New Guy to the Forum/Questions

[johndeerekid]

hello everyone, im new to the site and figured i'd introduce myself. my names Wesley and im from canada. i just went a picked up a 1999 WR400F for $1400. the bike is a little rough but nothing a little tlc cant fix. the bike is pretty much stock fro what i can see. it has a YZF250 pipe on it, a vapor trail tech speedo, a takasago excel rear rim, and a big twin air filter. as soon as i got it home i tore her apart. its had a few problems. the fork seals on the front are leaking so we are replacing those, the water pump weep hole is weeping so i need to replace that stuff, the carb is dumping gas out the bottom as soon as you turn the fuel on so we are taking it apart and cleaning the jets and hoping thats it. it also needs a new clutch handle since this one is stripped. other than that it just needs a cleaning. anyway onto the pics of her-

air box full of mud, not a good sign

Carb out

leaky seals

YZF250 pipe

heres a quick question, i saw this nipple on the shock resevior and was wondering what is it for. does the shock take straight air orrrr?

the guy layed her down and dented the rad

some wear

more wear

Bald Front and Rear Tires

Vapor Trail Tech Speedo

tools and the tank and plastics

more in next post

[johndeerekid]

the carbbbb

and the air filter

anyway i am very glad i found this forum because it seens to have sooo much information and such great members. also i would like to note this isnt my first bike, i have had a XR70, TTR125. XL250 and now this so im no newb to dirt bikes. also if i was just wondering is there is any specific things i should look out for on the bike or anything i have to check and anything specific to clean on the carb and to check and whats the best way to remove the impeller shaft and seals ad bearing, and comment would be greatly appreciated. also as far as replacing the impeller shaft and parts this is all i need right -

SHAFT, IMPELLER - 5GR-12458-00-00

OIL SEAL - 93109-11073-00

OIL SEAL,SD-TYPE - 93102-12321-00

BEARING - 93306-00105-00

thanks, -Wes:banana:

[2grimjim]

I bought a '99 WR400 brand new and it was indestructable. 5 years of riding and never had any engine covers off. The valve on the shock is for charging the bladder inside. it is used to accomidate the changing volume of the shock as the shaft moves in and out. normally it is charger with nitrogen gas (N2) @ 145-175 psig. Air can work in a pinch but N2 is preferred.

Something you may want to consider is replacing the stock exhaust cam with one from Hot Cams that incorporates an automatic compression release. It'll make the bike much easier to start and you can do away with the manual compression release.

[gsa102]

DON'T mess with the nipple on the shock. It is charged with high pressure nitrogen to reduce oil foaming.

The list for the water pump looks right but I didn't check part numbers. Take the side cover off, then loosen the impeller while you hold the shaft from the other side with a wrench. The spring on the inner seal goes in, the spring on the outer seal goes out. (Or, the numbers on the seals face each other) After replacing the seals, lube the shaft and reassemble, tighten with the side cover off, then reinstall side cover with a new gasket.

Looks rode hard, but definitely fixable.

[MANIAC998]

Just be sure to check your valve clearances. This is VERY important. Maniac

[DSM_Tambo]

Hi! Nice bike you got there! minor work needed, but they always need some sort of work anyways.

What part of Ontario are you from?

[johndeerekid]

2grimjim- niceee and glad to hear i bought a good bike, and yeah i was thinking about the hot cams but i need the exercise:P

gsa- note taken "dont touch shock nipple" thanks a bunch for the info on the water pump its gunna help me a bunch.

maniac- alright ill make sure i check it out, thanks:)

DSM- thanks man and yeah that seems like thats how it always is. and im from St.Catharines which is on the souther part of lake ontario.

alright well i took the carb apart to find that she was gummed up:( the needle valve was stuck and there was stuff in all the jets. so i took it all out and WD40'd and brake cleaned the crap out of it and blew it all out and managed to clean everything up nice and clean. so i installed the carb back in and put the bike back together. she started right up first kick<3 and damn with the YZF shes LOUDD:banana:. but i have a few problems. one is that the choke wont stay on. when i first put the carb in you could pull the choke out and start the bike up nice, now when i pull the choke out it pops right back in. i dont know what happened it worked fine earlier today. the other problem is the bog, its horrid. you hammer the throttle and theres like a 2 second delay then it takes off like a rocket. but im gunna go through the how to get rid of bog sticky. then the last problem is that shes popping when you let off the throttle but that might have something to do with the bogging. then lastly is she stalls out unless you keep revving it, the idle is at 2300 so its not like its so low. also where about is the air idle and fuel screw on this carb beause i cant see it anywhere. i would absolutely love some help and suggestions for these problems. thanks, -Wes:thumbsup:

[johndeerekid]

alright well i removed the carb again today and found out that the plastic part that squeezes the choke plunger to keep it out it worn and loose so i need a new choke assembly. also i cant find any 20W 40 oil anywhere so i was thinking of using 20W 50 or 15W 40. would i be able to use either of these? thanks -Wes

[bulldog1331]

Rotella T 15W40 is all I use...I can't see why it wouldn't work for you. Canadian Tire has it for @ $3/litre.

Good luck with the rebuild.

[jrutkows]

alright well i took the carb apart to find that she was gummed up:( the needle valve was stuck and there was stuff in all the jets. so i took it all out and WD40'd and brake cleaned the crap out of it and blew it all out and managed to clean everything up nice and clean. so i installed the carb back in and put the bike back together. she started right up first kick<3 and damn with the YZF shes LOUDD:banana:. but i have a few problems. one is that the choke wont stay on. when i first put the carb in you could pull the choke out and start the bike up nice, now when i pull the choke out it pops right back in. i dont know what happened it worked fine earlier today. the other problem is the bog, its horrid. you hammer the throttle and theres like a 2 second delay then it takes off like a rocket. but im gunna go through the how to get rid of bog sticky. then the last problem is that shes popping when you let off the throttle but that might have something to do with the bogging. then lastly is she stalls out unless you keep revving it, the idle is at 2300 so its not like its so low. also where about is the air idle and fuel screw on this carb beause i cant see it anywhere. i would absolutely love some help and suggestions for these problems. thanks, -Wes:thumbsup:

Do yourself a huge favor and assume the bike was running nice when was parked, don't do anything about the bog until you replace the pilot jet. It's so small that you really can't clean it well and it's almost for certain still dirty. It's only a few bucks, and it may well solve everything. If the pilot jet on my bike gets dirty I can still start it ok, bike idles, but off idle it runs like crap and bogs.

[johndeerekid]

alright will pick some of that oil up tomorrow bulldog, thanks. and jrutkows whats the part number for the stock jet because theres 5 different ones. EDIT: got the whole coolant shaft and such out. -Wes

Edited April 13, 2011 by johndeerekid

[jrutkows]

alright will pick some of that oil up tomorrow bulldog, thanks. and jrutkows whats the part number for the stock jet because theres 5 different ones. EDIT: got the whole coolant shaft and such out. -Wes

It will be listed in the carb parts diagram as slow jet, they look like

http://www.bikebandit.com/keihin-21-series-pilot-jet?WT.mc_id=1484958&CAWELAID=338444943 (don't order here they should only be <$5)

it will be right next to the main jet, you want to pull it to see what size you have, don't assume it is stock size. You may also want to get an adjustable fuel screw or they also make a tool so you can easily adjust the fuel screw on the bike.

See the sticky about adjusting the pilot circuit, once that is dialed in then see if you still have that bog, then start tuning the AP.

When I pulled out my 01 WR250 last week after sitting all winter, it fired up just fine but was running like crap and bogging. I swapped the pilot out and when I took of down the driveway the front wheel came up of the ground, it made that big of a difference.

[L. Euler]

yep, get a handful of different jets. Impossible to clean, easy to change. And another vote for check the valve clearance.

[johndeerekid]

alright thanks a bunch for the responses guys they helped a bunch! the carb still had the stock pilot jet (45). so i made an order from cheapcycleparts, i ordered a pilot jet, choke plunger, steel oil filter, clutch cable, impeller shaft, the 2 oil seals and the bearing for the water pump, fork seals, 2 gaskets for the case sides, and a new bolt since some idiot broke one of the heads off. i also just went out and picked up a new spark plug and some Rotella T 15W40 oil and some DOT 4 brake fluid since there wasn't a drop in the brakes. ill be picking up some new tires and a rear tube this week, and a clutch handle since the stock ones stripped. also as usual i have another quick question, what coolant would you guys recommend for the bike since i had to drain what was in it. thanks a bunch. -Wes

[miweber929]

Pre mixed bike coolant (I use Maxima) with the proper amount of some Water Wetter or you can use an automotive style but it must be rated for aluminum radiators. I do not recommend that however for really no good reason. Just feel better with the high perf bike stuff.

Mike

Edited April 18, 2011 by miweber929

[travertt]

Just a couple of suggestions of the "preventative" and "common sense" variety...and relatively cheap.

1- Get a proper aftermarket skid plate...I picked up some serious frame dings on my 04 WR450 with the factory stuff still on it. Its an agravating sensation to whack the frame directly on some well placed rock and it definitly will throw off your concentration for a few seconds.

2- Get a good set of aftermarket rad guards on there...they will save your life! Imagine being 5K into the bush and loosing all your coolant...its a looonnnngg and exhausting push out! It doesn't take much of a side impact to spring a leak in the rads.

Nice project....good to see them coming back from the dead.

[johndeerekid]

alright thanks mike! ill be pickin up some coolant this week. also yeah the stock skidplate is a joke so ill probably be making my own with my dads help since he's a welder by trade. and we're gunna see if we can come up with something for a rad guard. also i havve been looking at the manual and it shows to check the valve and guide clearance you have to take the whole engine head off. is that true? because if so thats going to be a pain in the ass. is there any other way of checking the clearance? and how often do you check it? im hoping not that often because if i wanted to take the motor apart all the time i woulda bought a two stroke. -Wes

[MANIAC998]

Wes, You don't need to take off the cylinder head to check the valves. All you have to remove is the upper cover that sits on the cylinder head. It's pretty easy, and unless the bike has been abused to death, it doesn't need to be done all that often unless you like to ride in the upper RPM range all the time. Maniac

[johndeerekid]

i did a bunch more research and realized i was looking at the in depth way of checking the motor out. and not just the valve clearance, i totally get it now:) anyway ive been getting a bunch of work done to the bike. after i got it all apart the first time and cleaned her right up-

i got her alll taken back apart again-

i took both case sides off of the motor so i could replace the gaskets and a broken bolt. i am trying to replace all the stuff i can that way i know its gunna be right-

then we found out a bit of bad news. the idiot before us rode the bike without the top swing arm rubber guard to keep the chain from doing exactly what it did which is wear a groove into the arm and caused the arm to get a nice hairline crack:( so we had to tear all the rear assembly off-

heres the crack

heres the groove-

the good part is my dad is a welder and he works at a transport repair shop and they mainly deal with aluminum stuff so my dad said it will be no problem to fix, thank goodness. and he said it will be easy to make a nice thick aluminum skid but itll be a little bit before we do that. anyway i picked up some new grips and clutch lever and picked up some shock oil. i ordered some new brake shoes and am going to get some new tires this week. and hopefully my parts will arrive from cheap cycle parts and i can get this baby back together. -Wes

[johndeerekid]

alright well we got the arm all welded up-

we tore the whole rear suspension down to grease it up but found that it was dry as a bone and rusted to hell, so we had to order a bearing kit which we are installing tonight, but we got the suspension all apart and cleaned up-

shock all cleaned up-

we also received the shipment of parts from cheap cycle parts which only took a week which is really surprising since it was pretty much all oem parts and i live in Canada, looks like they're finally stepping up there shipping game-

all the stuff i ordered-

i got the bike all back together, got both case sides on and the water pump rebuild and the new carb pilot jet in.-

i also went out and picked up some beautiful knobby as hell trakmaster 2 tires for the bike. they're dirt cheap and my buddy swears by them-

and this is how the bike sits at the moment-

i picked up the bearing kit today so we will be getting the rear suspension back together, and then we will be putting new oil seals in the forks then we can check the valve clearance and hopefully its all good so i can go riding this weekend. -Wes