Yesterday I went trail riding with 3 big 4x4 atv's. A Polaris 700-twin, Polaris 425 and a Honda 400 Rancher (I think). Anyway, I did real good with my 400ex. I went just about everywhere they went. I had just got it running about two weekes ago, if you haven't read my previous threads. On the way back, I went through a big water/mud hole. It was pretty deep. Like knee high. I got stuck, but I got it rockin side to side and it cam out of there. The engine got pretty wet. It ran fine all the way back to the truck. After we got back home, I started it up to unload it and it was smokin like a freight train. I went out this morning and got to looking at it. I ooked in the air box and it had some water in it. I puuled off the drainplug and let it drain. I put a new plug in it and started it up. No smoke. I reved it up and still no smoke. I thought, great, but then after it sat for a minute idling, it started smoking again. A constant white smoke, even when I reved it up. I took off the crankcase hose that runs to the intake tube while it was running and no smoke there, so I thought well it's not the rings. I took the valve cover/rocker arm assembly off and the the head off and noticed the gasket didn't stick to the head surface, it stayed on the cylinder. I noticed there was some oil on the gasket. I took the gasket loos from the head and it didn't stick to the left hand side, just the right side (where the camchain runs. There was oil there too on the left side. Ok, I got the head gasket from a Honda shop, because the new head gasket I had was for a stock bore and I needed one for a 87mm bore (416cc). He said he had one for a 440. I asked him will it work, he said yes. So I bought it. When I put it on, I noticed it was about a 1/16 of an inch bigger than the bore all the way around. I didn't think too much about it because he said it would work. I noticed a few times it did smoke after I got it running, but just on startups. I thought it was just because it was the rings hadn't seated yet. The head gasket was a White Brothers. Do you guys think it's the gasket or is the dech surfaces on the head and cylinder warped from the water I went through? Sorry for the long message, but it saves alot of time writing more and more replys.

 

well lets see you have a 400ex witha 416 kit on it right. And this all started after you got stuck and got some water in the airbox right I missed the part where you didn't say that you inspected and cleaned your airfilter and reoiled it right. Far as the head gskt stuff wouldn't go there till I know for sure that it's the problem which in my professional opion isn't what was wrong cause if it is out you should have smoke right away. sounds to me that you got just engough water in the motor to take out your rings. So take the top end down and rebuild it. And if your runnig a K-N air filter dump it have seen more problem cause of those than anything buy a Uni or Twin air any foam air filter.

 

Ok, so i just need to hone the cylinder and re-ring it? Is there any way I can tell if the rings are bad since I already have it tore down that far?

 

Where can I get new rings and the correct head gasket? I went to JE's website but I can't figure out how to order the parts. Any help would be appreciated.

 

The piston is brand new (2 weeks old). I would hate to buy a new piston kit when I only want new rings.