Hey guys, I am new here, so first things first - HEYYYYY GUYS!
This forum has been a great help to me while doing my first ever top end rebuild on my LT230S.

I put it all back together, crossed my fingers, kicked her over, and she started! (Thank my lucky stars!)

But..... It seems to run well, but the motor sounds a little bit...um.... "ticky", if you will.

I have ridden other ATVs that kinda sound like this, but I will try my best to describe it. It has a bit of a tick sound that almost sounds like an electrical pop (even though I'm sure it is not electric) or a metallic sound. The best way I could describe it is almost like a diesel motor running at idle or something to that effect.

Heres what I did, just so you guys who are in the know might be able to help tell me if this sound I'm hearing is normal and OK.
-Rebuild top end, went up about 7 cc's (1mm piston size bigger)
-Replaced valve seals and cleaned the hell out of the intake and exhaust valves
-Timed the motor at TDC
-Adjusted valve lash (.0015 on the intake, .003 on the exhaust side)
-Fresh oil
-adjusted carb float and settings

Now, I do have the service manual and followed it to a T. (Thanks to one of you guys for posting it here!)

So, I am thinking, with all the carbon removed from the intake and exhaust valves, am I just hearing the "clink" of the valves when the come into contact with the head?

Just curious, so I don't screw this up. Took me a good 15 hours or so all together I would assume to rebuild it, so I want to make sure this is normal.

Thoughts?

 

You seem to have a very methodical system, so I'm guess you're just overly sensitive because its your first build.

You could check the cam chain tensioner. If there is slack in the chain, it will slap around making a noise. Its pretty easy to check, just take the spring out. Then take the tensioner out and count how my clicks it has left until its fully extended. If its already fully extended, it may not be extended enough to tighten the chain.

Another thought is detonation. What piston are you using? Wiseco? I wouldn't think a 230 with a wiseco would ping. My 300 king sounds like a diesel and the only thing I can figure is its detonation. The 300 has too much clearance between the piston and the head. But the 230 usually doesn't have this problem. You need less than .050 and preferably .035 or so to stop pinging and still be far enough away to not hit the head.

You could try a higher octane gas, but that didn't change a thing in my case. Just made my wallet lighter.

Oh, btw, you need to get out and seat those rings. Don't pussyfoot around listening to it idle. The rings will glaze over and not be cut by the honing.

 

Thank you so much for your speedy response. I was hoping it would be you, you seem like the eminent expert on these machines. I think you might be right that I am being a little sensitive about it since its my first build.

But to answer your questions, I double checked the cam chain tensioner, and it seems fine. About 3/4 extended it looks like.
The piston I am using is a Shindy, and I purchased the top-end rebuild kit + machining from G+H ATv discounters.

Can you please explain more about what you meant by "The 300 has too much clearance between the piston and the head. But the 230 usually doesn't have this problem. You need less than .050 and preferably .035 or so to stop pinging and still be far enough away to not hit the head."? Are we talking valve lash here?

And when you talk about seating those rings, I assume u mean break in period. Are you saying to go full-throttle sometimes to get them seated?

Again, thanks for the help!

 

The sound I'm getting could also almost be described as like when you were a kid and you attached a baseball card in the spokes of your bicycle. Hope that helps. lol

Let me know what you think.

 

Thanks! I don't know about expert, but I know a couple things

Shindy is a foreign piston to me. I didn't know they sold pistons. What did it look like? Flat top? Dome?

Here is a decent article on quench Piston Head Clearance Guide - Tech Article - Chevy High Performance Magazine

My 300 has high compression, but no quench. It doesn't detonate at higher rpms, just idle. There is too much turbulence to detonate at higher rpms. So that might be one indication for you... if the engine only makes the noise at idle.

After you hone a cylinder, the hone is sharp and will cut the ring to fit. If you pussyfoot, you're not developing enough pressure to fully sink the hone "teeth" into the ring to cut, so you get more of a polishing action with the tops of the hone marks. The ring glazes over and becomes difficult to cut. The ring then smooths out the hone marks and never seals. So its important as soon as you get the engine running to get out and run it hard.

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power

If its a popping sound, it might be a leak in the exhaust.

 

It would be pretty hard to get the valves to hit the piston on these machines right? Like, you would have to really have the lash set ridiculously down, like in the negatives to do that, correct? Just curious, I may be paranoid, but I just want this thing to run for another 27 years.

Anyway, the Shindy piston is a flat top, looks almost just like the stock piston.

And I did see a little bit of an exhaust leak at the header/head connection. Tightened it up and I havent seen and more fumes or anything coming out from there anymore. But still the odd sound. Maybe that is just what a newly rebuilt 230 sounds like. I will try to make a video of it so you can hear and tell me if its normal.

Run the engine hard? That is completely the opposite of what the break-in tips that G+H provided said, though I have heard that before. Is that the common practice with LT230s? You've ran them hard after a rebuild and had good luck? I was kinda running it "medium" so to speak. I have only ridden it for less than a half hour so far.

Thanks again for your help and response! And Squidbillies is dope, I was thinking about getting an Early Cuyler tattoo hahaha

 

I live in Early's neighborhood lol

You would have to skip a few teeth on the cam timing to hit the valves. And if you ever hit the valves, you'd know it!

Is the shindy piston a high compression piston?

I just bought a 300 king quad last fall (which is now my pride n joy) and spent lots of time getting the carb just right because I knew once I bored it out, I wouldn't want to tinker on the carb before breaking it in. As soon as I got it all together, I took off like a drunk squid out of hell. I didn't ride unless it was full throttle. But don't ride for hours like this. Ride for a while and let it cool for an hour or so. Heat is the enemy. A hot saw doesn't cut. Go do something else. Then come back and give it hell some more.

Me and a guy were talking about this years ago and I said "why not just find a tree and put the bumper against it and give it hell for a while? That ought to seat those rings!". Because you need load on the engine. He mentioned he thought letting off the throttle and letting the engine slow the quad was a good idea too so the rings seat in from the other direction. I guess so. But the thing I want to stress is NEVER just let go of the throttle at high rpms! Actually, unless my rpms are down, I don't let the engine slow me at all.

On the compression stroke, the pressure is pushing the piston down. On the power stroke, the pressure is pushing the piston down. One the exhaust stroke, the pressure is pushing the piston down. On the intake stroke, the pressure is negative and is pulling the piston up... and that's where you will break a rod. So don't ever suddenly close the throttle.

If I ran a professional shop, I would include the break in as part of the rebuild job because I couldn't trust the customer to do it right. If I left it up to them and they drove like grandma and a while later it started smoking, it would be my rep on the line.

I have no idea why factories recommend an easy break-in. Maybe its liability. "Suzuki said to ride it hard so I hit a tree while trying to follow directions and now I'm suing!" Who knows.

 

Thanks again!!

I have been RIPPING it down my street, full throttle, top gear. Thing seems to do about 60 or so. Been riding it out in the grasslands too, which is rough terrain, to put a good load on the motor. Varying my RPMs but for the most part, keeping it in lower gears to keep the revs up. I had been doing a bit of downshifting and letting the motor slow me down, I guess I'll put an end to that. So probably the best thing I can do is rip it full throttle, through all the gears, on the street?

And I think you were right about me being a little sensitive since its my first build. The thing went from being SUPER hard to start and smoking like a SOB to now starting on the first kick. I think the difference in sound is just because it's running correctly for once. I must have done something right!

 

What is the compression ratio of the shindy piston? I'm just curious about it.

As long as there is load on the engine, that's all that matters. Accelerating or riding in tall grass would count. Just cruising on the street? No, not unless your tires are flat.

You can decel by downshifting, just don't do it from high rpms.

Glad it worked out for you. Pretty soon you'll be rebuilding all your friends' engines too! This kinda thing can be addicting. There is a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

 

No idea about compression ratio on the Shindy piston.

BUT I just realized I may have done something..... moderately stupid regarding timing and lash.

I timed the motor with the flywheel at TDC and the cam had the hash marks lined up along the head, with the other mark (looks like an E) facing down towards the cylinder. This was how it was when I initially took it apart. The cam lobes were facing up.

Like this:


Now, I adjusted the valve lash while like this also. Is this ok? Looking at the situation now, I am thinking the cam lobes should have been facing down??

So my main question now is, do I need to have the "e" mark on the cam at 12 o'clock (instead of 6) before doing valve lash?

Please help before I run this thing anymore!!