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Help...Motor seems locked

12K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  Jason McGlawn 
#1 ·
I was riding Friday and decided to try a mud hole. I went to ease down in and the bike just slid in. The water was over the headlights and it wouldn’t back out. I panicked and went all in. About the time I got to the other side of the hole, it stalled out. I jumped off of the bike and got it winched out. I stopped it on the way out to let the water drain out on the incline, then got it on level ground to examine the damage. It would turn over but wouldn’t start. The air box was pretty much dry. There was literally only 5 or 6 drops in the bottom near the drain hole. I pulled the front plug and it looked clean. I pulled the dipstick and found water in the oil so I stopped trying to start it. I got someone to tow me back to the truck. I drained the oil that night and installed a new filter and oil Saturday. When I hit the starter button it turned over about once or twice and then just clicked. I tried pulling the rope and you can’t budge it. I was able to easily turn it over with the rope Friday after winching it out. Is it possible to have a locked up starter, or have I really screwed up? The bike only has about 12 hours on it and this is the first deep water it has ever been in. Bad weekend!
 
#2 ·
OK..... This my experience speaking.... It may take the "abuse" a couple of times. But , water inside Brute motor can get very expensive. Just ask Flynt how many water logged Brute engines he has laying in his shop floor waiting for cranks.

When you flush it pour the oil down the crankcase vent tube. That's the path the water took and there is a cavity in the crankcase that will hold water and the slung that went with it. If you pour it in the oil fill tube this cavity will never get flushed .

If you are going to be playing in water get a snorkel. It could save you alot of headaches and money.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the advice guys! It wasn't my intent to forge though waist deep water. I’m not as brave as some of you, and the water was really cold (guess I was afraid of shrinkage). I was tiptoeing around and basically fell in. I’m in the process of pulling the plugs now. Once again thanks for the help!
 
#4 ·
Do what they said, change the oil 3 to 5 times. Let the motor warm up before you drain it. Use cheap oil, you're gonna drain it anyhow. Add a little "Sea Foam" to the last oil change, that stuff will help get rid of the water. Also add some when you put your "good oil" in. I would do another oil change after about 10 hrs.
My 2 cents.
 
#5 ·
Bad news…. I pulled the spark plugs, the back one was still wet, then I pulled on the rope start and it was stuck like a rock. It won’t budge. I guess there is no use in trying the electric start. Is it possible that the electric starter is locked up? It did turn over a turn or two with the starter before it locked up. I’m about ready to put it back together and take it to the dealer. I can’t believe it only has 12 hours on it, I get into one water hole, and I damaged the motor. The dealer is going to rape me. I wish they had flood insurance for ATV’s. What do you guys think?
 
#9 ·
Any word on your Brute?
 
#10 ·
Sounds like you ran your battery dead trying to start it. Your rings are definately frozen. What we have been doing lately and it's working good so far is towing em back to camp, tilting them up to get the water out the exhaust, draining the engine oil and filter while cleaning out the top of the carbs with a shop vac, rags and Qtips. Clean the airfilter element and set aside to dry. We then drain the carb bowls. Next we put 2 quarts of cheap oil in the crankcase and pour about 2-4 tbs of oil in each carb with the airbox lid off. We then try to crank it while spraying a little carb cleaner in it. We reapeat this process until it fires. We found that pulling the spark plugs after towing it back was pointless because all the water seeps into the crank after towing it back. If you want to pull them at the scene of the sinking thats not a bad idea, but will take some time. Anyway this procedure with a well charged battery has fired up every BF that we have sunk as of late including mine. I had lost some compression on my front cylinder but we still got it running. Once you get it fired let it run long enough for the oil to slosh around but not get hot. When it gets hot is when parts start to get damaged. Drain it again and keep repeating this procedure with cleaning the oil filter everytime til it's free of water. Top it off and if you have a new oil filter put it on. If you get it running it's going to smoke alot from the oil you put in the carbs. A few good runs will burn it out. If it doesn't run right in simple terms after all this, you more than likeley need a new set of rings on one or both cylinders. One last thing, if you have a 750 you have a drain plug on your CVT.
 
#11 ·
I can't help in anyway of the engine being locked, but when I sunk my BF 650, I did suck in water and it ran with water and then cut out, sounds like what happened to you at the end of the hole, so you might want to try a compression test if you get it started.
 
#12 ·
I just got back from a trip. I'm going to put it back together and take it to the dealer. It only has 13 hours on it. If it were older I would try the WD40 trick. I'm pretty sure the rings are stuck to the cylinder wall. I just don't understand why the motor made one or two revolutions and just locked up.
 
#14 ·
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Originally posted by URABLUR
I just got back from a trip.  I'm going to put it back together and take it to the dealer.  It only has 13 hours on it.  If it were older I would try the WD40 trick.  I'm pretty sure the rings are stuck to the cylinder wall.  I just don't understand why the motor made one or two revolutions and just locked up.[/b]
If your engine did turn over 1 or 2 times I would guess that your crank rod is bent. One other thing u can try is putting some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinder over night. I have had nothing but good luck with Marvel Mystery Oil. Very Very good oil. I always add some to my gas to. Let us know what u do.
 
#15 ·
IT LIVES!!!!! I took it up to the dealer today and the mechanics jumped on it as soon as it rolled through the shop door. I explained the situation and the pulled the plugs and sprayed some penetrating oil in the cylinders. They then were able to turn over the motor once the popped of a side cover with a wrench. At that point the starter was able to turn the engine over once again. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to start it, the one mechanic pored some 2-cycle oil down the carbs like some of you had suggested to me in this thread. Within a few seconds it was trying to fire and within a few minutes it shot a load of mud and water out of the exhaust and against the leg of one the mechanics and all over the shop door. It was so funny, like something out of a movie. Once the shop door was open, we filled the parking lot with smoke. I could believe they got the thing running that quickly. I was surprised they let us just hang out in the garage while they worked on it. The shop is Romney Cycle in Romney WV. Good people. My wife bought the bike there as a surprise and they were totally cool with her and didn’t try to take advantage of her. Anyway, after a couple trips up and down the parking lot (still blowing trace amounts of smoke) it was a few minutes after their closing time so I left it there for them to look over in greater detail Monday. They are going to do a compression test and such. Hopefully the ring weren’t damaged. I was happy just to see the thing move under its own power.
 
#18 ·
The prognosis is good…… I got a call from the shop today. It is ready to pick-up. They didn’t do a compression test but they said it is running fine. They changed the oil 2 more times. I will probable change it after every ride for a while. According to the tech., the differentials had no water in them. The tech said the water that came out of the exhaust had a lot of sandy silt in it and while the bike may run fine now, I may have problems latter down the road with damage to the rings and cylinder walls. I guess I am happy for now, its running. Hopefully constant oil changes will help get the silt out of the motor. I guess this is a testament to the durability of the Kawasaki V-Twin! Thanks for everyones input!
 
#20 ·
I did the same same thing to mine in February. I am beginning to notice a little powerloss now. I am getting ready to do a compression test this afternnoon. As long as my compression tester works.


Will let you know the outcome
 
#22 ·
Got the brute back tonight… and it runs like a top. I took it for an after dark flight through the subdivision. My neighbors must love me! The tech said to take it easy for a while because there is probably some more silt floating around in the engine. This may sound like a dumb question, but given this bit of recent history, if I were able to somehow get the warranty extended to the 4-year plan for around $600-$700, do you think it would be worth it? What is an engine rebuild, $1,000? If the motor went after the extended warranty, that would be money out the door. What does a Mickey Dunlap stroker rebuild cost?
 
#24 ·
I just had to order $900 worth of parts for mine last week. Mud in the crank case is a done deal. If it starts to "tap" go ahead and start getting you money together. You can change the oil all ya want . Once the damage starts , It's a matter of time. The oil pump and rod bushing start swaping metal and it goes down hill from there. If it gets too far get ready for a $600 set of engine cases. The crank bushing on the left side isn't sold seperately.

The bummer is I was saveing up for a FST High comp/ stage II cam kit. OH WELL.. It's all good.
 
#26 ·
No need to buy the extended warranty because if you take it in they will send out an adjuster to inspect the beaten parts and he will claim it as mis use and will not cover the build any way so dont waist your money. And by the way the dealer has a copy on file of what they have done to your bike so it allready has a history of what they would call misuse which is water and mud in the engine oil.
 
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