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Old October 22nd, 2017, 04:46 PM   #1
Habern
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Engine Clicking/Clacking

Hello, I recently acquired a 2004 Ninja 250 with 730 miles on it. The bike was not running when I bought it but turned over. It has sat for about 7 years with a small amount of gas in the tank; I filled it up with fresh gas and put a battery in it. I can get the bike to run for a little bit at a time but it's obvious I need to clean the carbs.

When I get the bike to run, the motor makes some concerning sounds, however. I suspect either cam chain tensioner, bearings or valves are the culprit. I'm away at school, with the bike in a parking garage so working on it here isn't the easiest thing. Please take a listen to the following video and let me know what you think. Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEk1...ature=youtu.be
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Old October 22nd, 2017, 05:55 PM   #2
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That loud noise near the end sounded like severe detonation. That could happen from very old gas in the lines and carb bowls being burned. It's probably lower octane than kerosene by now. I would thoroughly disassemble and clean the carbs, clean the tank with something like carb cleaner or lacquer thinner (protect paint), replace the fuel lines, and clean or replace the petcock. Then see how it runs before trying to fix anything.

Welcome to the board, Nick. Are you in Columbus OH, or Columbus GA? (or maybe none of the above)
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Old October 22nd, 2017, 08:49 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim View Post
That loud noise near the end sounded like severe detonation. That could happen from very old gas in the lines and carb bowls being burned. It's probably lower octane than kerosene by now. I would thoroughly disassemble and clean the carbs, clean the tank with something like carb cleaner or lacquer thinner (protect paint), replace the fuel lines, and clean or replace the petcock. Then see how it runs before trying to fix anything.

Welcome to the board, Nick. Are you in Columbus OH, or Columbus GA? (or maybe none of the above)
I'm in Columbus, Ohio. Clearing out the fuel system was my planned next step.

Disassembled the face of the petcock tonight to find the nastiest buildup I have ever seen. All the passages were just this thick sludge that was more solid than liquid. Going to actually pull the petcock out of the tank to thoroughly clean it, then hit the tank with lacquer thinner and clean the carbs. Working on bikes in a parking garage is rough; hopefully I can have this all done by next week.

Thanks for the advice! I'll update this post as I go along.
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Old October 22nd, 2017, 09:30 PM   #4
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Old October 23rd, 2017, 06:46 AM   #5
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Not sure about that sound - but it ain't good.

Have you changed the oil and filter? If so, I would probably want to pull the valve cover and take a look at the cams, valve clearances, and cam chain tension.
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Old October 23rd, 2017, 08:02 AM   #6
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Sounds more like rod-knock to me.
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Old October 23rd, 2017, 08:33 AM   #7
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The reason I said what I did is that a motorcycle that's been sitting for seven years needs to have the maintenance I described before it's run. If I'm right about the detonation from very old gas, the bike will be fine. There may be some internal problem, but it's way too early to disassemble things looking for trouble.
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Old October 25th, 2017, 12:54 PM   #8
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I second the rod knock. My motor sounded like that when cold. I pulled the oil screen to see "gold specks"( bearing failure ? ). I replaced the motor...
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Old October 25th, 2017, 01:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spent_too_much View Post
I second the rod knock. My motor sounded like that when cold. I pulled the oil screen to see "gold specks"( bearing failure ? ). I replaced the motor...
I've seen that, gold flecks of metal in the oil, in engines that have toasted rod bearing as well.

It would be worth checking the screen and doing an oil change if it hasn't been done.

We bought a 2004 that was sitting for about 8 years. We pulled the valve cover to look at the condition of the top-end - and everything was good. Changed the oil and filter before firing it up and it showed no signs of damage from sitting that long.
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Old March 29th, 2018, 01:47 PM   #10
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Sorry for the delay in updating the post; school definitely keeps me busy. I replaced the oil to find exactly one tiny metal shaving. Seeing as the bike only has 720 miles, I assume that this was just normal for the break in period (I could be wrong, I've only ever owned bikes from before 1990). I cleaned the carbs (they were so gummed up that the jet was literally filled solid with some hard rock like substance), replaced the air filter, and reassembled only to find fuel was no longer flowing from my petcock.

I intended to get that sorted out soon, but then I got a call from the police department telling me that a girl backed into my bike with her Hummer. Insurance agent came out today and told me that the gas tank damage alone (fenders, turn signals, kick stand, engine case all damaged) was 70% of the bike's value. So, it looks like the bike is totaled and I won't ever get the bike to run. In the event the motor was indeed trash (although I think it was fine; it ran fine without suspicious noises about half the time), this is probably the best thing that could have happened. I'm still sad I never got to ride the bike though.

Thank you guys for all your insight and help!
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Old April 2nd, 2018, 04:07 PM   #11
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Thank you everybody for your input and help with this bike. School has had me extremely busy over the past few months, so I haven't had time to come back here and give an update. I replaced the oil and found one single tiny metal shaving, I attributed this to the bike only having 700 miles on it, and still being in its break-in period. I could be wrong about this though, I've never owned a bike with this low of mileage; are metal shavings common during break-in on ex250's? I cleaned out the carbs (it was definitely needed), removed the mouse nest from the airbox and everywhere else on the bike, replaced the air filter, did the battery box mod, and de-rusted the tank using the ice-cube shake method and then evapo-rust. After re-assembly my petcock does not seem to want to let any fuel come out of it, so I haven't actually had the bike running.

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the police that a girl had backed into my bike with her Hummer in my university's parking garage. The adjuster came out this week and informed me that the bike is almost guaranteed to be totalled (small dent in tank; front fairing ruined, bent handlebars, engine side cover, kickstand, clutch lever all scratched). This is a shame considering the low mileage of the bike, and that I never got to even ride it.

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded with help to my original post, and provide an update.
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Old April 2nd, 2018, 08:15 PM   #12
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Thank you for the post, Nick. I'm very sorry to hear of the Hummer problem. I hope the insurance company buys you a very nice replacement. Please stick around and keep us posted about what happens. With some luck, maybe you'll be riding a nice Ninja when the weather warms up.
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Old April 3rd, 2018, 06:45 AM   #13
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Bummer.

If you feel like continuing on your quest with the Ninja, see what the "buy back" price is on it from the Insurance Co.

You may be able to get the bike, and a check - if you want it.
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