Water In Gearbox And Other Problems

[worldtrialchamp]

that's normal for the sight glass....500ml is about right...check the level again when the gear oil is hot....make sure its on flat ground...so long as oil appears in the glass you're good to go...I normally get it approx. halfway

I did some testing with the Rev3s and two stroke oils. At least with the synthetics, I found any richer than 80:1 the bike did not run very clean on the pilot jet circuit which can contribute to blacken (soot) the plug. I run all my bikes at 100:1 nowadays on full synthetic 2T...seems I get a bit less life out of the pistons but I prefer the crisper throttle response...80:1 is a good compromise

[hrmad]

that's normal for the sight glass....500ml is about right...check the level again when the gear oil is hot....make sure its on flat ground...so long as oil appears in the glass you're good to go...I normally get it approx. halfway

I did some testing with the Rev3s and two stroke oils. At least with the synthetics, I found any richer than 80:1 the bike did not run very clean on the pilot jet circuit which can contribute to blacken (soot) the plug. I run all my bikes at 100:1 nowadays on full synthetic 2T...seems I get a bit less life out of the pistons but I prefer the crisper throttle response...80:1 is a good compromise

Thanks for the advice about the oil. I'd be worried about seizing at 100:1. At the moment I'm running her at 50:1 on putoline mx5. Might try 70:1 to see if it solves the problem of the the plug. ta, Heather

[mags]

Heather,

Very refreshing to see a young person with buckets of enthusiasm to get stuck into it! You should be very proud of yourself!

Your bike will give it back to you in spades when out there having a ball or even better, you get to comps!

My wife has said "You ever get to our neck of the woods (Australia) her Beta 4T is yours to ride".

Mags

[hrmad]

Thanks Mags. I think there are a few niggles still to sort out, I want the bike to run as well as is possible. The clutch has improved. If I knock him up to 4th or 5th with the engine off and rock him back and forth the plates do release. It feels better on the lever too. The brakes have also benefited from being bled.

And thank your wife for me, if you ever visit wet and windy Wales give me a shout, riding in welsh mud is certainly an experience

[hrmad]

some before and after pics for ya, new stickers and board, hehe

Fouled a new plug within an hour this morning,

An NGKBP7ES, I'm going to try a 6 in it next time, gapped to 0.6mm. Also, is it worth trying out an air filter without filter oil on it? Will have an attempt at adjusting the mixture on the carb when the engine is hot to see if it makes a difference. This was with the fuel at 60:1.

On the bright side the oil is still as it should be, and holding the clutch in with a elastic band whilst she is warming up has helped the clutch sticking issue a lot. The clutch has improved.

Just gotta solve these fouled plugs.

[jfc]

The BP6ES will help but you really need to mix your fuel at 70 :1 but better at 80:1 so long as you are using a good brand of oil semi or full synthetic the bike will be more than happy at the higher ratios.

Edited October 7, 2014 by jfc

[thats_a_five]

The bike is looking good. I wonder if the front fender is on correctly. I know some people who ride mud sometimes mount them with the back end of the fender close to the tire, like yours, to act as a scraper. That may explain the mounting.

You may find better clutch control if you rotate the perch and lever up higher. This move the clutch from your fingertip to the first joint in your finger.

I would suggest adding more oil so you can see it part way up the sight glass. Just draining the oil through the drain bolt does leave some of the old oil inside the engine and clutch housing. When you removed the clutch housing, more of that oil was able to drain out. As a result, it will take a little more to bring up to the proper level.

The fouled plug does indicate an over-rich condition. Sometimes, with prolonged slow running, a plug can foul in even a perfectly adjusted bike. It is a good idea to rev it up from time to time to burn off some of the carbon. Wait until the engine is warmed up before doing this.

I seem to recall you saying the previous owner had put in a wrong plug. That was probably an attempt to solve the fouling problem. Other possible causes are plugged air filter, incorrect jetting, improperly adjusted carb float, and improper fuel / oil mix. You can test for a plugged or over-oiled, air filter by running it dry or even without the filter for a short time. Get that mixture corrected to the 80:1 range.

You mentioned replacing some fiddly parts near the rear shock. I think you are talking about the “dogbones.” They have bearings that can be replaced. These bearings have a tough life. They are down in the water, dirt, and mud a lot. I recommend at least cleaning and repacking with grease every 6 months. The bearings can also be pressed out of the castings for replacement.

Bill

[jfc]

Just checked my boys bikes as the plug you mention and also the one I said would help did not ring true, we are using BP5ES as recommended by The UK importer for the UK climate.

Edited October 7, 2014 by jfc

[hrmad]

Just checked my boys bikes as the plug you mention and also the one I said would help did not ring true, we are using BP5ES as recommended by The UK importer for the UK climate.

I was running a 7 in there, if a BP6ES doesn't help I'll try the 5, thanks.

The bike is looking good. I wonder if the front fender is on correctly. I know some people who ride mud sometimes mount them with the back end of the fender close to the tire, like yours, to act as a scraper. That may explain the mounting.

You may find better clutch control if you rotate the perch and lever up higher. This move the clutch from your fingertip to the first joint in your finger.

I would suggest adding more oil so you can see it part way up the sight glass. Just draining the oil through the drain bolt does leave some of the old oil inside the engine and clutch housing. When you removed the clutch housing, more of that oil was able to drain out. As a result, it will take a little more to bring up to the proper level.

The fouled plug does indicate an over-rich condition. Sometimes, with prolonged slow running, a plug can foul in even a perfectly adjusted bike. It is a good idea to rev it up from time to time to burn off some of the carbon. Wait until the engine is warmed up before doing this.

I seem to recall you saying the previous owner had put in a wrong plug. That was probably an attempt to solve the fouling problem. Other possible causes are plugged air filter, incorrect jetting, improperly adjusted carb float, and improper fuel / oil mix. You can test for a plugged or over-oiled, air filter by running it dry or even without the filter for a short time. Get that mixture corrected to the 80:1 range.

You mentioned replacing some fiddly parts near the rear shock. I think you are talking about the “dogbones.” They have bearings that can be replaced. These bearings have a tough life. They are down in the water, dirt, and mud a lot. I recommend at least cleaning and repacking with grease every 6 months. The bearings can also be pressed out of the castings for replacement.

Bill

Thanks Bill. The front fender may well be the wrong way round, or just plain bent courtesy of the previous owner. At the moment it doesn't seem to be affecting the front wheels rotation though. Mud scrapping may come in handy over the winter... I'll move the clutch lever and housing up to try it out, thanks.

The oil has leveled out to half way up the sight glass after running her today, maybe it just needed to circulate. It's looking like oil should look too, so the fix has worked for now.

I'll try an 80:1 mix then, simplest possible solution first. I have just cleaned and oiled the air filter, maybe too much oil added. I'll run her tomorrow without the filter for a short time to see if it makes a difference. After that I'm working the rest of the week, so it would be a good time to clean the filter again and let it dry. I have another on order so whilst one is getting cleaned the other is ready to use. I hope it's not a carb issue, I haven't had any problems with fuel leaking or starting, just the matter of the plug. I'll leave alone for now.

Dogbones sounds about right! We replaced some missing screws where the pieces were attached to the air box and greased the rest. Hopefully shouldn't have any problems for a while, will check in six months.

And thanks for your advice in the other thread, I will try to implement it and do another video after some more practice.

Ta, Heather

[mags]

I clean my filters in plain kerosene... all 5 of the damn things! Then wash with dishwashing liquid and air dry in shade. I have spare ones and rotate so dont have wait for drying.

I use mineral motor oil to oil them as synth seems to have a weird surface tension on the foam cell size.... weird!

I soak with oil (cheap box of examination gloves for hands) and then squeeze excess out and good to go. It it still seems too oily I have wrapped filter in lint free rag and squeezed again to remove excess. If you wipe clean finger over filter surface and it comes back shiny with oil (not frank oil on finger) thats enough oil in filter.

Mags

EDit: Bike is looking great by the way!

Edited October 7, 2014 by mags

[hrmad]

I clean my filters in plain kerosene... all 5 of the damn things! Then wash with dishwashing liquid and air dry in shade. I have spare ones and rotate so dont have wait for drying.

I use mineral motor oil to oil them as synth seems to have a weird surface tension on the foam cell size.... weird!

I soak with oil (cheap box of examination gloves for hands) and then squeeze excess out and good to go. It it still seems too oily I have wrapped filter in lint free rag and squeezed again to remove excess. If you wipe clean finger over filter surface and it comes back shiny with oil (not frank oil on finger) thats enough oil in filter.

Mags

EDit: Bike is looking great by the way!

Thanks Mags. I bought 05 decals, then cut and adapted them to the bike. It's unique at least, hehe, I just want to get some red after market foot pegs and rear brake lever when I have the funds.

Thanks for the advice about cleaning, when I told my dad about using washing up liquid he seemed shocked, haha, very old school- water must be kept away from everything! But I'll try that method out, may not use oil on the filter next time (I've used Rock Oil filter foam spray).

[thats_a_five]

The 5 plug should be better. 7 is pretty cold. On my 2 strokes, I always carry a spare plug and changing tool. Even really well running bikes will foul plugs occasionally. They usually do it at the farthest possible distance from the truck or trailer.

Mags is right about cleaning the air filter with washing up soap and water. Using petrol or solvent will shorten the life of the foam filter. A light coat of oil is all that is needed. I had some spray on oil but switched back to light oil massaged in as Mags described. Keep the spare filter clean, oiled and in a sealed zip-lock bag.

Hopefully the better fuel/oil mix and hotter plug will cure the fouling but don't worry about tearing into the carb. After what you have already done, carbs are a piece of cake!

[hrmad]

The 5 plug should be better. 7 is pretty cold. On my 2 strokes, I always carry a spare plug and changing tool. Even really well running bikes will foul plugs occasionally. They usually do it at the farthest possible distance from the truck or trailer.

Mags is right about cleaning the air filter with washing up soap and water. Using petrol or solvent will shorten the life of the foam filter. A light coat of oil is all that is needed. I had some spray on oil but switched back to light oil massaged in as Mags described. Keep the spare filter clean, oiled and in a sealed zip-lock bag.

Hopefully the better fuel/oil mix and hotter plug will cure the fouling but don't worry about tearing into the carb. After what you have already done, carbs are a piece of cake!

Thanks again Bill. I'm doing the same, carrying a spare plug and plug spanner with me. Intending to get a small bag to carry around during a trial, just in case. I think it may well come to going into the carb, hehe, thanks.

Went out for an hour again today, without a filter to test. Plug still had carbon deposits- so I can rule out a dirty filter. I won't run it like it again, conditions weren't wet or dusty today and this was a one off.

Also running 70:1, plus hardly any smoke ticking over at idle. Running a 6 plug, still problems.

This is the bike running after 20 minutes of riding around warming her up,

I think he is ok at idle, problems begin at top end. Revving the bike produces a lot of smoke, it doesn't sound right to me and it feels a bit bogged down when riding. The throttle response isn't crisp enough I don't think.

With the carb, I'm assuming the screw circled red is the idle screw? Is the one circled by blue air intake? Will adjusting either of these help or do you reckon this will require getting into the carb?

Thanks for all the help from everyone so far, getting there slowly. I'm happy to report the automatic takeoffs when cold have been greatly improved!

[jfc]

Have you repacked the tail pipe? If not then you will probably find the smoke you are getting is from years of unburnt oil, if the tailpipe is chocked with oil this will also stop the bike running correctly.

You can get a replacement packing cartridge from lampkins for about £15.00 and it's a 5 min job to fit it may sort out both problems in one hit (smoking and running poorly).

[thats_a_five]

Most of us do carry some small bag with spares and a few tools. Add some zip ties.

The video says it is private so I could not watch it.

You ran with the filter out and had no improvement so yes, you can rule out a plugged filter.

From your description, it does sound like the bike is getting too much fuel. Yes, the screw circled in red is the idle stop screw and the blue one is the air screw. The air screw does change lean/rich ratio but mostly at idle. It doesn’t have much affect at high RPM. Up and to the right of the red circle is the “choke.” I can’t tell if there is a lever on it. It should have a plastic lever that you flip so it is pointing up to start. Then once the bike is running and warmed a little you flip the lever down. If you don’t flip it down, or if it is broken in the up position, it will send lots of extra gas into the engine causing exactly the conditions you are reporting. There are other carb problems that could also cause the rich condition.

If the “choke” lever (its not really a true choke it is an enrichment circuit that serves to give more fuel when cold to help it start) is OK, it does sound like you will need to get into the carb. I know there are a number of youtube videos on how to rebuild Mikuni’s. Get the model number of yours and do a search. Good news is it is often just a good cleaning and proper adjustment so it’s pretty cheap to do. Pay particular attention to setting the float height and adjusting the needle in the slide.

Running the bike a bit rich will not damage it, just make it not run cleanly so keep on riding!