Water pump shaft / countershaft play on CRF450

[High Lord Gomer]

My bike started making a rattling noise several months ago and I have been all through it trying to find it.  The other night the wise old Zoomer suggested checking the play where the water pump shaft goes into the counterbalancer shaft.

I checked it this morning and it feel tight from side to side, but it seems to have about 1/8 turn of rotational play.  Does that sound right?

I have a new counterbalancer shaft and a new water pump shaft I'm going to check, but I couldn't find them this morning.

The other question is:  If this does turn out to be the problem, should I save the $200+ worth of bearings I bought for most of the internals that I was going to replace out of desperation or should I throw in new crank bearings, oil pump, etc just because I'm in there?

 

[Ol'89r]

Originally posted by High Lord Gomer


The other question is:  If this does turn out to be the problem, should I save the $200+ worth of bearings I bought for most of the internals that I was going to replace out of desperation or should I throw in new crank bearings, oil pump, etc just because I'm in there?

Gomer.

I'm not sure, but an 1/8 of an turn slop sounds a little much.

In regard to the new bearings. Unless the old bearings show wear or damage, there is no sense in replacing them. A lot of that depends on your budget of course. :eek:

Inspect the bearings under a strong light and use a magnifying glass. Look at the area on the bearing where the balls run. Check for any pits or discoloration. Rotate the bearing by hand and feel if it has any rough spots. If it has any rough spots or shows anything but a nice shiny surface on the bearing surface, replace it. Also feel for exessive clearance in the bearing.

When you clean the bearings, do this by hand. Don't spin the bearings using air pressure as this can damage them.

Let us know what you find. :thumb:

Ol'89r

 

[High Lord Gomer]

My eye-crometer was off...it has about 1/8" of rotational play. The new countershaft and water pump shaft have the same amount, so I don't think that's it.

I already put new main bearings in. I didn't see anything wrong and they felt tight, but I had them so I replaced them.

I stopped short of putting the cases back together because I think I might feel a little play in the small end of the connecting rod. I'm going to take it by a friend's to see if I'm imagining things. It might be it or I might just be hoping too hard to find *something* obviously wrong.

Terry, I still need to send you those pictures. They're at work, so I'll try to remember Monday.

 

[sweetcharlie]

I just purchased a 2003 CRF450 and the bike has a unusually noisy sound coming from the clutch side of the motor. I've heard this before on my 99 YZ400 but it wasn't this loud. I was wondering if this is the same sound you are trying to identify. It could be a water pump issue, I'm not too sure yet. Every thing seems to be working fine. My clutch doesn't drag or pull hard or hang up anywhere, the bike is cooling ok. No leaks or cracks on the cases. I can't feel anything tapping on the cases. The noise doesn't increase in sound when bringing up the RPM's. The guy who sold it to me said, the noise has been there since new and it sounds worse since he installed a carbon fiber skid plate. I'd like to believe him but you never know. Good luck finding your problem.