hi i have a chance to buy a 88 lt 250r thats all modded up, and looks mint for $700 but it has a blown headgasket, just wondering if this is an easy job, and if its worth the money, also wondering if theres any way to tell for sure that the problem is a headgasket and not something else, any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

If it is not running, I would not offer more than $350.00. Could be a can of worms!

 

thanks for the reply, it does run but it leaks antifreeze into the exhaust

 

Not really sure how you tell a guy what to offer on a quad you know nothing about. Might have a $2000 set of Elkas on it. OP, there's really no way to tell what's wrong until you tear it down. You could pressurize the coolant system and look for leaks but even if you determine the head is leaking you don't know why. Could be just a gasket, could be the head or jug is warped.

You need to check over the entire bike to get an idea of what it's worth, bearings, bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints, brakes, tires, chain/sprockets, etc. Any aftermarket goodies? It all comes into play and things add up fast.

I wouldn't have a problem with $700 if it was in excellent shape besides the leak but you need to figure in what else it needs. A-arm bearings and ball joints will run you the better part of $300, another $150 for the swingarm and axle bearings, close to $100 for new brake pads if you get good ones, etc. You could throw a $1000 into it easy without ever touching the engine.

Are the case saver bolt holes still intact or has the chain been thrown and broke them off? Any play in the flywheel indicating a bottom end rebuild? Are the shocks nice and smooth or just feel like springs? Lots to look at.

 

ok thanks alot for that post, im going to look at the quad today and ill go over everything that you said, if everything other than the headgaskets good im gonna go for it