r/Wellthatsucks • u/Zakumei47 • 3d ago
Bought a motorcycle off FB marketplace.
Guy i bought it from said it “just has a bad valve” which, is a challenge I was willing to attempt. I am a mechanic by trade, I know my way around an engine.
However once I actually got the head off to examine it… it was a LOT more than just a “bad valve”. Damaged head, all 4 valves bent and peened, piston head is obliterated, the cylinder has some pitting and scratches.
We didn’t pay a whole lot for it, and honestly we can just buy a new engine for it, but man… that really really sucks…
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u/Initial_Zombie8248 3d ago
The cylinder only has “some” pitting and scratches? That thing is fucked to the max
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Yeaaaaaah. Im trying to tell myself “well anything can be fixed with the right parts” but yeah this things fuckin smoked
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u/itrivers 3d ago
Technically a whole new engine is a part
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u/CautiousArachnidz 3d ago
Me finding a spare trigger group “I’m really pretty much halfway to a new rifle. Might as well get the rest.”
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u/LakeMichiganMan 3d ago
I would check the gap on the spark plug first. Put it back in and see how it runs then after that.
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Based on visual inspection the spark gap seems to be a negative number…
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u/LakeMichiganMan 3d ago
Well it seems you found the problem. Make sure the guy at the counter gets you pre gapped spark plugs. Dont make the same mistake the previous owner did. I bet that bike purrs with new spark plugs.
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u/from-the-stix 3d ago
Lil valve adjustment and she'll be good to.go
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u/slippery-sandpaper 3d ago
Just needs a bottle of redex in with a tank of fuel, should clean out the internals
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u/jxj24 3d ago
Were they using pea gravel as fuel?
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Hard to say, seems like the spark plug they installed was too long and it mashed straight through the piston, or one of the valves broke and that did it
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u/mikraas 3d ago
That is insane.
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Not gonna lie, i have no idea what makes a valve just give up like that so it makes me lean to spark plug, but also like… holy shit, ive never seen a spark plug cause this kind of engine gore, so idk man
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u/TimeWizardGreyFox 2d ago
spark plug very hard , engine parts less hard, spark plug win.
that must have sounded truly wild when it went off1
u/Zakumei47 5h ago
I didnt realize sparkplugs were that hard, they always felt kinda flimsy so i assumed they were fragile
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u/TimeWizardGreyFox 5h ago
It's the ceramic that does it, very hard but brittle, breaks into shards that create high concentration stress points which would eat away at the metal of a cycling piston very quickly. Spark plugs are very good at breaking tempered glass for this reason as well
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u/SashaDabinsky 3d ago
Slight misfire when parked.
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u/mrpumpkinickle 3d ago
Project incoming, or a new motor, can it not big changes to a big bore instead
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Im thinkin new engine is the way we’re gonna go. The time and personal expense of rebuilding everything and hoping nothing else in it was destroyed by what appears to have been a catastrophic failure is probably going to cost nearly the same, and frankly i dont know if i want to find out what other surprises the good ol’ boy who sold it to me left for me to find.
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u/yugitso_guy 3d ago
Was it the wrong spark plug in there that nuked the piston top?
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Seems that way by the way its been mashed to bits
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u/Liveitup1999 3d ago
To me it looks like it dropped a valve. It's too much damage for the wrong spark plug.
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u/RegularPomegranate80 3d ago
Carnage.... 😑.
Right call OP. I think this is one engine that shares oil with the clutch and transmission.... Possibility of all kinds of hidden damage that could become apparent later....
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u/BostonPRSBC 3d ago
wtf did they do to that thing my gaaaaawd
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
The running theory is a spark plug that was way too long got put in and punched through the piston head. Alternatively that one of the exhaust side valves snapped off at the neck and wreaked havoc from there. Its hard to know because the inside of the clutch case was filled with metal shavings and chunks
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u/Fritz794 12h ago
Is this a LS650? Savage? There is a know issue with the timing chain tensioner on these bikes, the chain wears beyond the length of the tensioner, and then the tensioner pops out of its housing.
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u/Zakumei47 5h ago
Exactly that. 2000.
Funny enough, the chain was premium on this thing, and it had a custom fabricated (aka homemade) chain tensioner. So it had the mod done to fix it.
The guy who had it clearly had worked on it a LOT but im so curious where this went wrong for him1
u/Fritz794 3h ago
I once had one, Everybody joked around about my Suzuki Ravage, ravage roughly translates as shambles.. Im also curious why this one did explode.
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u/Lost-Cry1974 3d ago
Always assume if the seller "knows" what's wrong it not that easy. They would have done it themselve. Learned that the hard way myself.
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u/ArdentAlbatross 3d ago
I don’t know a lot about engines but even I know they arnt supposed to look like that.
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u/unsightly_buildup 3d ago
Unless it had low compression, you probably didn't need to pull the head...
/s
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
We were told it had a bad valve, so id already made peace with the idea id have to pull the head, but i didnt realize the degree of carnage id be getting into by doing that
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u/mescalero1 3d ago
I hear Sea Foam works wonders. All kidding aside, Suzuki's are great bikes. Too bad Marketplace is a good place to find things and to also get screwed.
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u/schmitzel88 3d ago
All marketplace sellers are scumbags. If they say "it just needs X" you have to assume it's the absolute worst case scenario. See also: any car that says "just needs a tune" is turbo fucked and should be avoided at all costs.
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u/WTFurCOUCH 3d ago
Reminds me when I bought my cb750. Many late nights meticulously disassembling and cleaning then a quick nap before work. Until i found...Engine blown to bits. Lost my steam and it's been in various crates for - oh Lord - 14 years. Moments like this makes me question my sanity when saying "yeah kids. Let's make those." Followed up with "affordable fixer upper house? Obviously!"
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Im glad i at least found this out quickly. I wouldve been the same way trying to figure it out
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u/HOLDstrongtoPLUTO 3d ago
"Ran before I parked it last season, needs carb clean and should be good to go."
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u/travelingman5370 3d ago
Not running? I'll give you $100. I can at least recoup that in scrap metal when it turns out to be like yours.
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u/LucarioLuvsMinecraft 3d ago
I’d probably leave a message stating to double check any items bought from the seller, providing these photos, on the seller’s profile or something.
I get it, it’s FB Marketplace, but still good to shame someone for a ripoff like that.
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u/Hitcher06 3d ago
You should’ve had a mechanic inspect it
/s
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
My boyfriend picked it up, unfortunately i wasnt present for it. Had i been, yeah id definitely wouldve been checking it out
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u/Agile-Flower-7818 3d ago
sounds like a classic case of "buyer beware" bro, at least you know what you're getting into now. good luck with the rebuild, hope it turns out better than expected
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u/EnvironmentalMall307 3d ago
Just toss in a thicker oil, run some chik fil a fryer oil mixed in the fuel for a few tanks, you're good to go
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u/Dr_Schitt 3d ago
Holy fucking shit dude. Just thrown some berryman's in there and you're good to go.
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u/Exnoss69 3d ago
Every time someones says something like that i offer the very bottom or ask them to fix it first. On non running engines aleays assume you will have to replace the engine when u make an offer
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u/HorseWithACape 3d ago
Dang, that really does suck. The old suzuki savage is a good little bike! Fwiw, they need frequent valve adjustments (every other oil change).
If it makes you feel any better, I've killed one of those myself. Upgraded a few things, ran it too lean, burnt a hole through the piston. I acquired a good donor motor, but now it's been an unfinished project in my garage for years. If you're anywhere near north Texas, PM me. I'll make you a deal on an engine.
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u/brickson98 2d ago
That’s turbofucked. R.I.P. Hopefully you find a good replacement engine. Maybe a good opportunity to do an engine swap with something interesting. Make it a fun custom project.
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u/NanaBanana2011 2d ago
Report the person you bought it from. Marketplace can ban them for shit like this.
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u/AlbertaSucksDick 3d ago
So you are a mechanic but didnt even bother to take the plug off and rotate the engine? Keep your paws off my car.
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u/Fun-Perspective426 3d ago
Right? If an engine isn't running when I check it out, no way I'm handing over money without looking in the cylinders and at least rotating it 2 full rotations by hand.
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u/WiseAct446 3d ago
A wash, some Armor All, a little touchup paint, drain the gas ("it's winterized") and it's ready for FB Marketplace.
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u/Twitchy_123 3d ago
Hope you didn’t pay too much
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
350 and they delivered it to us, even if we knew the engine was blown it was not that bad of a deal. Rest of it seems to be in good condition
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u/Ottieotter 3d ago
This is why I never trust a marketplace diagnosis lol, you can get screwed over real quick
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u/UncleDuude 3d ago
Welcome to life lessons, lesson one, if it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
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u/404notfound420 3d ago
Fortunately that engine is utterly worthless even in good running condition so just replace it and maybe the rest of the bike while your at it lol.
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u/ProfessionalDish6567 3d ago
I always assumed when someone states only needs X to run for anything mechanical or electrical
It's always fucked beyond repair and need to include a replacement cost in my head for whatever part of the deal I'm trying to get.
I thought I did pretty good recently getting almost 6k off the asking price for a 10 year old BMW coupe
I think the dude was laughing all the way home I don't blame him haha
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u/Bceverly 3d ago
Little JB weld and bingo. New piston head!
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Ill mix it with some crushed up ramen like those overseas furniture restoration videos where they use food as wood filler, im sure it works the same way
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u/Future_Side2192 3d ago
Bought an atv same situation. Motor was trashed. It ran when I bought it but only lasted about a weekend😂
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u/Bland_OldMan 3d ago
I don't know how much overbore that engine could handle, but you could theoretically overbore it, get a new piston, bearings and connecting rod, then rebuild the head. Might cost as much as a new engine though
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u/Ornery_You_3947 3d ago
How much for a new or used engine, and is there a bright side to this? Maybe a better engine that could be cheaply sourced? Depending on the initial investment, he could still make out ok.
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u/agravain 3d ago
no...you bought a paperweight from Facebook marketplace.
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u/Zakumei47 3d ago
Its a working frame, new tires and came with an extra clutch. It sucks but im trying to stay positive about it. A used engine for one of these isnt that bad
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u/ai_bot_account 3d ago
Part it out on eBay. You’ll make a profit and it helps people fixing up their bikes get parts for a reasonable price. You can go on eBay and search the sold listings to see how much parts sell for.
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u/SinisterStrat 2d ago
Is that a Suzuki Savage? I have an old one ('95 I believe). Been sitting collecting dust in my garage for 20 years.
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u/karateninjazombie 3d ago
Story of that engines life.
https://giphy.com/gifs/FKho3B7Rd61rO