The reeds are installed correctly? I was concerned about the rings moving from their position during cylinder installation, if a ring was OVER the pin that holds them I would not have been able to slide the cylinder on right?

 

So I got the head gasket situation straightened out (I think) I read a handful of 1985/1986 250R head gasket threads on multiple sites all saying something different. I resorted to the microfiche showing the slotted and circular holes both together between two studs facing the flywheel side:



I applied a small amount of Three-Bond to both sides of the head gasket just around the bolt holes:



If you look at the image above you will see the gasket is pushed slightly to the left and there is no play in the bolt holes. It even effects the inside of the cylinder ever so slightly and it's not the angle of the photo I checked up close:




CHIT after I had the top end assembled I found the original reed block screws...I used a spare shift drum retainer bracket screw to bring to the hardware store and match up those black hex heads. Turns out the original screws are twice as long, it shouldn't break the short ones under pressure/tension will it? I made sure to thread lock them good with Lock-Tite:

 

If you loc-tited them and torqued them, you should be ok as long as enough thread went through to keep the two items together. Also, about the gasket, does the piston hit the gasket? If the piston doesn't hit the gasket your ok, but if does, you gonna want to try and move it over a little because you don't want the piston to rip your gasket nor do you want the gasket to leeve marks in your piston.

 

I would make sure at least four turns went into the connection on those screws, if at least four turns didn't go in, you might want to change them out.

 

I got a good 3 or 4 turns on them, they did not feel like they were screwing in too shallow I would have picked up on it but I hand tightened them really good, not torqued specifically. I have a spare crappy jug and reed block I will test it so I don't ruin my top end gaskets trying to remove the jug.

Aw dam I should have checked before installing the head.... alcohol lol. I kicked it over on the table by hand a few times and it felt fine so I think I am good but we will see I guess and that brings me to my next problem.

I had the whole thing DONE ready to go back in the frame (which I ended up doing anyway) when I realized...it doesn't shift! The last time I checked was when I installed the ratchet mechanism into the shift drum and it worked fine then. The last thing I did was check torque on all case nuts then install the final drive sprocket which I did not torque but I tightened with a large adjustable wrench going right (engine in reverse) and I heard the piston move (must have moved in reverse) then stopped. I tried kicking it by hand a few times (works fine) but it did not free the shifter, so I tried rotating the drive sprocket back and forth by hand like when sometimes you need to rock the quad to get it to shift but my hand might not have been powerful enough. I tired moving the clutch too no luck (might not have been out far enough) so since it is installed in the frame now I will put the chain on tomorrow and try rocking it and pray it shifts!

I have not tried starting her yet but when I do on new rings I should do 3 or 4 heat cycles just revving it lightly in neutral keeping the RPMs fluctuating right? Then another 2 or 3 cycles in first and second gear at 1/3 throttle, so on and so on?

 

Make sure you shift it out of reverse and back into neutral before you start shifting if you haven't already. Everyone does it differently and everyone says different things, but I ride my quads like I normally do, which means I ride them hard in break-in. Some people say take it easy, others say ride hard, and others say ride normal. Its really hard to judge in all honesty

 

I don't have reverse, I think you misunderstood what I meant. It was in one of the five gears when I snugged the drive sprocket nut which torqued the output shaft in reverse, but until I get it into neutral it will not going to be started.

I'm going to play it safe and ride it soft during the 10 heat cycles, then rip the **** out of it then.

 

I didn't think they had reverse, wasn't sure about the 85-86.

 

What a longgggg day, I spent 7 hours trying to make the damn shifter move plus get the engine all connected. What it came down to is pulling the clutch side apart down to the shift fork...which needed to be removed along with the ratchet mechanism inside the shift drum. Somehow one of the two spring wings was jammed which concerns me because how did this happen and what if it happens while I'm riding. All seems good, requires a lot of rocking to change gears sitting in place. Even though it looks like a roach it's really coming together this year, many new chassis bearings and seals but needs some paint. I kicked her over today and she started right up (minus the prime kicks with a dry carb) I think there is more compression with the new rings and hone because the vapors and smoke really shoot far now from the exhaust. Idling for a few min gets the cylinder, top of radiator, and water pump cover are all very very hot to the touch I would assume the pump is working correctly because the radiator and pump cover are both just as hot as the cylinder, normal?



I still have some work to do in the rear including rebuilding the shock, the 2x4 works for now haha I love my new 89' swinger! I have the rear disc brake stuff now too...but that is the least of my worries




Not a single oil leak or drip I'm impressed, but I started seeing coolant dripping out the bottom! WTF I never noticed this screw hole before and have no idea where it is or how it fell out? What is it even for? This is the hole on a spare case cover but it's MUCH larger than the threaded hole on mine, I just pushed a drill bit into it to do a idling heat cycle:

 

Today was the 4th idle heat cycle (I was fluctuating RPMs) and I decided to do a half throttle ride around my yard in first gear...got the death rev!! After further evaluation I see coolant on the outside edge of the head gasket in a few areas, just a little bit. I checked the head and it seems to have slipped torque or I got a false reading so I am going to remove all those spring washers and try again with flat washers. It was smoking really bad during the idle heat cycles until I put a load on the engine in first gear, so possibly it was burning crankcase oil and did not seat until it got a resistance load?