How big of a pain in the rear is it to replace a busted timing chain on a 1993 Ultra Evo? Mine snapped on me about 125 miles from home the other day. I had the clutch engaged when it happend (backfired and shot flame, whole nine yards, and went dead as a doorknob out in the middle of nowhere on a back country highway--thank goodness for cell phones and the good Lord watching over this fool), and while turning the motor over trouble shooting it sounded like the valves were NOT bent, but won't know for sure until I get in there. I heard this "shing-shing-shinging" sound every once in a while for the last thousand miles or so. It sounded like a loose piece of metal, you know, so I tightend this and that (which was good--thought I had it identified as being a loose display stand, once I tightened it up the noise went away, only to come back after about 250 or so miles). Anyway, I NEED HELP![]

(I posted this on the general board as well)

 

Evos have no timing chain.

 

I'd have to go with an ignition piuckup in the nose cone.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Any idea what could have been making that noise? It will be next week at least before I can get into the motor.

 

Evo's are a gear driven timing system. You have a primary chain for the enigne to drive the clutch, and a drive belt. SO a bit more info and I will see what i can do for you

 

Well, here is the rundown on what I have looked at so far, and this is not an in depth deal as I did it on the side of the road in my "trouble shooting/suffering from heat" session. I remember when I pulled the plugs that they were a nice tan color--good fuel/air mix. I had brand new extra plugs in my tour pak, so I switched them out figguring it couldn't hurt. Didn't help. I did not test ground the plugs to see if they were firing. It was about 98* and I was HOT and not thinking clearly watching Momma melt in the shade (lol). Anyway, the thing that comes to mind now (I'm at work typing this and have not looked at the bike since I got it home--had other things to do), is that the plugs were not wet---not even after turning the motor over and over and over trying to get it to crank several different times. They had no gas on them. I know, I know, DUH! No gas no run. Like I said, I was hot, and pissed off because we had just left the hotel that had tried to screw us on our rooms--another story for another time.

Anyway, before all this happend, we got stuck in traffic because of a wreck. I was worried about the bike running hot because the ambient air temp was right at 100*, and we were moving slow at about 5mph, then stopping for about 60-90 seconds, then crawling at 5mph, you get the picture.

So, after pulling/swapping the plugs, I took the cover off the hypercharger air cleaner. As I was taking the bottom screw off, oil started to drip from it. Not a good sign. Yup, K & N air filter was black with oil--which I figgured being in stop-n-go wreck traffic helped to generate. I tried to see if it would crank with the air filter off, but it didn't. By that time somebody with a trailer showed up and away we went. Like I said, I haven't looked at the bike since taking it off the trailer at home, I just put it in the garage and called it a weekend. I hope to take a look at it tonight when I get home.

I'm thinking that the carb got gunked up with all that oil vapor from sitting in traffic and the heat and that's why it backfired and croaked. The reason I'm thinking this is I had a ATV do about the same thing. I was running it through the woods behind my house and it started losing power/running rough. It backfired and died. I had had some carb work done on it while it was in the shop a few weeks before that, so I took it back to them for them to look at it. Turns out the carb was full of gunk (guess I grabbed the wrong gas can when I filled it up that day--I save old, stale gas to set stumps and burn piles on fire around our property). Before I took it to them, I shot some starting fluid into the breather and it would run as long as I did that, and when I pulled the drain screw on the float bowl, nothing came out, so that's why I figured it was the carb on it and took it back to the shop--good clue, huh. No gas-no run.

Anyway, I'm gonna check the carb on the Ultra next to see if it has gas in the bowl. If it doesn't have fuel, I think I have it licked. If it does have fuel, I guess I will ground the plugs and see if I have fire. Fire, fuel, air, compression. Won't run with out those. Anyway, sorry to be so long winded with this, but I'm just thinking/typing what pops into my head--plenty of room for ideas to get lost in there, too. Well, back to work before the boss comes over here.[8D]

 

How many miles are on the bike, and have you done anything lately, to the motor? The oil in the filter wouldn't clog the carb, but it could foul a plug, sometimes a fouled plug will show fire by removing it and grounding to the head, but when you put it back in, it won't fire under compression, so sometimes a plug appears good but it actually isn't, this can be decieving. I would do a compression test just to make sure it's good, because you're going to have to eliminate one thing at a time. Like you said you need fire, compression, and fuel. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

One thing if it fires up it may have become vapor locked. I have seen this more than a few times. But yes you will need fire, remove a/c clean it. Wheil removed it you are cranking it and no start you can pump throttle is fuel spraying into carb?? IF not you have no fuel in bowl( most likely) if using stock petcock you may have lost the diaphram in the petcock or the vaccum line to it broke. I see this here and there on sportys. You can remove line from pertcok install small rubber line . ANd apply vaccum to the line does it hold?? You can use you mouth if you want . If so then fuel should be flowing to carb. do this a few times and you should have enough fuel in carb fuel bowl to pump throttle and see fuel squirting into intake. if so you have found problem. I would not think there it any reason to do a compression test, you can but I would serously doubt that is your problem.