and junk that may have worked it's way into the engine.

It sounds like you have a big project ahead of you. But if you can get this done yourself, these are kinds of bikes that you fall in love with and keep for life

Good luck! Keep us posted.

[mrlmd1]

You are going to have to take apart and clean every electrical connector on the bike, and you should then coat them with dielectric grease when you put them back together, and remove and clean all the bulbs and sockets. Electrical problems could be the worst to sort out, especially if the bike was in any kind of salty water. I would go after the electrical system ASAP, before the engine or mechanicals, to try and eliminate corrosion and other problems. The starter may need a good wash or you may have to take it apart to clean it. Good luck.

[TooRad4u]

Thanks, It was muddy river water - no salt, I'm on my way to get a new battery and filters right now.
I think that I'm gonna pull the starter and make sure it is dry before I try to start it. - good call on that one.
There looks to be a drain plug on the bottom of the engine that is very hard to get to. I removed the one that is in the center of a cover(with 3 or 4 bolts) on the bottom of the engine, but this one is right above the exhaust pipe and hard to get at. Do I need to remove this plug?
I was able to rotate the motor over a couple times by putting it in 5th gear and pushing it. That is a good sign that the motor is not seized and rusted fast.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Jim

[blaine]

Originally Posted by TooRad4u

There looks to be a drain plug on the bottom of the engine that is very hard to get to. I removed the one that is in the center of a cover(with 3 or 4 bolts) on the bottom of the engine, but this one is right above the exhaust pipe and hard to get at. Do I need to remove this plug?

No,no need to remove that plug.It is a spring & plunger that keeps you from shifting more than gear at a time.
:cool:

[TooRad4u]

Thanks for the reply - Good, that bolt seemed like it was going to be tough.
Got the oil and oil filters and battery, had to back order the air filter till friday.

[Water Warrior 2]

The brake shoes and pads will have a coating of mung on them and not be effective. A light sandblasting will clean and renew their surface. Emery cloth will remove rust etc from the brake drum and front disc. Also consider replacing the wheel bearings.
Sounds like a time consuming project but patience and common sense will do wonders for the bike.

[mrlmd1]

You got water out of the oil and filter? How did water get in there?
If you put an ounce or two of oil in the cylinder through the plug hole and then turned the engine over by rolling the bike in gear that should be good enough to coat the cylinder and prevent rust. Replace the spark plug. Put oil and a new filter back on, fill it up to the proper level. You don't have to start taking the whole engine apart, it is probably fine. Before you try and start it, you may want to try and wash out the cylinder ( with gas or oil) to make sure there's no grit in there if it did have water in it. The carb needs to be cleaned and a new air filter is an obvious though.
I had a 8HP Nissan twin cylinder outboard which got thoroughly drowned and covered with muddy saltwater during Hurricane Dennis in 2005. I pulled the plugs, pulled the starter cord and got a load of water out of the cylinders, filled it with oil, replaced the plugs, washed the rest of it all with fresh water. got a cup of sand out of the carb, cleaned it, and left it neglected for at least 6 months. I then went back to it, pulled the plugs, cranked it to remove the oil from the cylinders, put in new plugs and gas, and the SOB started up on the second pull of the cord and has run well ever since. I had a British Seagull outboard dunked twice, and each time, just pulled the cord and it started right up again. I think you will have much more of a problem with the rest of the bike than you will with the engine unless you don't "pickle it" by filling it with oil 'till you get around to that part of your bike.

[TooRad4u]

Thanks for the replies, I worked on the bike last night for a bout 2 hours,
pulled every fuse and electrical connector apart and sprayed in contact cleaner.
Installed the battery.
dried out the headlight and speedo and put them back on.
Filled it with oil and a filter.
Took the starter all apart and dried it out.
Cranked it over with the plug out on the starter for a couple 5 second bursts.
Put the gas tank on, added alittle gas.
put the spark plug back in and cranked it over, it didn't start? Forgot that this bike has a choke! Choked it and it started right up! Ran it for no longer than a minute, then drained the oil again.
Let it sit over night to drain completley.
Put some seafoam type stuff in the gas.
Gonna do oil/filter run for 5-10 minutes then oil/filter again and I think I'll be good to go! Of course, it is rainning today and tomorrow. - Jim

[Gz Rider]

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