I picked up a well used '07 TE510 a couple of weeks ago off of Craigslist. I live several hours/ a state away from where the bike was located, so I had a reputable Husky dealership inspect it for me prior to driving up for the purchase. The owner of the shop looked it over and told me that it needed a jet kit, wheel bearings, a chain and sprockets, and new fork seals. I am fairly new to the bike world, and this is only my second ride. I explained to the shop owner over the phone that I was taking his word for the condition of the bike, and was going to be making the deal without looking over the bike in person. I figure he's way more qualified to inspect a bike that he sells. When I got the bike home I didn't look anything over because I was told it was fine to ride temporarily, and I was just so dang excited to hop on for what ended up being a short lived ride. The bike overheated pretty quickly so I cut the ride short and started to tear into it to do repairs, servicing, etc. I pulled the seat off to get to the filter just to find a filthy filter I pulled the filter and spark screen?(metal screen behind the filter) to find a dirty air box. I'll bet you I pulled a good half teaspoonful of sand from the air box. The sand was stuck to the sides, bottom, etc. The air box was pretty greasy for some reason-- is that normal? So basically there was goopy stuff on the airbox with sand stuck to it. The bike shop guy told me that the engine was strong and that the jetting was just all over the place. He told me to pick up a JD jet kit, and that would take care of the problem. (plug was white when I pulled it so it is definitely running lean). My concern is that sand got into the engine since it was inside the air box. Would a qualified bike mechanic who inspects a bike without tearing it apart be able to tell whether there is any damage to the motor? I'll be tearing the carb apart within the next week. Are there are clues to look for while I have things torn apart? If there is some sand damage, will operation of the motor cause more damage? Or will I just have a less powerful machine? Is there a compression test that can be done/ should be done before I ride it? By the way, this is my first 4 stroke bike so this is all new to me. Thanks....
My guess is all is well. The 'goopy' stuff in the bottom of the airbox is normal. It is either excess air filter oil, or oil form the crankcase breather tube which vents to inside the air filter - but probably both. Just think of how much sand is in the air boxes of the desert bikes... If the air filter was installed correctly then there should be no sand inside the engine. Here is how to take apart and put together the carb: http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1345 Open it up and report back, it could have a JD kit in it (top of needle will have a red or blue dot if that is in there) - and be sure to look at the leak jet size too, and be sure the AP was enabled: http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1347 I'll let someone else walk you through how to clean an air filter I'd look around your area and see if there is another rider that can help you learn the simple things, possibly someone from cafe husky
doesnt sound so bad as i also found a stinking dirty air box when i bought mine from the dealer.. cleaned it all up and one ride later.... minging again ! so, waste of time...anyway.. thats normal for te510's.. they suck a lot of air and air box is very open so does get crappy ! also done my carby today as the plug went a little back after i raised the needle but was overheating at idle on snotty hills so i checked the fuel screw.. was only 3/4 turn out when it should be 2 turns out ! damn dealership mechomic(recently jetted...yeah right !) so all is well now..i hope ! ) so check it over yourself... i trust no one now !
My bad when I said air box. I meant the rubber boot between the filter and carb. The sand bypassed the filter. PS: Great site Coffee. I actually found the video's you'd posted on YouTube prior to finding this site. I appreciate all of the great info.
that is not a good place to have sand matey ! sand in carby and engine can mean devastation !! clean , clean and more clean ! ...make sure its all gone .. i'd even clean out carby just in case... easy to strip these bikes, go for it ! better to be safe than sorry !
The prev. owner must have rode the bike with an improperly installed filter. It can happen on these bikes. Hopefully he didn't do it too long. I always run my finger around the sealing edge of my air filter after installation to make sure its properly seated against the metal plate.
I've been holding my breath for days now waiting for my jet kit to arrive. I don't want to pull the carb apart and leave anything exposed any longer than I have to. In your guys' experience, does a 510 pull so much air that it actually sucks hard enough to easily pull sand up into the engine, or do you think it would probably stop short? (still holding my breath). The only good news I have is that the bike does fire easily, which leads me to believe that it has good compression. It wouldn't have good compression if sand got into the engine, would it? Also, if sand got into the engine and messed up the top end, would it likely get into the crank and damage bearings, etc.? Or would the filter system likely catch the sand before causing much damage? Oh, and you can bet that I'll be cleaning the crap out of the entire bike before it's fired again. That's the scary part. The filter was very dirty, but there was not sand on the filter. Also, the filter was set into place properly prior to me pulling it off. This leads me to believe the sand has been in the boot for a while. I've never ridden in sand. Wouldn't at least some sand get stuck to a filter if the filter is properly treated? What I really need to hear from someone is "oh, don't worry, no sand would have made it to the engine" . Thing is, I wouldn't believe any of y'all anyway's Thanks for the tip about running your finger around it. I'll also grease the heck out of the perimeter. Heck, maybe I'll take a toilet wax seal and modify it so it fits around the perimeter. That'll seal it.
Not much you can do now, get it all cleaned up and right and then ride her and see if it burn oil or is low on power. Compression test would be good. K
the filter will get stinking dirty even after a 50 mile ride ! i use pool filter skins over my filter and its filthy after a 50 mile ride ! they do suck hard (41mm carby ) and big displacement but i am hoping that the sand (if any reached the engine) that it got sucked and blasted straight through ! that little well inside the rubber boot is usually holding a little pool of oil as they draw some oil into there when dropped on RHS due to cam breather..if its firing straight up and no untoward noises then it sounds like you are ok.. oil change, filter clean, boot and box clean and carby clean should see you all good !
I appreciate all of the info/ help. I read somewhere on this site that a compression test may not work well due to the decompression valve? Any ideas on what compression reading I am after?
you should get a good reading.. they dont decompress that much in my experience unless mine(auto decomp) is goosed and i get best decomp using the lever.. which i use a fair bit when bike is hot ! ...
Your question about the real greasy airbox. Some people like to grease the inside of the box lightly to catch dirt, sand ect. before it gets to the filter. Leads to a lot harder cleanup but lets you ride a little longer between air filter cleanings. I used to do this before I discovered prefilter skins.
