Expert advice needed - please share your opinion - KTM 2-stroke engine seized
 

Hey fellow ATV-Connection users

This is in regards to a KTM 125cc, watercooled.

In January, our company serviced this particular model.

3 Months and 357km's (222 miles) later, the client came back, said the engine seized, and its our fault.

The Reason :

The engine seized because water got in the engine the engine with the 2 stroke. He now claims that we somehow put water in the 2 stroke tank.

My question is thus - if our company put water in the fuel tank, who is this KTM capable to run 222 miles, before seizing? If it happened to be just a little bit water, but enough to seize the engine, then it should have seized shortly after the first run after the service, because the 2 stroke oil drifts on water, and the water goes to the bottom.

We actually made a test, mixing water and 2 stroke oil, and the water went down and the oils drifts on the water.

So how is this possible, and is it possible? - if there is water in the tank, and mixed with 2 stroke oil, and the water goes down and the 2 stroke drifts, then the water should go to the engine first, resulting a seized engine far less than 222 miles

Please advice, correct me if I'm wrong and share your opinion.

wont happen , a ktm 125 wont even get close to doing 222 miles on a tank of gas ....more like jetted incorrectly or sucking air. ... tear it down and find the problem.

:yup: We sold KTM dirt and street bikes and my son had a 125 and no way could you get 222 miles on a tank of premix!! The guy is trying to get you to shaft yourself! Offer to tear down and show him the problem or tell him straight that you will treat him fairly but he has to realize it's bucks out of his pocket! Also don't know what kind of warranty you quoted him,but we had 30 days for off road vehicles,90 days for street machines as did most shops in our area. OPT

yeah....
 

Thanx for your input guys.

I'll reply soon and will keep you posted.

just to help you out :

water wont seize a 2 stroke , what happens is water will go to the bottom, so it gets to the bottom of the float bowl and the good fuel is used ontop. when the water gets to high the engine sucks it in and quits/bogs ect not seize. most of the time with water in the float bowl it wont even start. Water dont burn.

A tear down will tell all, or even just pull the plug. Im betting it was run lean/they didnt mix there fuel/ of it has a bad seal and sucked air ....

thank you bartmann

x2 on what bartmann said-

sounds fishy to me.

would take more than a little water in the tank to fry a piston- even then, I'd think the motor would just bog down and not start unless it was a head gasket failure.

3 months later??? warranty a 2 stroke???
Sounds like maybe he didn't break the new top end in properly- mixture too lean. rebuilt 2-strokes should be running very rich and fouling plugs.

I'd tell him to have a nice day and send him on his merry way.

I'm wondering how you know the bike has 222 miles on it since it was serviced. I haven't seen a KTM 125cc two stroke that has an odometer. But assuming it did have 222 miles on it when it seized, that is probably 5 or 6 tanks of gas since it was serviced. If water is the problem, it is much more likely that someone else had added water at one of those refills, than it is that you added water 6 tanks of gas ago, and that that is now causing the problem.