I think she might be dead. HELP!!!

4175 Views 29 Replies 12 Participants Last post by AR421, 9 mo ago

AR421

Discussion Starter · 10 mo ago

2002 DL1000 with 50k on the clock.

bought the bike a few months ago and had not ridin it much as I have been doing some upgrades (clutch basket, power commander, tune up etc.) to get her back in shape for today.

was planning on taking a long trip to meet up with a buddy and do some trail riding camping etc.

After about a hundred miles of easy freeway riding I take and exit and a few more miles down the road I notice the bike is running weird as soon as I notice that the oil light comes on so I pull off and coast to the side. Oil is pouring out of the bottom of the bike.

somehow my oil drain plug worked it’s way out and dumped all my oil.

I managed tofind a guy to take me to town and I found a comparable oil plug(dimensions are correct but certainly not OEM) and fresh oil. Get back fill it up. Takes a few labored turns but starts up and seems to be running okay.

Didn’t get far though, a few miles down the roadi notice it just doesn’t have power like it should so I pull over. Now when I go to start it it’s making a squeeky grinding noise and won’t start.

buddy is on his way to rescue me but here’s what I’m wondering…

mid there any chance of breathing life back into this motor without a full rebuild? Techniques I could try before looking into a rebuild or engine swap?

any guesses as to what might be causing that squealing noise? My guess is piston rings are scraping the walls or burned up but just wondering if anyone has ever brought an engine back from something similar and had any advice to share.

sorry for the long winded post but
PLEASE HELP!!

-S

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Rolex

· #2 · 10 mo ago

The cam is a likely place to get damage from low oil pressure.

A used motor would be the easy fix.

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AR421

Discussion Starter · #3 · 10 mo ago

Rolex said:
The cam is a likely place to get damage from low oil pressure.

A used motor would be the easy fix.

is this fixable without splitting the case or is it just a case of “you could fix it but a used motor is cheaper”

I’m pretty handy but splitting the case is not something I’m comfortable with and if it’s a difference of a couple hundred bucks in parts to replace cam etc or just buy a used motor and swap I guess the latter is the better option for sure.
Used motors on eBay seem to be going for about 1k after shipping right now for reference.

Charlie1982

· #4 · 10 mo ago

If the damage really is ONLY in the top end, then in theory you could replace the heads, cylinders, camshafts, pistons & rings, timing chains/gears/guides, or whatever combination of those parts you find to be unusable. Who knows, you might be good to go, and ride it for another 400,000 miles.

At this point, though, if you were running it and it was making strange noises, I’d say it’s anyone’s guess whether or not the bottom end sustained any destruction. If that happened, then you would end up splitting the case to make that kind of repairs.

Mind you, I don’t know for sure what level of engine damage your particular engine has now, just laying out a couple scenarios for you to consider...

AR421

Discussion Starter · #5 · 10 mo ago

Charlie1982 said:
If the damage really is ONLY in the top end, then in theory you could replace the heads, cylinders, camshafts, pistons & rings, timing chains/gears/guides, or whatever combination of those parts you find to be unusable. Who knows, you might be good to go, and ride it for another 400,000 miles. At this point, though, if you were running it and it was making strange noises, I’d say it’s anyone’s guess whether or not the bottom end sustained any destruction. If that happened, then you would end up splitting the case to make that kind of repairs.

Mind you, I don’t know for sure what level of engine damage your particular engine has now, just laying out a couple scenarios for you to consider...

I appreciate you response and this is kind of where my thoughts were taking me as well. I suppose it’s a matter of spend money on a bandaid and pray something doesn’t break in 10 miles or just shell out the time and dollars and replace the whole thing for peace of mind.

personally I’m sort of leaning toward the latter. Although I do wonder if there aren’t things I could do to check the health of the bottom end components (or at least make a somewhat educated assessment) without tearing the whole thing apart.

also, as a follow up note. After being rescued and trailered home I ended up trying to start the bike just to see what would happen after it cooled. (I figured the damage was done so what the hell?) Result was the bike did start and idle but maintained a rhythmic squeaking sound. Also it died pretty much immediately after I tried to give it a little throttle and I left her alone after that. Not sure if that helps diagnose anything but surprisingly I didn’t hear anything in the way of knocking or rattling. Just a light squeak as it turned.

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Rolex

· #6 · 10 mo ago

If the oil pressure affected the cams the heads will be stuffed so you will be shopping for heads or a head if it only dropped pressure on one, plus cams.

Splitting the cases is scary the first time but it's not that hard, the trick is taking lots of photos and organising the parts and bolts in enough containers and in order as they came off to make assemble easy.

After saying that if the oil pressure has affected the bottom end crank I would not bother, I would shop for used motor.

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richlandrick

· #7 · 10 mo ago

You need more information. Try a compression check and cut the oil filter open and look inside.

If you turned off the engine as soon as the oil light came on you should be OK. If you ran for more than a minute or two without oil it's anybody's guess.

Things to consider that don't cost much. Pull the plugs and look at them. Run a compression check. Cut the oil filter open and look inside for shavings, grit, etc.

That squealing could be a bearing's race rotating on the aluminum head or a steel shaft (e.g., camshaft) because the bearing seized. Pull the valve covers and check the parts. Whether or not the top end failed first it is the easiest to check.

Time to get your hands dirty and wrenches greasy.

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Oliveoil

· #8 · 10 mo ago

richlandrick said:
You need more information. Try a compression check and cut the oil filter open and look inside.

If you turned off the engine as soon as the oil light came on you should be OK. If you ran for more than a minute or two without oil it's anybody's guess.

Things to consider that don't cost much. Pull the plugs and look at them. Run a compression check. Cut the oil filter open and look inside for shavings, grit, etc.

That squealing could be a bearing's race rotating on the aluminum head or a steel shaft (e.g., camshaft) because the bearing seized. Pull the valve covers and check the parts. Whether or not the top end failed first it is the easiest to check.

Time to get your hands dirty and wrenches greasy.

Exactly! Drain and strain the oil and cut open the oil filter. If you’ve got metal or small flakes in oil and the filter, it’s a problem. If not….then replace the filter and refill with fresh oil. Then check the compression.

Rolex

· #9 · 10 mo ago

If you noise you have damage.

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richlandrick

· #10 · 10 mo ago

Absolutely true. Checking the oil filter checks for the kind of damage that says consider a new used engine. Like lots of metal flake glitter, or chunks. If the oil filter is good, then check compression, if compression is good the problem is probably right where you said, in the head, maybe a cam bearing. If compression is bad, then a top-end rebuild is probably in order.

But even if it is something in the cam chain tensioner or some other part we rarely think about on a storm these are good places to start.

But that's just me. You know. Easiest, cheapest, most obvious possibilities first. But by this time the OP has probably new info..

AR421

Discussion Starter · #11 · 10 mo ago

Well it doesn’t look very good.

drained the oil and it was dark and had a kind of grey look to it. I’m guessing because of all the suspended tiny metal particles in it.

the new drain plug that I was making do with was black on the magnetic end with metal flakes. Took the filter apart and it’s full of tiny bits of metal.

needless to say I think I’m in the market for another engine.

if anyone knows of a good source for such a thing at a reasonable price I’d be grateful. Or any tips on engine swaps on these bikes. I’m planning on getting a service manual in the meantime while I shop engines and save a little money.

thanks for the help so far.

AR421

Discussion Starter · #12 · 10 mo ago

So I have found a couple motor options on eBay. One is from an 06 with 30k miles. It comes with a bunch of extra bits still attached such as oil cooler injectors, fuel line, intakes, clutch slave and line and Looks like most of the wiring is there as well. $700

another is from a 2002 with 40k that’s pretty much a bare motor but the exhaust stud heads have broken off (should be relatively easy to weld a bolt on them and pull) $500 have heard it run on video and it sounds fine.

there’s an 04 as well with 26k bare motor. Heard it run as well and it sounds really good. But it’s $850.

My question is: should I go for the direct swap with the 02 motor because it’s less of a hassle or would a lower mileage motor from a newer bike be a better option? And if I go with the newer one how much extra work/parts will I need to do to make them compatible?

I read through another post on here and it seemed like the stator might be an issue and also the ECU.

Charlie1982

· #13 · 10 mo ago

AR421 said:
So I have found a couple motor options on eBay. One is from an 06 with 30k miles. It comes with a bunch of extra bits still attached such as oil cooler injectors, fuel line, intakes, clutch slave and line and Looks like most of the wiring is there as well. $700

another is from a 2002 with 40k that’s pretty much a bare motor but the exhaust stud heads have broken off (should be relatively easy to weld a bolt on them and pull) $500 have heard it run on video and it sounds fine.

there’s an 04 as well with 26k bare motor. Heard it run as well and it sounds really good. But it’s $850.

My question is: should I go for the direct swap with the 02 motor because it’s less of a hassle or would a lower mileage motor from a newer bike be a better option? And if I go with the newer one how much extra work/parts will I need to do to make them compatible?

I read through another post on here and it seemed like the stator might be an issue and also the ECU.

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but here are a few things to think about.

Are these engines you're looking at, all from here in the USA? Not sure if engines from other countries/regions had different stuff on them than the USA market engines or not. Might be worth asking about.

If the 2002 engine is good (other than the exhaust bolts broken), I'd go that route. I don't know about the stator, but the rotors in the 2002 are different from all the later ones, plus you would have to find out if all the wire plugs (for sensors, etc.) are the same design as the later ones or not.

But hopefully someone else with more info will also chime in here. Wishing you the best, regardless...

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AR421

Discussion Starter · #14 · 10 mo ago

Here’s a video of the 2002 running from the YouTube of the place that parts them out.

Mr Big Head

· #15 · 10 mo ago

A couple of motors in Fremont not mine and I don't know anything about them. Also if you do get a motor there is another person in another thread that needs a Rotor from a 2002.

sfbay.craigslist.org

DL1000 V Strom Motors - motorcycle parts - by owner - vehicle...

I have 2 Dl1000 motors, email or text me for a response. #1 2006 Good compression 180/185. Ready to install and run. $500 #2 Unknown Condition. Missing Stator and Flywheel. $250 OBO on both

sfbay.craigslist.org

Haadkoe

· #16 · 10 mo ago

In excellent condition your bike is probably worth 2k, tops. Likely a bit less. You could buy a motor and swap it for the better part of a grand, then invest a fair amount of your time swapping the motor, and maybe more money on top of that. But how much is your time worth? How long will the swap take, practically speaking?

It may be a better financial decision to work and get paid for those swap-related hours and just buy another complete bike. I probably would anyway.

But if doing a motor swap I'd be shopping for an SV motor, myself.

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Gert

· #17 · 10 mo ago

I think that it would be easiest if a good K2 Vee motor can be found. Engine swap
The SV motor route would require a lot more work. Have a look at 05 SV Mill into 02 Vee.

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AR421

Discussion Starter · #18 · 10 mo ago

Update on this:

so I found a guy within driving distance (only just) who has an 04 dl1000 with an SV swap that runs but has some fuel delivery issues. He said the bike ran great for awhile but developed this condition and he’s done messing with it. I have heard it run and it idles fine but has stuttering/uneven revving after 3k or so. He also hasthe original motor from the DL.Seems like a win win. BUT the original motor was swapped because it threw a chain thus destroying clutch slave cylinder mounts. Tore off the whole bottom boss and screwedup the top a bit to it looks like. He says the tried to weld it up at some point but it didn’t hold.

he’s willing to sell the bike and motor for roughly what a replacement engine would cost by itself. But the motor is an 04 so some of the parts would be different.

I’m thinking it might be a decent deal to get them both. And either try to fix his broken case or use my good engine cases and replace with his internals. How feasible is this?
Is it possible that my cases are damaged to the point of being unusable from the issue described above?

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AR421

Discussion Starter · #19 · 10 mo ago

Picture of the damage on the potential donor motor.

White Automotive tire Bicycle part Gear Rim

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Rolex

· #20 · 10 mo ago

If you have the time, you have a good memory and can use a camera it's not that hard.

What is the difference in the motors,

you will need to take every part from the donor motor and fit them into, onto your cases, you would only keep the cases from your motor everything else will have metal grindings all through it and you don't want to move that over.

I would do it !!!

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