Well guys, I just replaced the exhaust gasket on this Baja Wilderness, now I hear a noise from the engine that I didnt hear before replacing the gasket, please click on the link and take a listen, do you think its the valves tapping?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9HGaly9OOE

YouTube - MVI 0773

 

I'ts kind of tough to hear going by the video, but it sounds like you say either exhaust or valves. Are you sure you don't have an exhaust leak? Take a piece of rubber hose a couple feet long like garden hose or something. Put it too your ear and hold it around the exhaust conections by the head and if there is one by the shield there on the right side as it sounded like it got louder over there. Did it make a noise like this before??

I can't see your valves going bad after replacing an exhaust gasket....Unless something fell into say the exhaust port and hit the exhaust valve. If the valve bent it wouldn't start/run too well so its unlikely, as yours barely turned over before it fired.

 

Thanks for the reply, no it never made this noise before, when I said exhaust gasket, I meant the gasket between the exhaust pipe from the cylinder head and the back part of the exhaust.

Nothing dropped into the exhaust I guess I never heard it because the noise from the blowing exhaust masked the metallic noise.

I actually listened all around the engine with a stethoscope and the only place I can hear that metallic sound is right at the point on the exhaust where it connects to the cylinder head.

So does it sound like a valves tapping, it still runs and shifts fine...

 

Ok so you replaced the exhaust gasket where the exhaust pipes join on the side there??

Have you checked the gasket good where the pipe bolts to the head? Check that out good first before you get into the engine.


If indeed you determine there is no exhaust leak between the head and pipe I see that engine has those little valve adjustment covers. Just remove them and check to see if the valves are indeed out of adjustment. I've seen goofy things over the years. One time the valve adjustment bolt backed off and made a bad tappet noise on a little truck worked on.

 

Yes that's the part where I replaced the gasket, there are no exhaust leaks at the cylinder head, so I guess its time to check the valve clearances.

 

Ok so there is no leak between the exhaust port and the pipe, and the exhaust pipe connection on the right side there by the fender is also good.

Well if your sure its from up top and to the front grab a good bright light, pull the cover off and check that exhaust valve and spring. I've seen broken springs too. If you can see in there see what its doing when you crank it over with the kill switch on so it won't start. With that kind of racket it shouldn't be hard to pin point.

 

Hey did you ever have a chance to look into this engine noise further??

 

Well sort of, I checked the valve clearance and both exhaust and intake were all well within tolerance, so just put the valve covers back on. It still starts rides and shifts fine, one thing that I have noticed is at first start up it doesnt make this sound, only when its been running a few minutes it starts, I took the cam sprocket cover off and I see oil running up there, so I guess that means that the oil pump is working ok, don't really know what else to look for.

On a side note:
The motor thats in the Baja is supposed to be a rip off of the Yamaha Timberolf, so I bought a Timberwolf motor from E-Bay with the intention of putting this in the Baja frame, but I hit a snag with the wiring and the drive-shaft, the drive shaft on the Timberolf has a larger spline than the Baja, and the wiring from the stator is also a different color code, but I sorta knew this about the stator before I bought the Timberwolf motor, my intention was to strip the stator from the Baja and put it into the Timberwolf, but I never got this far due to the drive shaft size difference.

So I put the quad back together, only then I realized that I possibly could have taken the middle pinion gear from the Baja and put this in the Timberwolf, I was too Pi**ed off to strip the Baja down again.

So my next thought is, and I hit a snag here too, was to put the cylinder head from the Timberolf into the Baja, but try as I might I cannot undo the bolt that holds the cam sprocket on, this is a lefty loosey right?

I`ll give it a couple of weeks to get over the pi**ed of stage and try again, I know this time before pulling the motor, I need to see if the pinion gear will fit the Baja motor, I would prefer not to take the stator out, so if there are any electrical gurus that could help with the wiring that would be awesome.

This as my first time doing anything with a motor and stripping down an ATV, so i`m pretty chuffed with myself that I was able to put it back together.

 

Up-date.

The Yamaha Timberwolf motor is in the Baja and running very nicely, couple of minor issues to get it swapped but it is possible.

Had to change the yoke from the Baja onto the Timberwolf as the driveshaft coupling is a different size, the bracket holes for the starter motor don`t line up, need to drill new holes, the wiring from the stator dont match, but the the stator side engine cover from the Baja bolts straight onto the Yamaha, and the neutral sensor switch is different.

Its in and seems to be running fine..