Bore/hone and head job ?'s

[J.D.]

I'm in the process of taking my engine apart to find the cause of a loud clank, and I'm wondering should I have my head and cylinder checked out? Everything on the head looks and works fine, just a little nasty from carbon residue, and the cylinder is smoother than a baby's butt and has no pits, melts, or anything, perfectly nice and round. I just thought I'd see what you guys have to say on it. Any and all advice is appreciated.

[Truckster]

I'm in the process of taking my engine apart to find the cause of a loud clank, and I'm wondering should I have my head and cylinder checked out? Everything on the head looks and works fine, just a little nasty from carbon residue, and the cylinder is smoother than a baby's butt and has no pits, melts, or anything, perfectly nice and round. I just thought I'd see what you guys have to say on it. Any and all advice is appreciated.

How old is the motor?
Is there much piston slap?

By the sounds of the clunk your going to rebuild the motor anyway depending what it is...

New piston and Rings will bring back a bit of life to an old motor..

Head work is also good, depending on what you want from it. Lapping in new valves is a PITA job, but worth it to..

Head flowing, cams, etc are all cost, but do make a difference, but again depends what you want from your Trike...

If you have it that far apart, its worth doing if its a few years old... Saves ripping it apart again later on to do it!

[J.D.]

The motor is about 20 years old. I have no idea whether or not the engine has ever been taken apart/rebuilt because it was given to me, and the people who gave it to me had no idea either. By piston slap I assume you mean how much can the piston move around the cylinder? None, I can't get it to move even a little bit. And as far as taking stuff out of the head I have no experience, tools, or know-how to do it so I'd have to bring it to a shop.

[KLT Man]

If the noise was coming from the top, it could be valve lash or timing, or cam chain adjustment.

It may be the decompression lever.

If it comes from the case, it could be the rod or crank bearing.

I have found that abnormal noise leaves evidence. ;)

[J.D.]

I'm pretty sure it was coming from the lower right side of the engine, nowhere near the top. I think it's something to do with clutches because when it started making the noise I lost my gears.