alright my DS has been having a few issues lately (hanst been perfectly jetted ) and i was also having a starter/one way bearing issue (well still am...) but i went to change the oil a few minutes ago (so far have ONLY done the crank case) and first off the oil is really black... i may be wrong but it hasnt had that many hours on it since last change....

that and i so far have found 3 considerable sized chunks of metal....
the first metal i noticed was on the magnet in the plug....usually i will find a few TINY TINY pieces in there, but this time the entire top of the magnet was covered in pieces of metal (most about 1/4 or 1/2 the size of the ones in the picture)


here is a link to the picture of the 3 main metal flakes i found...sorry my camera takes horrible pictures up close....

Crappy pic 1

crappy pic 2


My question is....Should i NOT be taking it out to the dunes? (if this is piston material im wondering if its damaged enough that if im running it pretty hard out there day after day (going to be riding 7 straight days) if in the middle of utah im gonna have my engine blow....

is it worth risking? if there is considerable damage im thinking it would be cheaper to do the work NOW (maybe a new piston? and hopefully the cylinder is junked up...) than to take it out and risk cylinder/piston/or even the case?

im basically going to leave my final decision up to you guys as i nor the people i ride with have the knowledge to determine if this much metal is a SERIOUS problem....

 

Roost, if you have time, pull the head off and check everything. A little time and a new head gasket is all your wasting if its Ok. Better then being worried the hole trip.

 

well i dont have access to a new head gasket, i have also never taken it apart (i have taken a few engines apart in the past, so i assume its not too dificult as long as i dont have to pull it out of the frame...) but seeing as i dont even have acess to a gasket im not gonna pull it apart. (we leave friday morning)

im noticing one side of the metal seems to be shiney, and the other is more of a gun-metal grayish...

piston?

 

I'm leaning towards your one way starter bearing maybe shaving something off when it makes that HORRIBLE GRINDING sound. I had a similar issue and my magnito actually worked itself loose and was grinding on the flywheel- talk about crap in your oil - wow! You are shearing something off maybe even chipping the starter gears. Does the noise happen half the time you try to start or stop the bike ? more/less? Is the bike completely stock inside or have you tinkered in the cases?
I doubt that you have run so lean as to damage your piston or head, but an easy check is to pull the spark plugs and carefully inspect them for any foreign metalic material that may have fused to them under extreme heat or if there is damage to the electrode or porcelin part of the plug. If it looks good that I think your chamber is safe. I'd ride the bike if I were you if that looks good.

Pm me if you want my number I'll be coming down to the dunes this weekend and If you'd like I'll bring a spare onewaybearing if your having major issues by then. It would take about 1-1.5 hrs to replace( just depends on how stubborn the flywheel is)

 

ya im wondering if when it snaps it is hitting somthing....

it hasnt actually done the snapping for the past 2 or 3 starts.... the main time when it seems to do it is when its not jetted 100% correct (last time we went to silver lake it was pretty cold there and it was constantly making that snapping noise with the starter...but since it has been back home it has done it maybe 5-8 times.

And the internals have never been touched only thing i have ever done ON the engine was exterior stuff...exhaust/ported intake/carb and clutch stuff....

If the general consensus is that it is safe enough to put another 20 hours on it this next week then ill go ahead and take it, then when i get home maybe ill have to teach myself how to rip into it to A, examine the piston/sleeve and probably the valves....and B to get to the bottom of this starter/bearing snapping.... (dont have the cash to pay a shop 50+ bucks an hour....) i know one maint. guy at the local yamaha shop really well so maybe i could pay him to do it at home as a side job, or at least get a discount on the work if this is somthing only a tech should try to do safely.

i have never seen where this one way is, whats around it or what its on...so i hadnt really thought about it hitting somthing when it made the snapping noise.

**EDIT** didnt see the other half of your post there. I will send you a PM. Im going back out to my friends shop (where the quad is) tonight in about 30 minutes so i will pull both plugs and check them. Im hoping its the one way...as i assume that is a LOT cheaper than a new piston/or to recoat the cylinder...

 

pulled both plugs and they seem fine.... no debris/cracked or broken porcelain or melted metal parts....

so im assuming it is that one way/starter thats doing this (bottom end) thats good at least.... but then again i guess i now have to pull the headers and cases off to get in there (i JUST put new headers on...lol)

finished changing the oil so hopefully the trip goes smoothly

 

Pistons parts won't stick to the drain plug magnet.

 

Mysteried beat me to the punch. Pistons are made of aluminum. You're talking about steel if it's sticking to your magnet. Your starter clutch is most likely the culprit since you've been having problems with it.

 

ya i was thinking about that last night... (how exactly pieces of the piston would get through to the bottom end..)

so i guess im good for take off for the trip...now hopefully my starter dosnt act up