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Drove my new tw200 (1997) 10 miles and she locked up!!!!!

28K views 260 replies 39 participants last post by  kj7687 
#1 · (Edited)
Well I bought this 1997 tw200 last fall and got it out today to go shed antler hunting and got about 10 miles from home and downshifted to make a corner, let the clutch out and the motor died! I coasted to a stop with the clutch handle squeezed and tried to restart. Elec start tries but can't turn the engine. Kick start is stuck. Got it home and dropped the oil; everything looks good no metal or flakes. No metal particles on filter. Oil level was correct and had been changed by previous owner last fall.
Prior to this I never thought the clutch felt right when taking off. It wouldn't grab till the clutch handle was almost all the way out. Which was uncomfortable for me with small hands and short fingers.
What do I do next? Anybody have a diagnosis for me ? I hope this is t gonna cost me a grand to fix. Could the internals of the clutch cause something like this. I should also note that prior to this the tw had a ticking noise at highway speeds that I was in the process of diagnosing but unfortunately I have a new problem to fix; probably related I would guess. I was hope it the ticking was a high speed vibration of the wiring or something but I have a feeling it was something in the engine. No cracks or holes in the motor though. spark plug is dry dry
 
#4 ·
The neutral light on the dash indicated neutral. Bike will roll in neutral with clutch in either position. Bike will not roll in gear with clutch engaged. Bike will roll in gear with clutch disengaged but you have to bump it pretty good to get it going; acts like the clutch grabs a bit when it shouldn't
 
#5 ·
Yeah that seems to be pretty normal. My TW is the same way. If I put it in gear and squeeze in the clutch, I have to rock it a bit to get it to roll.

So then... to be clear... the starter isn't turning the motor and the kickstarter won't turn it over either?

Try pulling the spark plug and see if you can spin it with the kickstarter.

Also, where are you located? There might be somebody closeby who can help.
 
#6 ·
Those tests seem to rule out the clutch. Good progress so far.
Can you pull spark plug and peek inside with an compact LED or inspection light to look for irregularities?
With plug out can you roll bike backwards in gear to reverse the piston travel direction while listening for audible clues?
The clutch feel is likely normal, but I don't think the ticking at highway speeds is.:(
 
#8 ·
Okay, still any number of issues that are non-catastrophic, but they are getting more complicated.

if it were mine, I'd pull the timing chain cover off and ensure that looks right... isn't loose or broken or anything. It's entirely possible if the timing chain snapped, it's jammed up and preventing the motor from turning over.

Next, I'd pull the side covers... pull the clutch basket, look for stuff in there out of place. This is where having somebody local could help. :)
 
#9 ·
Pulled the plug and looked inside the best I could. Appears as thought piston is down and maybe a valve is open. I can see 4-5 marks on the back of the cylinder wall that appear to be perfectly perpendicular to the direction the piston travels. They seem to go all the way around the inside of the piston wall. Idk what a piston wall should look like! Doesn't seem to be deep gouges though
 
#10 ·
Auto part Engine Motor vehicle Fuel line Vehicle
I'm no expert and I don't have any manuals. There are some covers on the clutch side that look fairly easy to pull off. I have no idea where the timing chain is. What do the two big slotted things on the clutch side access; they look like they are made for a huge flat screwdriver to unscrew.
 
#11 ·
You are under the watchful eye of some of our best. The timing chain gear cover is at the top of the cylinder on the same side as the picture you posted.

Not sure seeing your piston & valve 'down' is a good sign given what you have described.


 
#14 ·
Actually the clutch is under the right side cover. On the left side those "two big slotted things" are like inspection ports that can be best unscrewed with a very large washer. Beneath top one are timing marks on the flywheel/stator assembly. The lower one covers end of crank where you can put a socket and rotate crank. Also on left side up on cylinder is another cover sealed by simple O-ring so you can remove that cover to reveal cam gear and timing chain without worry about reattaching cover later...that o-ring can survive many open/close cycles.
The plug out while rolling backwards recommendation was to facilitate reversing while listening carefully for clues. You could also accomplish this with the socket-on-crank mentioned above. The goal is to detect whether entire engine is locked up with no rotation possible in either direction, or whether engine can be reversed for some degrees. A broken gear tooth, or debris could impede rotation in one direction but be freed up when engine is turned in opposite direction. Same for some valve train issues. Thus listen/feel if and where any irregularities come from...top or bottom, left or right. If indeed entire engine is locked up without any perceivable clues as to where problem possibly resides then further disassembly is warranted.
Use forum's search feature to look for the service manual which PURPLE usually posts a link to as a curtesy to new members with repair issues.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all he recommendations. and no, I Am not a mechanic but I like to tinker which can be dangerous. Although I have learned in the past ten years these forums have helped me tinker successfully on boat motors, rokons, four wheelers, etc. I like to do my own work to learn as well As save money. Later tonight I'll access some of the stuff you've recommended. I am from southern Iowa. How much could it cost to rebuild one of these engines??
 
#16 ·
Cost depends on just what is wrong and how you plan to go about the repair. Certainly forum members can lead you through the disassembly and reassembly to save costs. Similarly genuine Yamaha parts can be had from vendors other than a Yamaha dealership for more serious savings. Boats.net is one of these whose inventory comes from the same jobbers who make the parts for Yamaha Motor Company. Next specialty services like cylinder honing, or valve installation can be subcontracted out to motorcycle machine shops. Next most expensive is to farm the whole job out to an independent motorcycle repair shop followed. Finally peace of mind can be had at genuine Yamaha prices at your local Yamaha Service Dept.
Good luck, lets investigate further to try to diagnose just what is amiss, these things are pretty hard for a shade-tree mechanic or novice to screw up.
 
#18 ·
Auto part Suspension Suspension part
Ok well I think I have a bit of good news. I took off the access cover and was able to turn the big nut with a ratchet. Not much but it's loose anyway. I can prly only get an eigth of a turn at best but the piston isn't stuck. I can watch thru the spark plug hole and wTch it move while I turn the ratchet. Now onto the timing chain cover is this pic it ? Do I still need to look in there?
 
#19 ·
Interesting. If you can turn the motor over from that bolt, then it sounds like something is messed up in the starting gears. Definitely a good sign, since that should be a fairly easy fix.
 
#21 ·
If you don't already have JIS phillips screwdrivers, you might want to invest in a set. They fit the philips heads well so you won't bugger the screws. I got mine from ebay. And best of luck with this project. I'm not a mechanic, but I learn much from the genius population here.
 
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#24 ·
My original engine busted off a valve and it dropped in the cylinder and jammed it up. The motor could be turned over a little but not all the way around. I would also pull off the rocker covers and look in there.
 
#25 · (Edited)
1) Can you hear, feel, or guess where in engine the motion comes to an abrupt end when you turn crankshaft with the ratchet? i,e, any clunking, grinding, scraping? if so where? Any difference is feel when motion comes to a stop turning clockwise vs counterclockwise? ( I was thinking of eliminating possibility of a valve problem like vanillagorillas too) Download and read relevant portions of Main Manual yet?
Here is a downloadable copy:
Service and Repair Manuals

2) Can you tell roughly where the piston is in it's stroke (55.7mm is approx 2.2 inches)? At top of stroke you should see piston ~ 1/2 " below plug hole. At bottom of stroke you should see ~2.7"

3) If "Bike will not roll in gear with clutch engaged" then problem is unlikely related to starter gears, but not impossible. Should jam sound from low in engine, and with ready access to replacement gaskets, the left and right engine covers could be removed . Check for irregularities like broken cir clip, gear teeth, return spring misalignment or fragments, etc.
 
#27 ·
Yeah, I have had that problem too:(:(
Unfortunatly Rokon won't be able to see the bent stems with the valve covers removed, just the tip of the valve stem surrounded by valve spring and hopefully two valve keeper halves all comfortably capped by rocker arm assembly and tight valve adjuster nut.
Vanillagorilla has a point though in that removing covers now might reveal anything out of order like a loose or missing lock nut, valve keeper fragments, etc...
 
#28 ·
alright just one more and ill let ya keep digging. when mine snapped the stem off the spring retainer and keepers it smashed the top of the stem all to hell with its last few breaths. this was obvious from the inspection covers.
Untitled by dolphaxel, on Flickr
 
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