Ant-Knee

You guys are awesome! I could not have done any of this without you. If you are ever in Apple Valley, CA I will buy you a beer! I spent a little time cleaning some of this up but still have some work to do there. Here is the piston with shots all the way around. I don't see any obvious issues. Here is the cylinder. I can't really feel anything with my fingernail. It is all pretty much smooth but you can tell some areas are more worn. I haven't done used the feeler gauges to test the space because I have to do that when the piston is put back together... right? I tried to get the best pictures I could but it is still hard to see. Here is the other piece with the lobes? I still have some cleaning to do here as you can see. And here is the cam. In the pictures it looks like deep grooves but it is actually pretty smooth. Not sure if there are any issues here. I THINK I followed your directions with the rod. I moved it and it all seems pretty smooth. There wasn't much play from side to side and it moved down with ease. I also looked inside the bottom of the motor to see if I could see anything obvious but it all looked good to my untrained eye. So how am I doing so far? Can't tell you how much I appreciate you guys!

Ok, so I was wrong, it wasn't a bolt, it was TWO bolts that were seized. I did everything you guys suggested and after about the fourth day I decided it was time. I stayed on them for about 6 hours straight and I finally got the mofos out of there! I can't tell you how good it felt to finally bust them loose but you probably have had similar. So, now I would like your opinion about what I found inside. What is that wrinkly brown stuff? I will have to chip it off because it is solid. And the pistons... Everything down below looked ok but to be honest, I don't know what I am looking for. The shaft itself seems to be pretty solid. Is there a predefined way to check if it is holding up other than wiggling it around and determining that it seems good? That was about all I could do. Any help and opinions are always appreciated!

Ok, good to know. I will see if I can find the restrictor. I don't understand why people aren't more diligent about making sure there is enough oil. Seems so basic! I did see a complete rebuilt top end on powersportsnation for about $400 which seems like a deal. However, I have to get past this one bolt to see if the damage goes deeper. If it is all top end, I will feel like a winner here.

Thank you both. I have been at it for a few days now and it doesn't seem to want to budge. I don't think my penetrating lube is getting down to where the actual threads are. As tough as it is, I am being very patient. I would love to get this sucker out without breaking it. I can feel a slight movement but it feels more like twisting of the bolt as opposed to a loosening of the treads. I am going to stick with it and see what I can do. I really don't want to have a broken bolt but in the back of my mind I feel like this is where this is headed.

Will do. I will try not to let my frustration out when I hit it! I will let you know what happens either way. If I can't get it off without breaking it, that means that I then have to take the rest of the motor out to drill it out. Right?

I don't have an air hammer but can I hit it with something else? I have a long 1/2" ratchet extension that I can use.

Yeah, it is one of the two very long bolts that are giving me the issue. I am not sure that it is going to come out. I have used heat a few times. I guess I will keep trying to slowly get it moving with penetrating lube and heat but it has been a while now that I have been trying. I really hope this bolt isn't the thing that throws this whole project off!

What would cause the wear on that rocker arm that badly? You think it was just time and usage or is there something that I should look out for?

I am trying to rebuild an engine for a '97 Kawasaki Prairie that I recently picked up. There is one head bold that just won't let go. Nothing I do seems to make a difference. I have been putting penetrating lube on it for two days straight and I am afraid it is going to break on me. What is your best advice for getting the sucker out? I have tried a rechargeable impact, a pneumatic impact and penetrating lube.

Hi. Did you ever figure this one out? I also have a '97 Prairie so I am curious. Thanks

Thank you Dave. After a few more posts, I will be able to download the manual. I am looking forward to that. I started pulling the engine apart. I still have one stubborn bolt keeping me from getting the cylinder off but I have penetrating oil soaking down into it. I am a little confused about what I found so far. One of the rocker arms is concave instead of convex. Any ideas what would cause that? Valves adjusted improperly? I will add some pictures. Also the cutouts where the cam sits is worn with some deep ridges.

Thank you both. I don't mind putting in the work, I just wanted to know that it would all be for not. I will keep working the cylinder and take it apart later this week. I may be back with some questions once I get it apart. I know it is a 28 year old machine but I am also using it as a learning experience.

Thanks for the response. I will do that. I can tell that the previous owner messed around with the electrical and I am having a hard time trying to figure out where each wire is supposed to go. If there is some internal damage do you think it is something that can be fixed? Although I consider myself mechanically inclined, I am not a mechanic for sure, especially on small engines. A couple of people (who are also not mechanics) have told me that it is dead and I should scrap it. Suppose I don't get it freed up any more that what it is, could I either do a rebuild or take it to someone to have it done? I have no idea yet how much it would cost for something like that but I am willing as long as the cost doesn't outweigh the value — it is a '97. This is all new to me. There is a series on YouTube, I think from Mid Nebraska or something like that, and his videos make it look straight forward. Is that any other major part that I should look to see the condition of? I really appreciate your help!

I recently picked up a '97 Prairie 400 4x4 that didn't run. I didn't get much information from the previous owner except that it was running a couple of weeks ago, then started losing power. After that, it just wouldn't do anything... no crank, no start. The electric start didn't do anything and the pull start seemed locked up. When I got it, it had no fluids whatsoever—no oil, no coolant, nothing. I figured the engine was seized. I took the pull start recoil off and tried turning it with a wrench but it didn't move. I took out the spark plug and put some lubricant in the spark plug hole. After a while, I was able to get it moving and it turns now but isn't super easy to turn. I put oil and coolant hoping it would fire up but still nothing. I took out the starter and tested it and it worked perfectly. I tested the starter solenoid and it clicked so I assumed it is working. The battery is good and holding a charge. I also put in a new spark plug as the old one was somewhat corroded but didn't look that bad. After I tested the starter, I put it back in and ran some power directly to the starter. It started cranking the first time I gave it power but didn't do anything after that one time. Any ideas of what I should do next would be greatly appreciated. Always wanted a quad so I really want to make this work but not sure if it is do=able.