Well, put 20W50 Spectro Gold oil in my quad, which seemed to help the oil burning a little. The oil level on the dipstick was at exactly the MAX level mark before riding thru a full tank today. I checked the oil after todays ride, and the oil level was 2/3 down from the max level, just 1/3 above the MIN level mark on the dipstick.

Ok, so i'm burnin some oil, thats for sure, the quad runs really, really strong for being a totally bone stock, all original 87 250X. I just want to solve the oil burning problem, and assume that would be a new piston ring kit. How difficult is it to replace the piston rings? I'm not a pro mechanic but fairly competent.

And, how much does a piston ring kit cost?

Thanks for your help!

 

rings change u may want done by a shop. You can disassable, take it to them for changing, and re assemble yourself.

maybe your quad has a leak somewhere, it shouldnt by any means be burning that much!


-nick

 

funny u ask how hard it is to change the top end becouse i just rode my 250x for the first time in a year and a half(and a grand+ later) today.The thing runs awsome. It blew up on me last thanksgiving and i had to have the following done to it

had to bring it to the shop to have the head shaved
new valves
new crank and rod
new piston
and rings
third gear
seals
2 main drive gears


thats about it that i can think of off the top of my head.
what i am trying to get at the bitch is a big oil guzzler and thats why it blew on me (no oil). now that i have learned much more when it comes to maintnence becouse of my 2003 shee i can take care of it. I plan on riding it tommorow.

i cant realy tell u what is wrong with it but i can make a suggestion. My freind blew a crank seal on his blaster cousing him too loose all of his crank case oil. Im thinking it could be that but worth the 5 bucks to replace if you have noticed oil coming from the back of your front sprocket(where the seal is). It is very hard too put them in without messing them up if your not carfull.

yours could be leaking just slow thats all.



If you dont think im right please ignore that part of my post

some oil burns faster than other oil
so maybe you should expirament with diferent oil before taking any thing apart.



as far as taking the top end off and replacing piston and rings is really easy but once you get to the bottom end bring it to a shop
me and my dad basically put it back togther like a puzzle and still dont even understand how that thing works.
my dad has been rebiulding 305's his whole life and tought me everything i know about motors so we are not dumb just the thing is complicated

 

ps

im am running yamalube at the moment

 

The first thing I would do is invest in a factory Honda service manual, they cost around $40 and should save you more than that in the long run. It is very informative with step by step instructions and lots of pics. Read the manual first and if it looks beyond your skill level then you should take it to a shop.

With the manual it shouldn't be that hard to replace the top end. Just follow the manual and keep every thing organized as you take it apart. And if you don't have a torque wrench figure on buying one, because you will need it to torque the head bolts properly. Also you may want to take the head to the shop after taking it off and have them check the valve seats and guides for wear. Take your time and make sure everything is clean when you put it back together.

 

You would be wasting your time if you just rering it. Have the cylinder bored .020" (.5mm) and put a new Wiseco piston/rings in it. If you just go with rings, you will have to have it honed anyway. The cylinder probably already has lots of wear in it, and even a slight honing makes it larger around. Chances are your piston with just rings will start slapping soon after a rebuild. Have a GOOD, COMPETENT shop do the machining.

A good thing about 250x's (and hondas in general), they use good valves and springs, so head work usually isn't needed.

 

Right on AlkyBurninx. If the rings are wore on a Honda with a cast iron sleeve (like the 250X) the cylinder is almost certainly at or beyond the limit. I would probably go with the stock piston which should be available at .25 mm oversize. If you deem this rebuild necessary, make sure you supply your machinist with piston to cylinder clearance specs. The stock Honda piston to cylinder clearance is probably around .0015 inches, but ask your Honda tech (avoid the front desk if possible) to look it up in a shop manual for you. While your at it , get the part number off the manual and order one. If you choose the Wiseco, get the specs off the box. Is it a difficult rebuild? Well yes and no. The work isn't hard but it must be done absolutely right. For example which ring goes in which landing and the stamping on the ring always faces up. Many things you have to find out so if you have a manual, torque wrench, reasonable workmanship, and a reliable source of info to fall back on, go for it. Sorry getting long winded but have to add the question: Are you SURE it's not leaking somewhere, if not , for the amount of oil it's using, and if you think it's running good , it will probably last a while yet. If you decide to rebuild it, a well built Honda top end will last indefinitely assuming you keep good oil in it at the proper level, and service and especially OIL your air filter!! I question the wisdom of using 20w50 oil too, unless the temperature is well above 90F or so, again the manual has those specs. Cam and rocker repairs are expensive too (wrong oil viscosity). Also have the head\valves inspected while it's apart. In my exp. the exhaust ones seem to last forever, but the intake ones can show some wear. peace and good luck 83Honda200X!