Water problems - Help Please!

[stangera]

I took water into my bike twice in less then 24 hours. The first time I went through a proceedure of getting water out of the bike and so on, everything ran perfectly afterwards. The second time it happened, afterwards the bike is running at about 60% power. Below is a list of things I did to try to solve the problem. Any thoughts, ideas, and so on would be greatly appreciated.

1 - Removed airfilter, cleaned, dryed, oiled, and replaced.
2 - Stook bike on end to ensure no water came out of the pipe.
3 - Removed float bowl - found some dirt, cleaned replaced, removed drain bold from bottom of float bowl, opened gas to flush. It has a fuel filter.
4 - Removed spark plug - found water spots on plug.
5 - Turned bike upside down with plug removed, put in gear and turned tire until no water was seen coming out of motor.
6 - Replace plug with new one.
7 - Drained gas out of tank and replaced with fresh gas
8 - Drained transmission oil - color was still good (not milky), and replaced with new oil.
9 - Comfirmed jetting was proper - eventhough bike was running perfect prior.

My next step is going to take the carb apart again and do a proper cleaning. Might be something stuck somewhere. Other than that I'm fresh out of ideas. I've done this a few times and everything was good afer, but not the case this time.

Your input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Detonator]

Stan,
You've done a pretty good diagnostic so far. However, depending on the nature of your submarine experience, you might have some obstruction of either the exhaust or specifically the powervalve. Either one would lead to the power loss you describe. Also check your reeds to see if there's a chunk of communism caught in there.

The only other thing I could think to do is a leak-down (compression) test to see if you blew any gaskets or damaged your rings by creating too much crank or cylinder pressure.

 

[stangera]

OK, thanks! I was planning on the compression test, just hadn't got to it yet. Didn't think of the other two...

 

[John Harris]

I am sure you inspected the intake track from the air filter to the carb for trash and moisture.

Check the carb vent hoses. Sometimes they get stopped up with mud in the bottom and make a carb really do crazy things. If you have not already, cut the ends on these hoses on a diagonal so they will not stop up near as easily. If you are going to go the deep water routes all time, it may be wise to connect the carb vent hoses directly to the air box. (Lots of threads on that in these forums.) Ride safe--John

 

[stangera]

Power Valve - KTM200EXC

Well the bike still isn't running at about 60%. After I listed below what I had done so far I removed the sub frame (airbox) and cleaned it until it was spotless. I then removed the carb completely took out all jets, air screw and so on. There was lots of dirt found. Cleaned it until it was spotless. After I put it all together again and went for a ride the performance had not changed at all. It's been suggested to check the power valve. Not really sure how to do that. From what I can tell on my particular bike you need the remove the top end to get at it. Doesn't seem possible to tell if it's working properly with the bike running. Am I wrong? Any suggestions? I appreciate the guidance in resolving this issue!

Aaron

 

[Layton]

I doubt it's the power valve. Think about it, how would water hurt it?
There is a better chance that you ruined the rings. Cold water on hot rings can seriously damage them. Most of the time on a 2 stroke it wont but once in a while............

 

[stangera]

Well, I wasn't sure myself but several different people told me the same thing. One person was the head mechanic at the local KTM dealership (bumped into him at the track) and the other was the owner of the other dealership on the other side of town where I bought the bike (also someone who I ride with). I ended up bringing it in to him and he said the PV was seized. It's being cleaned and I should see how it's running in a few days when I return home from being on the road...

 

[ellandoh]

this is an article i found on drying a bike out . the smiley at the bottom is the only thing i can tell you havent done.

If you get water in your engine it can do some damage. If your bike starts to sputter or if it dies from water in the engine I recommend getting the water out of your bikes system before starting the bike again. Water will be in your cylinder, carburetor, intake boot, air filter, air box and if you sink it water will be in your gas tank and transmission.

The Gas Tank- Pull the gas line off of the bottom of your gas switch and drain the tank dry. Turn off your gas switch. Fill your gas tank about half full of fuel (always use mixed gas) and swish it around by rocking the bike from side to side. Drain this out and your tank should be clear of water. Reconnect your gas line and refill the tank with mixed gas.

The Carburetor-Remove the bolt on the bottom of the carburetor bowl. This will release all of the gas in your carburetor. Let a little extra fuel flow through from your gas tank for about 10 seconds and then turn off your gas. Replace the bolt and your carb should be clear of water.

The Filter- Clean the filter and dry out the intake boot.

The Cylinder- Remove your spark plug and kick the bike over about 10 times without giving it any throttle. This should clear out most of the water. Also check the plug to see if it is wet. Hit the electrode end of the plug on your palm to get out the water. Put the plug back in. After you have done the rest of the system (carb, tank, air filter, intake boot and gas tank if needed) kick the engine over about five times without giving it any throttle(the key here is to dry out the water without flooding the engine with fuel). On the next couple of kicks give very gradually more throttle. If it does not start try holding the throttle wide open and kicking it over. If your bike still won't start, take the plug back off and check for water on your plug again. If there is water or not, still kick the bike over about ten times with the plug out just to be safe. When you put the plug back in and try to restart it for the first four or five kicks don't give it any throttle. Then gradually give it a little throttle on the next couple of kicks. If it still won't start then remove the plug and repeat the procedure and eventually it will.

If your bike gets completely submerged in water, do all of these steps and change your gear oil. After you get it running again, wait about five minutes and change your oil again. Remove your pipe and silencer and dump out any water. :cool: Also it might be a good idea if you remove your cylinder and blow dry the bottom end of your bike with a blow drier.

 

[stangera]

Thanks!