flyday58

Got to thinking while reading a thread in another part of the forum. BLACkHAT250 posted the following comment about DT400E jetting: Aha " thats what mine used to do, after it sits for a night, I think you should pull the head & barrel , then spin the crank, an see if thers gear oil on the bottom of crank, i suspect R/h crank seal sucking thru , i know it will burn it off , but if its as bad as mine was, it will be half up the crank, talking up swept volume in the case, resulting in that kangaroo effect, see how smooth that DT in video is, So now I'm thinking (yup, Danger! American thinking! ), where do the main bearings get their oil? The two drilled passages in the case direct oil to the bearings, but whither the oil? I've had oil on the crank in the past, it just never occurred to me that this was bad. So it must be the injector oil mix? Or are there internal passages leading from within the case to the bearing cavities? If there are, I couldn't find them. It's raining again so I've got time to come up with nutball questions like this.

Had any success? I bought a CS5 last May that was supposed to be in great shape, was told by the seller that I could ride it back to Mississippi from Nebraska. Glad I didn't try, I'd still be out there somewhere. I've found way too many things wrong, beginning with the left and right carb float bowls being switched. That's bad. Also anything that sits with gas in it for very long these days is gonna require three or four thorough cleanings to ensure you cleared all the passageways. Then there's the crank seals. 41 year- old bike, there gonna be shot and suck air, leaning the mixture. These are places I'd look hard at. That being said, now that I've got most things sorted, this little 198cc bugger is a blast to ride. Just needs one more gear...

I asked about ethanol fuels raising combustion temps in my heat seize tread. I'm pretty sure it is part of my and other people's problems in this area. On the Air-Cooled RD forum they speak of casualties at every event due to heat seize. I just didn't realize ethanol was being used to save the UK as well. Sacha, check with your bike shops, I'm sure someone around your area sells non-ethanol fuel. There's even a BP station down the street from me who carries it. At a mark-up, of course. I'm also in the camp with those that say tinkering with the jetting helps a lot with problems with the new fuel formulas, even if you are able to get non-ethanol fuel. Good thread, OGOAB.

Hmm...think I'll see if I can 'procure' one of those from my hotel room next month in London. I'm sure they won't notice a kettle hanging from my travel bag!

Sure thing, Paul. Been just thrashing it around the yard yesterday but today I will venture over to the dirt pit behind our property to wind it out. We are in the county with lots of open land all round. Just have to watch for hunters with their assault rifles looking for deer to blast. I like the max temp feature on these Trail Tech meters, saves having to stop during the ride. No, I haven't mounted mine permanently yet as I have been switching between the DT and the CS, so I can't view it while riding. But I do have a 2nd one on the way so each will have one. BTW, did you make your bracket? Looks laser-cut and all.

thanks, all!

Paul, the o-ring is there, just hard to see (no flash). Yes, the taper is manky but only on the surface, it doesn't extend into the metal. The original crank, however, was largely compromised where the crank seal rides so I changed it with my spare. Everything was well-cleaned - didn't take before and afters of all the ugly stuff.

So. After I got it all back together and rideable, I did just that. It took awhile, but my temps eventually climbed into the 200s again. Not happy. At all. So I limped home at 30 mph to keep the temp down. But she is MUCH peppier. Very responsive to throttle inputs, noticeably better than before. So I am convinced the inside crankcase seal was bad, drawing in air and oil and causing an over-lean condition. Paul, your temps sometimes run in the 200s and you say you've gotten comfortable with that, so I am willing to allow that this may be normal of a single cylinder air-cooled behemoth like the DT175. My air-cooled twin CS5 runs much cooler, normally not over 160, and I will attribute this to dividing up the work between essentially two motors. So I decided to fiddle with the jetting again. I took the 160 out and went back to a 140, leaving the needle jet clip where it was, one rich. Went out in the boonies, and what a bowser! Unless I cranked on the throttle, she just popped and spit and acted like her mouth was full and she was choking. So I stopped on the trail, removed the slide and put the needle one notch to the lean side. VOILA! This is the bike I remember lusting after. Fabulous throttle response, God it was so much fun out there!! I am going to continue tinkering with the jetting. As far as seizing and the heat, I really have to wonder if all my troubles aren't down to just not letting the old gal get completely broken in from the bore job. It's less than 300 miles since, so for now I will be showing her brush pan the dirt and grass behind my house with lots of varying throttle and just have fun for awhile. Maybe not the best way to treat an aging enduro but it's too damn much fun. Cheers all.

And finally.

Nothing says 'love' like Mikuni!

Yes, the washer for the tacho gear IS installed... Ready to dance. Almost.

You can see the water damage on the clutch pressure plate. I ended up replacing it as I had to disassembled the whole thing again for reasons I will not here divulge. Let's just say I felt a right arse when the shift shaft wouldn't slide through the bore.

Pics are 3 days' worth of work last week. Felt good to be doing some assembly again. Once a mech, always a mech, I guess.

You're such a perv, DDT! Ain't we all! (Except for maybe Sacha...nah!!)

New bearings, seals, a better crank - the original spent some years in a wrecking yard with typical rain results. The left side case and magneto spindle on the crank suffered the most damage, lots of pitting possibly preventing a good seal, so I put in my spare, along with the left case.

FINALLY got my parts, going back together AGAIN.

HELL no. But I've been looking for 710 caps for like ever. I'm gonna get 2, one for the Smart and one for the DT.

HELL no.

Agreed. From experience.

Did you have the cylinder bored? If not it prolly is just REALLY broke in, depending on the miles. Ya know, burning crankcase oil at high revs? How about a pic or your gem? I had one in '77, stolen in '78. Broke my heart, man. btw, I use photobucket for posting pics.

I would reply, but what's the topic?

Beautiful resto job, better than new. Currently looking for an R5 meself. Oh, and welcome to YOC.