Need Serious opinion from those in the know F14 code.

[dayven99]

Well My FJR just went over 2004 FJR just went over 50,000 and I went riding with my neighbor. Well just cruising around 30 or 40 mph when the bike shut off like someone hit my kill switch. Electrical was fine but tried to restart the motor and wouldn't turn over. So I had to get the bike towed home. I research on the forum to find someone fixed the bike because gunk in the vacuum hose. I don't have the time to check so I turned into the shop here in Atlanta.

I am being told the piston and valves have been damaged and looking at $3,200 for total repair. Now I thinking a used engine on Ebay or somewhere be cheaper for my 04 (GEN I). A used engine will be about $2,000 to purchase AND install. So I'm wondering how much difference between 03 and 05. Also curious will effect systems if not same year engine? Not to mention a CA engine what parts my be different due to strict emission standards.

Anyone know any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JamesK]

I would NOT jump to conclusions and get a 2nd and 3rd opinion before forking over that much cash.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Did the CCT or something else let go, causing engine to jump time and gernade it? 50K mile FJRs don't just stop unless something breaks.

Replacement engine would definitely be the best repair method $$$ wise. A later model AE engine will not work for you.

Good luck!

--G

 

[dcarver]

OK, deep breath, my bud.

Ahhhhh,.,

Let's ASSume your engine is toast..

For reference, I replaced a 2006 engine with a 5k miles 2008 engine for $1,200 delivered to the door from Georgia to CA.

Actually, the folks who did the swap were Fairlaner (bless his Brit heart, and FjRay, who drove down from Oregon) and I am very Thankful for their support.

For you - do a compression and leak down check.. Trust but verify what you are being told is true...

-d

 

[dayven99]

Well I have Mountain Motorsports working on the bike and they have 3 or 4 Master Mechanics back in the shop. This mechanic told me he has no compression on the 4th Cylinder. When he first started the bike the bike up there was a very loud banging noise. Something I never heard when I was riding. He removed a few parts to borescope the engine to see what the problem was to find the pistons damaged. He couldn't tell what they were hitting. They are calling me at times saying they would not strip down the bike until they had the go ahead from me. Currently the FJR is stripped to bare minimum. I got the headlights, windscreen, and engine casing in the front. Installed on the rear is the swing arm, rear seat, and top case. I don't have a truck to haul this bike to another place. So I asked around a few people and getting any insight from here. I'm looking to change the engine and once get schooling done for aviation going o attend the college near by for motorcycle mechanics and fix the old engine in class along with a 1996 GSXR 750 SRAD engine.

 

[RaYzerman19]

There's nothing much for the pistons to hit except valves...... another repair option is to remove the cylinder head and replace all the valves (assumption, they are bent).

The key is to find what caused the problem, ie., timing chain skipped due to faulty tensioner, etc.

 

[ionbeam]

If a piston is damaged you should be looking for a used engine.

There have been a few people that have had valve/piston interference (BAM!!!) but never has a piston been damaged. I was a leader in valve crushing so there was no real history of what could become damaged so we tore my entire motor down. We pulled the crank and checked the crank for bending (good), the rods (good) the pistons (good) and all the plane bearings (good). The damage to my cylinder head was extensive and included cracking the head around a couple of valve guides. Even with all the crushed valves and casting damage the pistons and cylinder walls were undamaged. The few other engines that had valve/piston interference only had damaged valves. Did a spark plug break and drop in? Perhaps the piston burned due to an air leak or a lean cylinder?

If the problem with the 0 psi cylinder is due to physical damage to the piston the engine probably isn't worth fixing; if the damage is from burning the piston then the engine may worth fixing. Anything that can cause a piston to break can damage the cylinder, the rod(s), the crank and the bearings. If the piston burned and the cylinder head is intact then the only thing that was damaged is one piston. The reason you might want to fix the engine is because you know the maintenance, usage and you know that the transmission is good.

It is possible to remove and repair the cylinder head without removing the engine from the frame.

You can use any engine from '03 to '05 with no problem. If you do choose to replace the engine I'll link you to some things to consider if you buy from a salvage yard (salvage yards advertise on eBay). Your very best option is to buy a used engine from a Forum member that has an engine with a known history.

 

[Fred W]

If the engine damage was due to cam chain problems (chain skipped some teeth on one of the sprockets) this would result in bent valves in all cylinders, not just #4. The fact that they say that only #4 has zero compression means that most likely it was something else.

You'll want them to perform more testing, scoping the #4 combustion chamber or further tear down on the old engine before you'll know if the old engine is worth salvaging and how.

Good luck.

 

[Geezer]

Once you are convinced that the piston is damaged then you can either spend a bunch of money paying the tech. to diagnose exactly why it happened, or you can just bite the bullet and replace the engine.

Your post implies that they will replace the engine with a used one for $2000. If that is the case, and they provide some sort of warranty on their work, then I'd let them have at it. Without a warranty on the replacement engine then I'd probably seek one out myself and do the swap at home.

 

[Fred W]

Although they may have said that the "piston and valves" have been damaged, I would ask them point blank how they determined the piston is damaged, as that makes all the difference to repair-ability.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Although they may have said that the "piston and valves" have been damaged, I would ask them point blank how they determined the piston is damaged, as that makes all the difference to repair-ability.

Perhaps they saw a hole on the piston with the borescope..But what the heck,Patriot's,now dayven99..what is going wrong here..??

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Here is a good engine i think,the seller is in Florida..Good price & free shipping:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ENGINE-MOTOR-FJR1300-FJR-1300-ABS-YAMAHA-05-Y-/201036903426?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ecebbb402&vxp=mtr#shpCntId

 

[dayven99]

Anyone know if California engine is different from rest of US? I know Cali got certain emission rules. The engines I'm looking for has the amount of mileage on record.

 

[RadioHowie]

Same engine...the differences are the ancillaries, like the evap canister. But the motor is the same.

03, 04 and 05 motors are interchangeable among those 3 model years.

How do I know? Got an 03 motor in my 04. It's not until the 06 models when the interchangeability leaves the Gen I (03, 04 & 05) bikes out of the mix.

 

[dayven99]

Well I got my replacement engine installed and bike runs much better. Went from 160 compression on each cylinder to 200 compression. Now to install the N/Line Shelf. doing local rides before a long trip but just discovered a nail in my rear tire so guess who is getting tire replacement tomorrow.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Did you ever find out what happened to your original motor???