Crap, crap, crap (help)

[Bomberman]

Well, I was out biking around today, practicing hill starts (as I appear to be really poor at them ). Bike stalls (pretty warm) and will not start again Fart around for a bit, and eventually admit it and push it home. Won't bump go either.

Pull out the spark and it's pretty oily (figured it was running too rich given the smoke it was putting out). So I replaced it with a new one. To my absolute horror it still won't go So I'm looking around thinking what the hell could this be? And then I checked the transmission sightglass... Dry as a bone, and it was spot on three days ago...

Searching my Haynes, I have come to the conclusion that the crankshaft main bearing oil seal is buggered. Does this seem a fair assessment? There's no leaks at all near the bike when it's been left parked so it's not just leaking. And it would explain the smoke.

So, to the real question. How much is this going to cost me? I don't really feel prepared to do this on my own, so a garage is probably going to have to come in to it

Thanks in advance.
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'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Adam_P]

Not being that mechanically minded, I wouldn't know too much. But...

Going straight to thinking that the main bearing seal is buggered might be taking thingd a tad too far!
What sort of bike is it? I assume its a two-stroke? They do burn oil, so nothing to worry about if it has used it, especially if it has been thrashed!

Have you checked it not run out of petrol? (Switch on to reserve and give it a try!)

If the oil reservoir is empty then get some more oil. Might still have some in the system, just none up to the glass?

Is there crap in the carb?

Could be a number of things causing it to not start. But I like your thinking it to be the worst case scenario, makes it better when you find out it's something trivial!
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Colin McRae MBE 1968 - 2007 RIP
Orwell Rolls in his Grave
God is imaginary

[Bomberman]

[swampy]

Did you stall the bike doing a hillstart, or did it shudder to a halt ??

Have you checked the plug is sparking? (take it out put it back in the cap, hold it against the engine block and kick the bike over - you should see a bluey spark) Just cos the plugs new doesn't necessarily mean it works, though it should...
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"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S Thompson
"Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death..." Hunter S Thompson

[cagiva gezzer]

Two strokes burn oil, but the oil bomberman is on about is the gearoil. The gear oil shouldn't need topping up on a two stroke.

The only way it can be lost is by -

External leak - check the outside of the engine/ breather hoses.
Internal leak - either into the crankcase or coolant system.

Coolant leak is V rare, crankcase is more common. My cagiva seals went at 20,000km.

I would fill the gearbox up with oil and check the levels everytime you use the bike. BUT you've said the engine won't run, which is prob due to lack of primary compression due to leaking seals. You cant tell if the crank seals are knacked without running the engine or doing a pressure/leak teast.

Cost - check out www.stanstephens.com for a rough estimate of prices. Not sure if the parts are OE or pattern.

You will need-
Pair of main bearings
Full gasket set
pair of crank seals
Gudgeon/piston 'c' clips

Good idea to replace-
small end
water pump seals (if internal like cagiva engines)
other random seals
pistron rings

Labour -
The local garage gave me an estimate of 3-4 hours to split the cases and put new seals in. This is for the bottom end only, it didn't include the topend or taking the engine out of the bike. I think SS charges £200 + VAT for a full rebuild.

The whole task took me a day, but i could prob do it in half the timeif i had to do it again.

With a manual and the right tools (kitchen oven) its not too bad, just depends if images like the scare you....
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[mr jamez]

How long did you wait to check the oil level? to get an accurate reading the bike needs to be on level ground and the oil needs to cool down and settle at the bottom of the crank case

If it is smoking a lot then it could be incorrect oil pump settings, cheap oil, incorrect mixture or worn piston rings. I would check that lot out before pulling the engine to pieces. Drain a little bit of the oil, it will probably be pretty dirty if the seal has gone, and get a compression test done.

[Bomberman]