Tecate Started Finally, New problem 4 x-mas Coolant in oil

[Meat-BoX]

Well I got messing with the Tecate today because of all of that Ricky Stator trouble. Put it all back together and checked the wiring to the manual. Noticed a small clip on the coil that one of the wires from the CDI slips on. It was a loose fit so I snugged it up a bit and put the tank on. Shook her up for a few seconds and kicked her over about 10 times. She started up. I wasnt really expecting anything so I was suprised. I shut her off after 5 seconds because I need to Loc-Tite the bolts holding on the stator and I couldnt really get the Flywheel tightned as good as I would like. Used the home made strap clamp action. Got pretty tight but Im not chancing it. Smelld that Koltz and just knew I had to start it again. It kicked back on me bad and I feel like I broke my ankle. Im recouping for a bit then im gonna start her and see how she runs. Total Ghetto ingnition install on my part. Hoping Ricky is close and I can do the rest. If not back to the dealer. I just want to ride and now that I heard her start for the 1st time in over a year im all over it. Amazing how happy you can feel just from hearing that motor start and run for a few seconds.:cool: Hope to be on the ice within the next 2 weeks. Tuesday is my last day of work then im off untill Jan 3rd. Good amount of time to get it done. Was gonna buy a $100 Zinger thats up the road. All there and runs. Just a tune up and tires needed. I have to buy it.:rolleyes:

P.S. when you turn the Flywheel back and forth, Should there be a clunking sound "like crank or something is a little loose" in the head area? It just doesnt feel or sound good. Or should it be totally tight with no sound?

P.P.S. Shes a runner People weeeee such a good feeling. Idles fine and sounds good. Now that its apart, im gonna get some new Bolts for the rear Dog Bone because the Ca-Fab is wider than stock and new Stainless nuts and bolts for the rear Hub extenders and other odd and ends. Pick up some Lock-Tite and do it all up. I took off the Air Box Lid and will be bringing that to work to see if I can Vacumn Form a new UFO style Lid. Im going riding next weekend. woo hoo.

[Dirtcrasher]

You may be hearing the oblong holes in the tranny. Glad you got it running :beer

Grasp the crank, see if you can feel any slight play up and down. If so the main bearings might be gone which are easy, but if the big end con rod bearing is bad, thats expensive. Hope it's not that.......

Honestly, I've been loctiting and zapping on flywheels with an air guy for years; I could never afford the holder tools for every flywheel.

[Meat-BoX]

Thanks for the info. I can spin the flywheel a little both ways and it makes a noise deep in the engine below the piston. It should all be good because its a total rebuild and I only have maybe 2-3 tanks through her after all these years. I just got concerned because I have delt with every problem a Tecate can just about have and I just want to get some seat time on her and my luck runs bad with this trike. Got all of my nuts and bolts ready that I need to buy and all I will need is Loc Tite,some fuel line maybe and some small zip ties for the lines. Maybe lube up the cables a little. I should have her up and running by Thursday and I should be on the ice for X-Mass woo hoo. That really took my depressed ass and made me happy and enthusiastic about getting her going again. Cant stop now. Cant wait for that Cool head as there are droplets of coolant on the gap between the jug and head like condensation for several years now.

[dcreel]

That's great that you got it running.. Got any pics of it recently?

[tecat-z]

You're probably hearing the piston changing direction. Meaning you're at one end or the other. The piston will rock as the push/pull event happens at hand speed in most 2 strokes. It's perfectly normal, and generally worse on a cold motor. Skirts expand at op temp.

[ezmoney1979]

Thanks for the info. I can spin the flywheel a little both ways and it makes a noise deep in the engine below the piston. It should all be good because its a total rebuild and I only have maybe 2-3 tanks through her after all these years. I just got concerned because I have delt with every problem a Tecate can just about have and I just want to get some seat time on her and my luck runs bad with this trike. Got all of my nuts and bolts ready that I need to buy and all I will need is Loc Tite,some fuel line maybe and some small zip ties for the lines. Maybe lube up the cables a little. I should have her up and running by Thursday and I should be on the ice for X-Mass woo hoo. That really took my depressed ass and made me happy and enthusiastic about getting her going again. Cant stop now. Cant wait for that Cool head as there are droplets of coolant on the gap between the jug and head like condensation for several years now.

Most likely the sound you are hearing is the piston rocking ever so slightly. You can hear it when you turn the flywheel clockwise then counter-clockwise. If you turn the flywheel in one direction you probably wont hear it. (I hope) Congrats on getting it fired up!

[Meat-BoX]

111870111868111869yea before I dragged her into my house I cleaned her up and took alot of pictures because its been so long. I got pretty bummed out because its all rusting up and not looking so sexy as when I 1st built it. All of that damage came from sitting pretty much. Bummed me out. I bought all new sprockets and chain from sidewinder and maybe have 5 miles on them and they are all rusty. Was gonna post pics but was embarrassed. Im past that now. I figure shes a rider now instead of a Garage Queen. And thats how im gonna treat her now.

Heres 3 pics
when it was 1st done, a couple of years ago when I was trying to get on the ice and the last is from a month ago or so. She got ugly but nothing a new Clarke Tank and some riding time wont cure

[dcreel]

I don't know about all that. It looks great.. You put a lot of work into it and it shows. Very sharp..

[Bryan Raffa]

Come on Man.. dont miss Icefest ....you been talkin about it for years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Meat-BoX]

Raffa, This is all for Ice Fest. I just didnt say anything because I never seem to get to any of the rides and am kinda embarrassed about it all. I missed your fest 3 times now. Once because my credit card was messed up and had no money for gas. the year before and last year the Tecate just didnt want to work and that whole Ricky Stator deal. This year I am actually working through winter break here at S.U. where in years past I had a month off with no pay. I have been wanting to hit the Ice Fest for 3 years now and this push is all for that weekend. Just picked up my nuts and bolts and a thing of Red Lock Tite. Tired of the Tecate Rattling off nuts and bolts. But hey it wouldnt be a Tecate otherwise LoL. I have a feeling I will be riding her Thursday or Friday as im off of work from Dec 22 thru Jan 3rd. Got a sweet oval shaped pond behind my house that is a pretty good shape and size for test running. Probably couldnt get past 3rd gear on it but I need to see how the 18's and my Sprocket setup all work out. Hope it runs good. Once she is running and I am riding her I will say im gonna be there. Wanted to come to just hang out but I know space is limited and usually so is my money LoL

[hang&rattle]

Great Tecate Meat-Box. Hey, they were made to be rode (hard). The garage queens are eyecandy and great preservation pieces. Guys like Ninja, dcreel, Kasey, ride there rigs. They have battle scars, and and wear marks. Terrain is rough on anything. And I'm with ya, let it be free, we know it's nice, mine is driving me crazy being muddy, but went from 35+ degrees to below zero. But I ride many times a week, no matter weather-

[scooterroo]

hey gary, glad to hear that you got it fired up and running. hey you ever decide to get rid of that thing, let me know!!!!

[rasorroad250r]

Awesome! Nice looking tecate. Glad it's running for you.

[Meat-BoX]

Ipicked up the new hardware I needed today at the Fastner place. New Stainless hardware for the hubs and extenders and a nice score for the lower bolt on the rear dogbone. The Cal-Fab is wider at that area and I had an easy 1/8" of threads on the nut still showing. Definatly dont want that bolt rattling out at 40-50 mph in a group of riders at Raffas on video to be forever shamed on the internet:rolleyes: This bolt is about a half inch or more longer. Also got the red lock tite, 500 degrees to get it off. Lol Tired of losing hardware on it and it only has a few tanks through her. Got to love those Tecates, Crazy Vibrating Beasts best made to just go WFO 111986

[Meat-BoX]

Well yesterday and today I tried to get some work done on the Tecate. The bolt for the bottom portion of the dog bone is to large diameter wise, so thats out for now. And it took me all day yesterday and today to get the flywheel off. Today I lost an hour or two before I realized I had the bolt in the crank shaft holding the fly wheel on. Then I took it out anf messed around for another couple of hours before I realized I had to put the bolt back into the shaft but not all the way. After that it popped right off.LoL. I had to take the flywheel puller to the dealer and the mechanic air gunned the bolt through the puller as after the Ricky Stator ordeal it got pretty banged up because the Flywheel wouldnt come off. There was some serious abuse done to that puller and Crank shaft thanks to Ricky. Now im paronoid that the engine noise is that. Anyways I almost gave up a few times but im sick of looking at this Tecate so I just kept at it. Tomorrow I will be buying some Lapping Compound and put the Flywheel back on. I dont have the Flywheel Holder so I only have the strap and vice grip method. I checked the bolts holding the coils on the stator plate and none of then were lock tighted. They came off so easy I know it would of grenaded in the motor again for sure. Im pretty pissed about that. I took a few pics of it all and plan on sending it to Ricky Stator just to prove that they did that to me twice in a row and I hope other buyers will check the screws before installing and running their Trikes. If all goes well I should be able to run her tomorrow or the next day. A X-Mas present to myself. Gonna pick up new gas and mix a few gallons with the Klotz 2 stroke oil, do up the air filter as its dry and take it for a spin. Might have a video soon. Happy Holidays

[Meat-BoX]

well I got the Tecata all together today and was hoping to ride it. It started right up but I noticed some loud noise in the area of the head, Banging away. Then I checked the oil and noticed it looked gray. I changed the oil and restarted it. The oil in the eye turned gray right away. So it seems I have a water leak again. That puts me out of it all im sure. Took some pics and video of it running. I dont like the sound of this motor, and now this. See what happens but it doesnt look good. Im getting tired of this Trike now. LoL

Where should I look for this problem? I already did the impellor seal but maybe it went bad from sitting? Maybe the coolant on the head gasket at the outside of dome means coolant could be getting in at the head?

[hang&rattle]

I hate to see someone's heartbreaking experience. I know it's frustrating. I seem to become personal (& so are my kids) with our 3-wheelers as if it's doing it to me, but in actuality, it is painfully always a simple (once found out) human error or misdiagnosis. Luckily, Tecate's are simply and very well designed and built. And if not the original owner, chances are, it's been terribly abused. Once lined out, that Tecate will take good care of you, I promise. My Tecate, totally rebuilt (for way under $1400) takes me everywhere, where 4x4 quads won't even go. Last 2 days have rode 9 HARD hours over icy snow-riffed whoop-de-do's (shattered my fork boots, & lost my fender bracket I forgot to loc-tite), and even WOT across the snow several times. Good job on your patience, I commend you, you are nearly there and it will be worth it.

[code200k]

wierd my tri z did the same after sitting for almost a year,after an oil change and tighten the crap outta everything she is fine now..

[Meat-BoX]

can you get that from the crank shaft? or just the head or impellor on the Tecate? I know the crank shaft was abused pretty bad after the Ricky Stator incedent. They told me they might break the motor trying to get it off. That was after my friend and I tried all day to get that Flywheel off. Alot of banging and Air gunning. I hope its a simple cheap fix because if not I may just dump this thing for a 350X My 200x never gives me trouble.