Thread: valve adjuster locking nut backed off while riding, now its lost

while riding out at the track my sm 610 started making loud noises from the top end. i stopped riding and packed up for the day. i drained the oil and didn't find any metal shavings but when i removed the valve covers i noticed the right intake valve adjuster was missing a locking nut. the left intake valve adjuster's locking nut was just about to come off.

i took off the valve cover and couldn't find the missing lock nut. i removed the flywheel and but couldn't find the nut behind there either. i removed the cam chain tensioner to see if the nut was in there but still no luck.

im not sure where the nut could be. it can't get into the combustion chamber so the only place i could think it would be would be wedged alongside the cam chain. i tried looking on both sides of the cam chain but couldn't see anything nut-like.

i didn't see any metal shavings so i am assuming the nut wasn't smashed to smitherines. i don't believe the nut could exit the valve cavity, cam chain track, flywheel cavity or left case cover.

the nut wasn't in: the decompressioner, rocker arms, valve springs, camshaft, camshaft bearings, camchain, flywheel cavity, attached to the flywheel magnet or in the starter gearing.

the nut wouldn't fit through the crankcase reed valve, oil drainage passageway.

does anyone know of a extendable magnet with rare earth magnets? my extendable magnet has a mushroomed head which makes it difficult to feel around for the nut in the small recesses. it'd rather not make my own for fear of losing that somewhere. any suggestions?

Have you checked in the oil net filter? The nut probably smashed to smitherines and passed through the oil passageway.

yep, i looked in all three oil filters and haven't found anything that would resemble a smashed nut. even if the nut was damaged pretty bad i'd assume there would still be pieces of it around. but i haven't found anything that would resemble a nut so far.

This happened to a friend's KTM RFS and it ate the motor - complete top end rebuild. I would tear down 'till found.

I disagree, if the motor works, it works, you've got a free lunch.

LOL...really? From four years ago?
Wonder what happened with OP? <shrug>

I'll imagine this mystery was solved long ago, but...you're kidding, right? That's never good advice as far as these types of things go (with something that chunky/solid floating about.) My 630 engine had a small end piece of the internal oil filter/tube let go over a year ago. I would bet anything that small thing bounced around in there for a little while (unbeknownst to me) and then- just by luck- it ended up right under the crank...which resulted in the rod punching it right through the bottom of my engine casing. The casing alone was 1200.00 US.

Quotes like this is why it's hard for people to take your mechanical prowess seriously....
Call me cheeky again, but that advice was exactly the wrong thing to do.
It was wrong 4+ years ago when this thread died and it is still wrong today.

I am being realistic, not everyone has the time or the facilities to do a full strip down every time a bolt comes loose. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. On these make specific sites very few people seem to have a grasp of reality and assume everyone has access to at least a double garage with electricity, running water, four post lift, full workshop outfit with compressor and a full selection of air tools and every tool in the Snap on catalogue and an unlimited budget to rebuild the engine five times in a $1500 bike. Oh and a fully stocked refrigerator full of beer.

The "realistic" thing is that when you've got a nut bouncing around in there somewhere, you're one bump away from a catastrophic engine failure. As in actually blowing parts out the side of the case.
You're suggesting that someone just cross their fingers and hope it doesn't blow up one day leaving them stranded, or worse, crashed.

Gaskets and labor on an otherwise sound engine are cheap compared to a completely grenaded engine.

I don't care if your bike was cheap or you don't have a good place to work, it was terrible advice and there is not one person I can think of on this board that would say otherwise.

People who lack the resources to look after a motorcycle properly shouldnt have any interest in owning one.
By resources i mean the ability to take care of things yourself or the funds to pay someone to take care of things.
Owning a motorcycle before having the resources to take care of things is like putting the cart before the horse
This is reality.

Not only that but none of this is relevant.

I feel bad for the dog-pile, but really Fynn, consider just reading more and posting less. You're just digging a deeper hole.

That is a stupid and ridiculous argument. On Pistonheads people say the same thing. Question is how are you supposed to get around then!? Why not have a go at the unenthusiastic motorists out there texting whilst driving rather than have a go at an enthusiast!? JUST WATCH YOURSELF BUDDY!

The only dog pile around here is you.

Well, fortunately cafehusky has an ignore feature - Flynn is the first one. B-Bye!

An enthusiast wouldn't give people advice that will likely blow up their motor, like "go ahead and ignore that nut bouncing around somewhere in your top end"

it's tempting at times...

It works good too - his posts completely disappear!

I agree if there is a nut in there that it is best to strip down the engine, but it's disappearance suggests that there isn't.

I don't know what it is with ya'll always feeling the need for an argument, I just want to have fun. Besides I doubt he would take my advice five years down the line, he probably rebuilt it and ran it into the ground by now.

I actually tried this, but could see everything when viewing when not logged in anyways.

Oh, quelle suprise, you didnt like my post.
I dont need to watch anything, bud.
Youve been around for a short time and you know everything.
You are sweeping years of experience aside like its nothing, paying it no credence, at your expense, and it has been given freely, in an effort to help you.
I am an adult, I dont need to stoop to idle threats and inane rantings, and i certainly dont give yours any credibility.You are very disappointing.
You should not have a motorbike, you are incapable of looking after it, the evidence is irrefutable.

It's a matter of current and future enthusiasts going here for advice and guidance- hence the need to Not post something that is very much misguided, detrimental, costly and unsafe...which is what your advice amounted to.

It's probably best to re-think your outlook a bit. From where I'm sitting these guys have been extraordinarily tolerant/forgiving and helpful. As you know you'd come out swinging fast and furiously some weeks back and once that died down folks here have taken the high road (overall, aside from some gentle ribbing) by continuing to give you advice and help. They could have easily not taken the high road but have instead chosen to give you benefit of doubt.

I don't profess to know everything, that is just you not liking what I say and throwing you're toys out of the pram.

I am not sweeping anyone's experience aside.

How am I not capable of looking after a motorbike? I am using a forum for it's intended purpose of asking questions, I don't see how that makes me incapable. Show me this "irrefutable evidence". I would hazard a guess that it just involves me asking a question about something I don't know which is generally how people find out about stuff they don't know about.

I find them egotistical, except for RDCTU who seems reasonable and relaxed about stuff. My personality is to never back down, I used to be shy when I was a teenager and wish I had said something in certain situations and kicked myself for not doing so. Now I say something and don't regret it nor do I hold back or care what anyone thinks.

As for Spicy Weasel he is a judgemental idiot. How dare he question my abilities when he has always had the ultimate luxury of a garage to work in!? Fuck that guy.

CJBrown for looking like someone who should have more wisdom certainly doesn't have any!

Make specific forums are often like this in my (limited) experience.