$200 Kawasaki Dirt Bike - It Runs BAD

KDX200 part 5. I try to figure out why it's running so rich. Mix ratio is 32:1, main jet 150, pilot jet 48, needle top clip.

[@Military-Museum-LP]

It's still worth saving. Keep going. !

[@quagmier3]

There are times when you might seem like an amateur mechanic but you always seem like a professional You tuber and your wife is the best camera girl ever.

[@ericjcherry]

I come to learn more about motorcycle engines, I stay for your wife's ball breaking. She's a gem! Great work you two.

[@pepper7220]

Eric Cherry K

[@keithsiegel5769]

Eric C. K

[@chrisgollihar8057]

Lmaooooo!

[@Hello-uv3nz]

@Grant Nicholas Nice bot promoting a scam

[@Hello-uv3nz]

@Marvin Elias Nice bot promoting a scam

[@ArcticMayhem]

I think it just needed to be run. After running all that bad gas with too much oil for 20 seconds at a time, it was loaded up. Take it out for 20 minutes and run it hard. Mix up some fresh gas with a good clean burning synthetic oil, and see if it clears out. That crankcase has sat for who knows how many years with old oil in it. The crank seal is probably fine, but could be seeping from being loaded up. Also, you should be able to tell from the smell if the smoke is from crankcase oil or running too rich (after running it long enough to burn out any residual seepage or assembly oil). Gear oil has a completely different smell from 2 stroke oil.

[@SilverCanary1]

at the end he shows that the crank bearing has play so that as well as the leaky seals need replacing. the crankcase is not full of oil like a 4 stroke. the oil in the flywheel housing is oil and fuel; there's a serious leak when the engine is running for there to be that much residue.

[@stealthenforcer1907]

it definitely could have been the problem, i had the same problem on my 89 kx80 and i ended up changing all the gaskets for practice working on my engine, ended up fixing the problem for me

[@ryanmoore6795]

You don't have to split the engine cases to change a right-side crank seal! if you take off the right side cover, the clutch basket and primary drive gear, you can sometimes drill and thread a wood screw into the seal and pull it out with a slide-hammer. Changed one on my Cr250, no problem.

[@Nevir202]

Ryan Moore I live for slick little tricks like that. My buddy bought some nylon shifter bushings, and the kit came with installation instructions. It said to basically halfway drop the transmission so that you could remove the part which contains the bushing and press it out. That seemed like a big pain in the ass, so I got underneath it and looked. I ended up taking my pocket knife and sawing the shoulder off of the stock rubber bushing on one side, at which point I could just poke it out with my finger. The new nylon bushings were two piece, so they slipped in from opposite sides no problem. Turned an afternoon project into a 20 minute project.

[@jonnoMoto]

Yep, same procedure on my rm250.

[@dave1135]

Nevir202 I'm a auto mechanic, and back in the 90's gm had the iron duke, a 2.5 four cylinder pushrod overhead valve engine that gm used in EVERYTHING. Instead of using a timing chain, it used a fibre timing gear that was pressed onto the camshaft. The recommended repair procedure was to remove the engine, remove the balancer and front timing cover, remove the valve cover and loosen the rocker arms, remove the lifter side cover and remove the pushrods and lifters, then remove the cam and remove and replace the cam gear using a arbor press. The whole job was listed at 19 hours flat rate. Me and my buddy in the private shop we worked at devised a easier way. Jack the passenger side of the car up, remove tire and inner fender liner. Remove the passenger side cradle bolts and lower engine and subframe to gain access to timing cover. Remove belts, balancer and timing cover. The center hub of the gear is aluminum, using a drill, drill small holes thru fibre sprocket and aluminum hub as close to cam as possible. Using chisel or air hammer, crack hub apart from cam and remove. Center of cam is hollow, take a fine thread tap and cut threads into inner shaft of cam as far as possible. Using long bolt that fits threaded hole and thick washer, coat new gear hub with oil and press onto cam using bolt. Install new cover gasket and seal onto timing cover and install it, reinstall balancer and belts, put subframe back up, replace inner fender and tire, and done. Total time? About four hours, give or take.

[@Nevir202]

dave1135 Most excellent!

[@lancehoward1802]

All these are reasons why you used to hang onto a private mechanic before they started making everything to where you had to go straight to dealer for everything, then pay more for parts, labor, time, etc.

[@NigelThornbery]

You have a way to make the most mundane things seem so interesting. You would make a great teacher.

[@BEYONDVINTAGERESTO]

Your wife is a scream! Duct tape and zip ties are a must for a professional repair job...

[@thomas316]

Browns Nation Duct tape and wire ties work for wives as well.

[@superpanful]

yeah that how i got my wife into our freezer

[@kd5byb]

I'm still laughing over the project unfolding / wallet unfolding comment a few vids ago.

[@calvarycustoms6681]

I wonder if she has a cute sister with the same sense of humor. 🤔

[@christopherk111]

i'm a professional and qualified automotive mechanic--i have always had motorcycles, but only recently obtained a 1990 rm 250---it dows EXACTLY this but still has incredible power-- youve saved me alot of time trouble shooting,--my case may be worst case,but at least i know where to start before i get to those pesky transmission oil seals--thanks folks. :)

[@kenforehand9667]

The only bad experiences are the one's we don't learn from... LOVE the vids and running commentary!

[@kadestratton6416]

It seems to be fine you just need to hold it flat and clear it out and warm it up every 2 stroke runs like that at the start till it’s warmed up

[@CodyJv]

seals. bad.

[@CodyJv]

you said oil leaking out of engine. crank seals and the gaskets. 2 strokes age. they are a love hate but easier then newer 4 strokes that make lots of power.

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

No matter what it shouldn't leak through the other side. Crankcase pressure will always force excess build up out of the engine unless there's a leak as in this case.

[@HorsepowerGarageVideos]

There should never be gas in the stator cover, the crankseals are bad and you can damage the engine riding it with bad seals.

[@brayden9150]

Kade Stratton I know with my bike (RM125) even at the track it smokes pretty good even with it warmed up and I’m running a carburetor jetted and tuned as perfect as I could tune it and my mechanic and the Suzuki dealership and it still smokes but I run a 32:1 mixture but it’s a two stroke so it’s going to smoke no matter what

[@vhfgamer]

oh the dilemma. I like to see a new video from you.. so I want to like. But the bike doesn't run and I don't want anyone to think I like that. But you did an engine swap which I like. But that didn't work either which I don't like. But it ran... I like to see running motors. But it ran like garbage which is sad. So I have no idea if I should like the video or not. frick it... *Slams Like Button

[@sparkie5571]

VHFGamer frick!!

[@Anonymous-ir7ph]

VHFGamer Keeping it family friendly, good on you for using the word frick instead of you know what.

[@MrJanaRobi]

Hey ! I am glad I could watch this again before tearing into my bike .

[@SeanSR]

Love you videos, I go back and watch them over and over.

[@alexhatheway947]

Keep that chin up! We all love seeing the progression and process. Welcome to the wonderful world of 2stroke dirtbikes! My Kawasaki had the same exact problem when I got it. Ended up doing a complete rebuild. But keep in mind that even after the rebuild, the bike will run cold and rich for a bit and smoke a decent amount till you ride it and get some heat in it. You can see my 2 videos on my channel for proof.

[@leelotungal819]

Very, very educational! Learned how to diagnose and repair a dirt bike in 15 minutes, awesome

[@natespears8489]

Keep these coming! Your wife is a great drive for you. You can have this thing brand new in no time!

[@lancehoward1802]

I am so glad you bought this and that generac generator. The later is when I found your awesome channel, and they both meant more videos.

[@callummacleod1921]

Great vid, personally i find it easier to remove the top end and the clutch, flywheel, primary drive gear while the motor is still in the bike. saves it wobbling all over the place on the bench. Also if you cant see the cross hatching in the bore, then the plating is worn out.

[@Dave-ty2qp]

Thanks for being real people. Show us we aren't the only people on earth that learns through our questionable decisions, and grows from them. I really enjoy watching you and your wife have a life. May God ess and keep you.

[@Nevir202]

Considering his phenomenal luck with that “ruined” generator he got for a song, I think this is just balancing out the equation a bit.

[@jaysonburns4423]

I enjoy your videos you make me want a dirt bike so bad...but thanks to you when I get one it will be maintained perfectly with all kinds of nice parts on it . Thank you for your time and each and every video you produce....saving up for my first dirt bike and have been for a while.keep up the good work

[@seanguaraldi2787]

Glad you're going to split the cases. I will mention that there are 2 other things to change as well, make sure the mix is closer to factory spec so you don't foil the plug, and let the bike come up to temp before you rev it. None of my 2 strokes have ever reved on cold start but once they are at temp the revvvvv

[@tinkertime490]

Your far from a amateur man. You teach me so many odd ball ways to get things done. Your just like the rest of us. Hopeful that something small will fix a big problem.

[@CodyJv]

run it without the silencer on the expansion chamber. heck your expansion chamber might have alot of oil and need to be cleaned too

[@dave1135]

Cody Jv yep, I'm betting the expansion chamber and muffler are full of oil. He needs to wash them out as well as possible, then take it for a long hard run to blow and burn the remaining oil out. Of course, after he changes the seals. I have a Suzuki rm250 a customer brought into my shop, his "bike expert" rebuilt the top end 6 times this summer, it would not idle, and would stay revved high for a long time after the throttle was blipped. He was told by the "expert" this was normal. I knew what was wrong as soon as he told me what it was doing. After I split the cases, I found the flywheel side crank seal was installed crooked, and the "expert" goobered it with silicone sealant in an attempt to fix his mistake. This caused a vacuum leak, which made the engine run lean, causing piston damage. Its getting new piston and rings, new crank bearings and seals, and top and bottom gaskets. About $250 for parts. I'm doing a video about it next month, showing the damage and the correct way to rebuild it.

[@MikeMalkowski]

Stumbled upon your videos today. I really enjoy them, you and your wife make for good entertainment and it's educational.Nothing like wrenching on things, I love it. As far as the swap before checking? It happens to the best of us. Putting the cart before the horse so to speak. Just think of it as practice Lol

[@OriginalDegree]

You guys literally make the most useful videos and they’re so entertaining

[@technoidtype]

Humility in defeat, superior quality sir. I wish others could show their trial and errors. Rather than acting smug or portraying next to godliness.

[@scottmiller3025]

Don't sweat it,it happens to the best, I had a 83 or 84(can't remember) Cr 250 I bought locked up. It had been setting for about 10yrs . Rebuilt it and got running but it was running erratic and lean. Beat myself to death before I figured out the crank seal behind the magneto had just decided to pop out.lol.

[@sromanski]

No pain no gain !!! Looking forward to next episode

[@Donny_Buysall]

You're going through what I'm going through. A love for old 2 strokes and then the realization that unless it's running great, and even if it is, it probably needs to be rebuilt. And not just piston and rings damn seals and main bearings. Then heaven forbid your rod needle bearing is toast cause some of the old air cooled ones they don't even make cranks for anymore! Anyways, can't get enough of your channel!

[@sandqwert]

If your real life mistakes mean that we are going to get more videos, then keep messing up =) I really enjoy your videos, I'm so glad I've discovered your channel!

[@stormchaser8605]

Shit happens man, it's nice to see it's not all rainbows and sunshine each time. But we are still learning and developing which is awesome! Thanks to you two for the videos.

[@supersam500]

Use self tapping screws into the seals to pull them out without splitting the cases. Also the exhaust and silencer packing will be saturated in oil so will still smoke bad untill it’s all burnt off or cleaned. Keep up the good work, love watching ur videos!!

[@MrCorona1991]

Been watching from 🇬🇧 interesting and looking forward to see it running properly. Keep uploading 👍🏻

[@jenniesgarage]

Thank you. It is getting closer.

[@harleyrider9640]

It's gonna be a epic street -trail bike once you get the bugs worked out..great video guys!!

[@Breadstick5353]

Your videos are honestly really fun to watch ! Keep it up! 🤘🏼

[@TheInja]

I love how you test the bike in a closed workspace instead of taking it outside!! haha

[@funkytown324]

You and your wife crack me up, never stop teaching me!

[@tomnekuda3818]

You just set back the motorcycle industry 200 years with your slop bucket mechanical technique!

[@wesfrazier5822]

Happens to everybody. Only everybody don't make great video's.

[@crazycoyote3342]

Your wife is a sweet heart good for you dude.

[@mdwdirect]

The real mystery is how you keep your sparkling white t-shirt sparkling white after removing 2 engines, swapping out pistons, and reinstalling 2 engines.

[@wasabiemans]

mdwdirect it's a fine art that takes much effort and skill

[@calebn4959]

Oxyclean

[@justlacassio4660]

i was eyeing the same quandary ...lol Only two drips on it..

[@wernerpunk]

Just watched a few of your vids, looking to get into fixing up used bikes myself. You have my sub! Well done on the video you and your wife are awesome!

[@DestroyersGarage]

jake buddy we are here to watch amateur that's a big chunk of the appeal. loving the addition of the mrs to the videos more regularly.

[@evanjohnmo]

Always happy to see a new video.

[@vasilios7282]

i never had to split my cases to replace a crank seal if you carefully drill a small hole into the seal then put a screw barley into it you can pull on it with a slide hammer or gentle taps to yank it out :)

[@allkindsofeverything2346]

you and your wife seems lite the coolest type of people. keep it up up :)

[@0003rc]

No shame in failure bro, failure is the first step to success! At least we got a few laughs out of an entertaining video!

[@OverlandOne]

Hey, at least, now you know. Nice job on the engine swap anyway. I appreciate your sharing what you know here.

[@jlions72]

So......................... when is the next update on the shasta build ...?

[@nigelorion]

It's a 2-stroke, just gotta let her warm up!

[@Hello-uv3nz]

Look at the other video, warming it up is not the issue. Thing was spitting more smoke than a fog machine.

[@lukemartin7029]

You should contact PBS because you are the Bob Ross of dirt bike repair. 6:38-6:55

[@jenniesgarage]

ha ha thanks

[@courtneylikely2617]

I love these videos, seriously excited when the bell goes off.

[@run-cnc]

hope everythings OK. really enjoy/miss your videos!

[@jacobs3086]

Thank you so much for this video because I notesed when I change my oil on my 2001 Suzuki rm 125 less oil came out then I put in but I didnt know if this was normal and I don't have the $300 for a professional to look at so you saved me money thank you

[@glenbeckner9000]

You're a skilled and sharp guy. Yall keep it up

[@Tedroy]

Camera Girl is the gold on this channel. You two are way too cute. But I'm in. Great vids kids!

[@puggawompy]

Heidi Klum had a problem with a seal too... but it didn't get her down... (boom-tiss-tah!!) great series so far, can't wait for part 6, camera girl is ruthless with the burns, she's a keeper!

[@jusb1066]

she totally blew a seal on that one

[@puggawompy]

...I see what you did there... you're implying that Heidi had dirt bike problems at the time too!... ;-P

[@jusb1066]

yep, she was sure smokin at the time

[@puggawompy]

...ha ha... I don't know where to go from here... touche! you win!

[@jusb1066]

she recently split her seal, which is unfortunate for a older german model

[@daveb8598]

Love the videos, keep it up! I'm enjoying learning about these tricks to diagnose. I hope to tear apart my 78 yamaha 250 enduro to replace the seals as well, I've had the same trouble as this bike and it has been a back burner project for ... way longer than I want to admit.

[@keithh7483]

If I remember correctly the old KDX’s had an issue with a bearing expanding at a different rate than the aluminum housing on the mains causing a leak from the outside of the seal. You would be able to see this if you pull the flywheel, leak was from some indents. You could RTV it or JB Weld it if your in the hacker mood. In my experience these seals don’t typically go bad unless the crank bearings are bad.

[@jenniesgarage]

Thanks for the comment. I am hoping that's not it. I've also heard that the cases on these can also be porous !!

[@keithh7483]

Jennies Garage I’ve never heard of the cases being porous but I couldn’t imagine you got 2 like that. It may be worth a shot to put some rtv around the seal and see if it works.

[@1622yamaha]

I need to get good at splittin cases, a lotta good old bikes around with this problem keeping them from being ridden and enjoyed for a pretty cheap price. New crank seals and top end would fix em. Even a crank not that bad if you can do the work yourself. Dig these vids, thanks

[@bansheeX29]

I would have done the same thing... now it's time to rip it apart and make it new...I'm looking forward to the project good luck...

[@fastback4882]

2 strokes smoke a lot but Usually only leak a little oil from the exhaust sometimes from using the wrong oil

[@davidhopper1087]

You thought you where going to get a quick fix . It just didn't turn out . You win some you loose some . Maybe the lovely piston blinded your thoughts . Looking forward to the next instalment .

[@slplatten]

i have been watching your show love your comedy you and your wife doo seeing her rid that scoter that made me happy to see I just got on last Sunday $1500 bike i talked him down to $650 for 2005 klx 300r indo it runs good motor new just bel replaced no brakes i need to hook up rear master brakes lights it needs brakes seat body panels the bikes you work on look much better than mine

[@kflight2233]

You can do it man without removing the engine or splitting it take a self tapper and put two in and yank that sucker off always works for me had to do it on 7 works like a charm every time !

[@greyarea8835]

There's a chance that there could be abunch of oil built up in the crankcase, best way to fix that is simply ride the bike on the pipe (power band) for probably at least an hour to help get rid of the residual oil, my kx had the same problem but it turns out I just had to run wide open to fix it

[@2wheelLove]

you dont need to split the case to change the crank seals on a lot of motors....

[@Juszi37]

Wow that vacuum trick! I learn so much new things. Thanks!

[@crenulatemist6531]

Hope you had a good thanksgiving, this project will be worth it in the end as we all know!

[@samueljennings6380]

Just a quick tip on my e series kdx it ran similarly until I replaced the whole KIPs assembly you may want to pull the head and see what you have there as well

[@MatthewMichalsky]

“Is this table sagging, or is it just you?” Got me crying 😂

[@groshbass]

It's ok, it was tempting to just throw the other motor in and see if you got lucky, I would have done the same thing, as long as you didn't bust up your knuckles it's just some extra time in labor, having a parts bike is a huge bonus, oh, and a cute camera girl can't hurt the spirits ay ? Love you guy's ! ! ! God Bless ! ! ! !

[@BuckingFastard]

Holy crap. If I took my bottom end off my kdx it’s probably getting split and gone through. Replacing it with another 30 year old bottom end is a lot of work for nothing lmao. Good luck with the bike bud!

[@motorheadgoped]

the right crank seal is bad causing transmission oil to seep into the motor through the main bearings on the case change both seals along with the colar rejet your carb 1-1/2 turns on air screw you have good compression check to see if your power valve is opening

[@therandomguy2093]

I really like how you can do these things.

[@larrymiller1380]

You guys are taking up allot of my time I just subbed today and I’m on the 5th video

[@juusovirtanen441]

Crankshaft clutch side seal leaks oil to the crankcase. This will make the engine really richer, than two-stroke oil would be too much.

[@edbenson98]

My favorite motto: Live and Learn!

[@andrewmazey3670]

Never really got into 2 strokers but i'm starting to have a thing for the kdx.. Keep up the good work!👍

[@scotttalken8431]

Your doing a fine job. Do not be so hard on yourself.

[@cbh148]

With shoes and socks like that, I bet Jacob cooks some top-notch BBQ lol

[@Steel-Pinnings]

Man ol man!!! That sucks... But good tg ings come to those who are patiant and steadfast. Can't wait to see it purr.

[@unrivaledtrip___8221]

On a positive note, can't wait to watch you split the cases! Lol. Never done it yet so it'll be nice to see someone whose not a "pro", at least I think not, do it themself. Ill be watching. Keep up the wrench turning content love seeing regular guys do shit their selves woo!

[@edemup44]

It’s always a good day when you upload!

[@groundhawg8394]

Great job and great video Trust me this is how we learn

[@ashadedreflection4486]

if your passion for washing machines is anything like it is for bikes, based on how many are lying around in the background, i bet you have a bad ass washer dryer set! haha

[@jhlewis10]

Start a Patreon acct, for a clean T-Shirt.

[@ReeconRuNzHC]

I've been watching all these projects and builds and I've learned a lot about bikes and especially 2 strokes its helpful cause I have a blaster and rm125

[@Theogvineofthedead]

you two are the best!!! look forward to the next video!

[@owensaucy]

You should switch the front suspension on the bikes

[@ghostpenben4290]

Just bought 96 KDX smokes pretty bad. I'm downloading these videos.

[@Jaggi96]

Blue smoke means that 2-stroke oil is being burned = Rich mixture. White smoke indicates that there's transmission oil being burned.

[@Jaggi96]

Also, taking the old seal out won't take 2 days. It takes a screw :D

[@MrCrapheadist]

Dude I think you said you were running like 25 to 1in your last video. That is super rich. I used to run 40 to 1 in my two strokes

[@7272nighthawk]

I would just slap it back together and ride it while you do a complete rebuild on the good engine I hope you get it figured out also I would awitch over to the smaller sprocket on the back wheel to ride this on the open road means high reving for long periods of time the smaller back sprocket will give you a more taller gearing better for street riding

[@H2Oredfirefox]

It looks like to me you'll get it running as smooth as silk in no time besides no one's a professional when they're in they're garage working on old bike and learning new stuff

[@brandonquenneville7330]

GOLDEN** thanks Jenn n Jake

[@evilsadvocate]

well son of a diddley. i actually wondered if you would pull the left cover to check for the same problem haha. oh well i enjoyed the video while sitting on my 83' XL600

[@jacebigelow]

Great troubleshooting on the crankshaft seals !!! Does this model have oil injection ? I had a snowmobile that acted the same way, and it drank a lot of 2-cycle oil. The oil injection pump had a bad shaft seal and was pulling extra un-metered oil straight into the crankcase.

[@sherifhany386]

Best couble ever, god bless you guys, i wish the best for you I wish i had a couble that was so into me like that God bless you ❤️