[JerkyChew]

Sorry if the title doesn't make a ton of sense, I had to shorten it a bit.

Because I'm a mechanical idiot and can't install a shim correctly, My 06 CRF250R now have a bent valve and a bottom end with some pieces of metal floating around. I plan on fixing the thing, but in the interim I can get a 2004 CRF250R motor for $1155 shipped. The motor will be slightly stripped - no carb, stator, clutch cover or ignition cover, but otherwise together. It is supposed to be mechanically sound and in great running condition.

So, if we pretend that the motor is in great condition, 1) Is that a good price and 2) Will it fit my 2006 carb, exhaust, etc? Thanks in advance, you guys are always great in your advice.

[124]

Jerkychew -
$1155 is not bad for a whole motor. But you don't know what your getting. You may have to redo what you've tried to do on yours. You can have your motor fixed for less than $1155. I could do it for much less. Ship it to me...

Try to find a shop close to you that will do the job. Have you asked around yet?

[JerkyChew]

I haven't gotten any "real" quotes from shops, but in addition to the head work, I need to split the cases to find the shim that's rattling around in the bottom end, and I've been told that doing that won't be cheap. I guess I should get a quote from a real shop before I buy this thing.

[124]

Definitely get some quotes. The case split is definitely not cheap, but you never know. Could catch a service writer in a good mood.

Again..the option to ship it over to me is always there. I'm cheap...

[JerkyChew]

Here's a couple shots of the carnage:

Exhaust valvetrain as soon as I took the cam off:




The valve that's currently wedged in my head:



The spring and clip that were mashed when the shim popped out:




So naturally I'm scared to see what fixing this would cost me.

[124]

I assume you have stock valvetrain components. You could do a stainless valvetrain swap for under $500 complete. The split the cases thing is around $180 in parts. (Your gonna want to replace the main crank bearings while you have it apart for $40 = cheap insurance). Piston rings and a timing chain might be a good insurance plan as well. So for about $700 in parts, you could be running again.

The thing about buying used engines (the $1155 deal) is that you typically don't know what they are going to need in the near future. Correctly repairing your engine (even if it costs you $1155) is still a better deal because you know that it has new components in it and is good to go for a long time.

[JerkyChew]

That's good to know - So the remaining question is how much labor would cost. There's no way I'm splitting a case myself. Has anybody had something like this done before? I'm curious what labor would cost.

I received an email from an ebayer who I've dealt with before, with an 05 motor for $1500. But if I can get my current motor fixed for roughly the same price, I should just go with that option.

[124]

The going "shop labor rate" around here is about $75/hr. Not sure what the "book hours" are. Start making the calls and tell them you got a price from an "factory mechanic" for $1100...lol.