Oh, how the mighty have fallen......

[2fat2fly]

Originally Posted by jowek70

Ok.
Good news or bad news, not sure, but I found the culprit.
As of right now, I believe the bearings are fine.
The problem is the engine sucked in a bolt that holds on the carb bank.........
I think that is what is making the noise.
I'm not even sure how bad it is and honestly, would this be worse?
I'm digging further....

The damage all depends on where the bolt ended up. If it stayed in 1 cylinder then you can expect ( at the most) 4 valves,1 piston,possibly a rod if it got bent, a cylinder sleeve and possibly a head. This is the worst case scenario. That would be if everything related to that cylinder got hammered. You still need to drop the oil pan and check your bearings.

[jowek70]

Well the reason I suspected a loose bolt was there was an empty hole in the carb bank.......Couldn't find a bolt inside the cylinders though. I must not have put that one in because it wouldn't reach with the FCRs.
Drained the oil out and found glitter though.
I'm going to assume the bearings are toast for sure.



This was after draining the oil into a clean pan and pouring it into a container leaving behind the glitter.

Right now I have the bike stripped down enough to drop the engine out of the frame. Fluids drained and accessories unhooked and removed. Later this week or this coming weekend I'm going to drop the engine out and go from there. I read a thread about a guy spinning a bearing because of lack of lubrication from his sump dropping off the block into the oil pan. Any other reasons this could happen? That's what I'm really after: Why?
I want to replace as much as I can now because I never want to take this apart again, haha.

[jowek70]

Would a complete overhaul be too much at this point?
If I'm replacing pistons and rods and bearings and such, would it be a good idea/necessary to do the head stuff while I have it apart? I.E.- new valves, seat grinding, etc?
I have tried to source another engine, but they seem to scarce.
Rick, I know you just went through this and it was far from cheap, but for piece of mind it would be worth it to me. Your bike sounds spot on from the videos you posted on here. Would you be able to get me the information for who did the work for you and how much work you did, if any, to the other parts of the engine?
I have split the cases before to fix my 2nd gear so that is not a big deal to me.

[jowek70]

If anybody is interested, PM me with offers for the bike as a whole.

[Rick S.]

here is what I did.

[jowek70]

Holy shit!

[Masta Squidge]

Jesus fuck. I would have just gotten a new bike.

[jowek70]

Did you just drop your engine off at Unlimited motorsports? or did you farm it out to several places?
I'm looking for the simplest way to get this fixed, but at $3600, I'd rather (more than) insure a zx10r for the year....
Dammit.
Anybody interested in a part out of my bike?

[jowek70]

Engines out.
Hoping to get into the bottom end tomorrow and see whats up.
Not sure I want to shell out $3600 to have her back on the road though......damn Rick.

[Claps1775]

I just read the thread. Wow. I am still learning bikes but what about a different year 9r engine or generations? Will that bolt up and will the wire harness work as well? Might be a far fetch idea but had to say it. If it were me, I would. I have to do a valve job on mine. Not sure what you would like on a 10r. I love the 9r and how it feels when you sitting on it and riding it. Never road a 10r but not knocking it.

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[jowek70]

Originally Posted by Claps1775

I just read the thread. Wow. I am still learning bikes but what about a different year 9r engine or generations? Will that bolt up and will the wire harness work as well? Might be a far fetch idea but had to say it. If it were me, I would. I have to do a valve job on mine. Not sure what you would like on a 10r. I love the 9r and how it feels when you sitting on it and riding it. Never road a 10r but not knocking it.

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94 to 97 zx9r engines are the only thing that will work. And i have ridden the new zx10r and the thing is phenomenal in every way compared to the zx9r

[Claps1775]

I should ride one. Heck might as well be taking the 14r too lol. I would rebuild it. It would be a blast I think and you know what is in the engine and be like a new bike. You could tweek and get the performance you want. Or turbo it and add 11psi of boost. Up to you. Just saying.

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[e1_ZX-9r]

Originally Posted by jowek70

...And i have ridden the new zx10r and the thing is phenomenal in every way compared to the zx9r, at least performance wise: weight, handling, brakes, power, etc. Ergonomically speaking, range, comfort, simplicity, etc... the 9 will always be

Fixed.

[jowek70]

Haha yes the 9r is alittle more user friendly, but I typically don't ride more than 120 miles or so...
But for now, I'm looking for a new engine or into getting mine rebuilt.
We'll see though, either way it sucks, but I've found a few deals on the net for prices less than $1k so that may be an option.

[Rick S.]

I knew I'd get shit for posting what I did. I could have bought parts on the internet, but there was risk there. You can buy engine blocks for $100. You can buy cranks for about the same. But what do you end up getting? You don't know until you get it.

Finding someone that can do engine work on these old bikes is difficult. Jody did a great job, even if it took him a while. I probably could have saved a little $$ on parts, by reusing 3 of the four rods, I haven't inspected the old pistons to see whether they could be reused.

I totally understand that I am upside-down with this bike. But I don't care. I could have taken the money and bought a different bike, and then I'd have a $5K bike that I didn't know anything about. So I have a $5K bike that's only worth $2K (Maybe) but it's a bike that I'm proud of. I can say that I built the bike out of 1-1/2 bikes and know it inside and out. It was a very fun project that i would like to do again.

[e1_ZX-9r]

Rick,

I saw your repair bill post more as a love of the project. And boy oh boy, you love that project! Common sense would dictate otherwise, but that's what sets us apart. You made your own determination, damned what everyone else thought.

As little as my accident was last year, I could have totaled my bike out and made an insurance claim. But no. I dumped about $1,300 into it to put it back together and she's right back where she was, my steady steed. Sometimes these things are more than bolts and plastic.

[moko]

just do what i would do,and have done in the past,when my bike needed a engine rebuilt.do it yourself for around 4 to 5 hundred bucks....and get on withit : ) ofcourse if youve got the money...and want the new zx10r...its a nice bike.i want the new 14r myself.....whatever you do....have fun riding

[zx9dragracer]

I bought my parts off of psychobike.com and you could try 1320bikes.com also. These parts are hard to find because everyone is going to 1k and bigger. I had a guy bundle a carpenter head, cylinder block, and a remanufactured crank with new bearings and rods applied for $500! Head alone is worth 1500 new, he used it one season.
The parts are out there just have to dig hard enough.
I do have a 98 cylinder block if you need, along with 4 good pistons, and 3 good rods. Will let you have for a good deal.
I spent close to 2k rebuilding mine, but that is only because I went with a 998cc big bore kit. You can spend alot less.

[Claps1775]

So how does the 9r act over all that its close to a 10r size wise? Can you make a 9r better than a 10r?

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[moko]

ide like to add....once you get the parts...it only takes afew days to put together.but i think its a good idea in the future to have a second bike....just so if your main bike breaks,and you need to wait to fix,you can ride the backup....i have a dual sport bike.