revenger666

I think the "E" was just the next letter in the production model year (lol, not sure how to describe it) Bike VIN Data Check out that link I came across a little while back, they matched up VIN #'s to models, year, etc. The DT line is on there. Not sure how accurate it is, but my VIN matches up for 1978 DT175E. It doesn't have electric start, it's kick start only And thanks for the heads up on the circlips. I went and bought a couple.

Hey everyone, I wanted to bring up my old topic again because I have brought my project back into the light and decided to work on the piston rings. I did the "add-oil-to-the-cylinder-and-see-if-you-get-better-compression" piston ring test and the bike actually ran for a few seconds. So I decided to pull the head off again and the cylinder block as well so I could get to the rings and see what kind of condition they were in. They seem to be in good condition, just stuck to the piston (gummed up). I did some research and found using stuff like PB Blaster, WD-40, ATF, and Marvel Mystery Oil can help free up rings, so I hit them with some PB and WD-40, but I think the best way to do this is to let the piston sit in a small container with some of this stuff (or MMO or something). I was looking at a manual and after looking at the piston, I see the wrist pin is held in with a few snap rings (circlips as the manual called them). The manual said not to reuse them after pulling them out and to put in new ones each time. My questions are: where the heck can I find new "circlips"? The hardware store? And do I really need to run new ones or is the manual just saying to use new ones for the hell of it? Also, if you have any other ideas for trying to free up gummed up rings, feel free to share. Should I hone the cylinder after freeing the rings even though they aren't new? And is ebay the only place (besides Yamaha) to get new piston rings? I can't find them anywhere else (I may want to source new ones just in case something happens with the old ones) Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post and for the revival of a somewhat old thread -Matt EDIT: I will be giving my "local" Cycle Design a call within the next few days, they may have what I need, but I have been told they can be a bit expensive, so if anyone knows other places that may have decent prices, feel free to post them up.

I agree with you on the ease of taking things apart and working on them, but it's finding replacement parts that isn't easy. I'll see if I can get my hands on a compression tester, and go from there I suppose...this is going to suck if I have to pull the head again, what a waste of a brand new headgasket DT175

Well, I did the gaskets, and she still doesn't fire up. I guess that leaves me with the piston rings being shot? What else could it be? Like I said in the first post, it gets air, fuel, and spark. I can get it to spit once, usually only on the first or second kick, then nothing. And if I feel the block, it'll be warm. The thing is, if I put my finger over the spark plug hole and kick the engine, it doesn't come close to pushing my finger off, and I think it should be able to push it off fairly easily. Would it be better if I tried getting a video and posting it up so you guys can try diagnosing it better? If it is the piston rings, is it even worth it to try fixing or should I just look at buying a "new" (used) engine? I'm not too familiar with doing piston work. Thanks again for all the help so far, I appreciate it.

Barrel base I'm assuming is the bottom end where the cylinder/block meets the crankcase? If that gasket were bad, the bike should still run though, correct? I don't think the bottom end would see any compression, if that gasket were bad, wouldn't I just leak oil?

Thanks for all the replies guys. My gasket kit should be here in the next couple of days along with a new spark plug (figures for $2, what the hell, might as well do that too). What's the gap for the spark plug?

When you say "Run it without a battery" do you mean running with a dead battery? or do you mean running it without a battery installed? Its just the battery I have has corroded terminals and the fluid level inside is at about 1/3 of where the fluid line should be. Plus the bike has been sitting for many years. And thanks for the torque specs

Cool, thanks.

Thanks for the replies. Is that the only place for a manual? I didn't exactly want to buy one just to read off a couple torque specs and head gasket tightening sequence I was hoping someone may have one already and would be kind enough to share the info.

Hey everyone, just wanted to introduce myself and ask a couple questions. My name's Matt and I have a 1978 DT175E that was passed down to me from my dad. It's my first bike and I'd like to learn how to ride using that bike. The problem is it doesn't run. It hasn't for many years. My dad thinks it needs a headgasket. I checked myself and made sure I was getting air, fuel, and spark (which I do get all 3). So the only thing I can think of is compression. I'm going to order a complete engine gasket set and replace the headgasket, intake and exhaust gaskets. I'll keep the extra gaskets for down the road. Is there a service manual for the DT175E that is available online somewhere? If not: Can someone give me the torque specs and the pattern to torque down the headgasket? I also need to know the torque specs on the intake and exhaust gaskets. Also, the battery is dead and the terminals are corroded. Do I need to replace the battery for the bike to run? Or will it run fine without a good battery? Being kick start, I don't think having a battery matters, but I'm not sure. Thanks in advance. I'm new to the bike scene, but I'm alright with cars, so hopefully my car knowledge will give me an advantage when working on bikes.