1985 xr350 help

[random-strike]

hey all,

I bought a 1985 xr350 that was in the last flood up in washington for $200...
the bike is in really nice shape and all original, with a trail timer and some other stuff.

It has the dry sump oiling system, it didnt have any oil in it when i got it, i took the drain plug out and a little bit of water and a tiny bit of oil came out.

When i kick over the bike some water comes out of the case breather, i did this and got a lot of the water out. i also tipped it over and some came out. I also took off the plugs where you adjust the valves and there is a tiny bit in the head.

Right now, its not getting spark, i tried a bunch of plugs, and i also checked the kill switch. What should i replace first, is there anything that is likely to go out that i should try?

also, how do you hook up the clutch cable on these bikes? there doesn't seem to be a place to found the cable near the lever on the case. also, there is a handle where the clutch is supposed to be, but it seems to control the compression release.

They guys i bought it from didnt know why it didnt have spark.

I took the seat off and everything to clean the carb out , and the wires that go to the coil were unplugged from the harness

Ok, so now it has spark, and i sprayed some starter fluid in the carb, and cylinder

it won't start, and it wont even pop off...

whats the deal?

 

[random-strike]

i got it to pop off with a bunch of starter fluid and lots of kicking.

anything i should try to make this easier?

 

[XRpredator]

sounds like a teardown/rebuild is in order.

That's an excellent machine, really only held back by it's brakes and suspension.

 

[02yz426f]

try taking apart the motor and getting all the water out and add oil before you go any further

 

[random-strike]

i got all the water out of it.

put some gas in it...

won't start though :(

 

[Bent6]

I'd do a leakdown test to see if the rings are stuck in the piston. If it passes, I'd try to get it running without disassembly. If you can get it running, I'd run it at medium idle for 5 minutes and drain the oil. If the oil comes out clean, refill it and ride it for a couple of hours and change the oil again. If it was milky, run it for 10 minutes and repeat. It's a $200 bike. I'd try to get it going as cheap as possible. I'd guess that the head set and rear suspension will need to be taken apart, cleaned, and greased.

 

[random-strike]

how do i do a leak down test on the bike with the head on?

 

[Bent6]

http://www.tavia.com/08015_instructions.html

Yes, the head stays on with the engine assembled. Leak Down does require a tester and air compressor. I paid about $60 for the tester through Summit Racing. I compression tester will also tell you if the rings are still sealing. It's not as good as an indicator of engine condition, but will tell you if you have compression. I should have told you to go with that. I don't use a compression tester on my projects. It is cheaper and easier to use a compression tester, but it's not as good at pinpointing issues and cylinder sealing.

 

[random-strike]

Yes, the head stays on with the engine assembled. Leak Down does require a tester and air compressor. I paid about $60 for the tester through Summit Racing. I compression tester will also tell you if the rings are still sealing. It's not as good as an indicator of engine condition, but will tell you if you have compression. I should have told you to go with that. I don't use a compression tester on my projects. It is cheaper and easier to use a compression tester, but it's not as good at pinpointing issues and cylinder sealing.

i have a compression tester but i dont have an adapter that will work with this plug size.

it seems to have real good compression just by listening while kicking it, and/or without the plug in

 

[Ol'89r]

sounds like a teardown/rebuild is in order.
That's an excellent machine, really only held back by it's brakes and suspension.

I would recommend taking Pred's advice. :nod:

If there is water in the engine then there is most likely rust on the internal engine parts. If you get the engine to run, the rust will mix with the oil and cause excessive wear. Like adding dirt to your oil. The engine should be dissasembled and the rust should be removed from each part.

When you cleaned the carb, did you take it completly apart and remove all of the jets? If not, you may want to do that. There are some small jets, (pilot jet) in the carb that must be clean inorder for the bike to start and run properly.

The clutch cable mounts to a bracket that is held on to the bottom of the cylinder with two studs. That bracket must be missing.

Like Pred said, those are excellent bikes. The front suspension and brake problem can be fixed by installing a complete front end from an '88 -'89 CR250. Pretty much a bolt-on and gives you a front disc along with much better suspension. These can be bought used for a couple hundred dollars.

Just my $ .02

 

[random-strike]

I would recommend taking Pred's advice. :nod:

If there is water in the engine then there is most likely rust on the internal engine parts. If you get the engine to run, the rust will mix with the oil and cause excessive wear. Like adding dirt to your oil. The engine should be dissasembled and the rust should be removed from each part.

When you cleaned the carb, did you take it completly apart and remove all of the jets? If not, you may want to do that. There are some small jets, (pilot jet) in the carb that must be clean inorder for the bike to start and run properly.

The clutch cable mounts to a bracket that is held on to the bottom of the cylinder with two studs. That bracket must be missing.

Like Pred said, those are excellent bikes. The front suspension and brake problem can be fixed by installing a complete front end from an '88 -'89 CR250. Pretty much a bolt-on and gives you a front disc along with much better suspension. These can be bought used for a couple hundred dollars.

Just my $ .02

Thanks i appreciate all the info/help

The engine should be ok inside, since it was coverred in oil/oil film which will not allow the metal to rust. the top end looks ok with no rust on it. it may need a rebuild still anyways...

i did clean the pilot out, it was very clogged when i cleaned it though, i may have to do it more than once.

i think it is missing this bracket :(

it already has a front disc brake, the back is a drum though. and the rear suspension feels kinda soft, but it does have an adjustment

 

[anthonysimo]

Hi, three suggestions
1. I found the condition and gap of the plug to be critical on my XR 350 so a new plug with the gap correctly set wont hurt.
2. since the bikes been soaked, check the decomp cable operates perfectly or disconnect the decomp cable at the head to make certain the decompressor is not being partially held open (cable is probably rusted inside and will need much oiling or replacing) Yes a compression test shows that this isn't happening but only till the next time you pull in the decomp cable to start it.
3. the bike runs a total loss ignition (or at least they did in Oz) and wasn't the most powerful system so go through and clean every single connector in the wiring loom and switch blocks to ensure you get max power to the plug. These bikes made good usable power and were extremely reliable once sorted.Good luck

 

[random-strike]

i adjusted the valves and got it started.

runs great doesnt smoke. pretty cool

 

[anthonysimo]

I had to adjust the spring up for my weight but didn't have the correct spanner so instead of flogging the adjuster ring around with a make shift tool I used two large heavy duty hose clamps to pull the spring's coils together (one on each side) and the aduster rings could be tightened by hand.

 

[random-strike]

still getting all the water out of the oil/oil passeges...

i took it for a spin around the block and it was pretty fun, didnt get on it much though.

will be fun to poke around on :)

 

[Ol'89r]

still getting all the water out of the oil/oil passeges...
QUOTE]

Congrats on getting it running. :cool:
May I suggest that you change the oil several times before you put too much time on the engine. Since there was water in the engine, you may be suprised how much rust will form on your internal parts, even though they have an oil film on them.

Buy a cheap, detergent oil and warm the engine up and then dump the oil. Do this several times. Your engine shares the engine oil with the gearbox. If there is any rust in the oil, it will be pumped through the entire engine.

 

[random-strike]

well i flushed the oil probably 6 times, then i put some water absorber in it mixed with oil, ran it for 30 seconds and drained it... i did this process twice, and it took all the water out... now the oil is coming out straight oil and i took her for a ride this morning and its pretty fun :)