Engine quit on me, heard bad metal-on-metal sounds. Here are my spark plugs

[bertreynalds]

http://imgur.com/a/xHjIx

This is the end. My only friend, the end.

[fetor56]

Another ending of a new beginning.

[Janx101]

One spark plug! ..  that other thing is barely a emergency fishing sinker!

[sledge]

Looks like pre-ignition damage to me. Its caused by lean running and/or advanced timing. I have lost track of all the `adjustments` you have made and the problems you have had and it wouldn't surprise me if this is the root cause.

If you are lucky it wont have burnt a hole in the top of the piston.

Put everything back to stock and get the TPS set up properly.......then leave it all as it is  :thumb 

[bertreynalds]

I'm going to take off the valve cover on Saturday, I'll take photos and update with my findings.

Is this not a sign that she's completely dead? I'm fearing the worst.

[The Buddha]

I didn't think you'd blow this motor from being too lean.
I have run it for weeks with a huge vacuum leak in the bay area, stuck in gridlock no less. I have also run it way too lean for several 100 miles to find the sweet spot etc etc ...
I am thinking you have one of those magic shims ... but I'll wait your pics.
Cool.
Buddha.

[The Buddha]

When I blew my skorpion motor that was high compression (that I didn't know) due to pre ignition as well, ended with a compressed ring lang and a cracked piston, but it had a nice spark plug, like the one on the right.
Cool.
Buddha.

[bertreynalds]

Pull the carburetors off. Yikes.

Carbs
http://i.imgur.com/fn8aOR9.jpg

Intake
http://i.imgur.com/Q1LlxYn.jpg

I'm missing a 6mm allen wrench, and the socket 6mm doesn't have enough room above it to use a socket wrench or break bar, so I still can't tell what's going on under the valve cover. More updates to come.

[Big Rich]

Whoa.....

I'd say it's a safe bet that your engine will be coming out of the frame. May as well pop it out so you have better access all around. Sorry about your luck Bert, but now I'm curious as to what actually happened.

[bertreynalds]

 

I don't know if I have it in me to try to repair or replace the engine. I'm not sure what to do at this point. Is there a good guide for getting the engine out of the frame?

...I don't know if I even want to bother at this point.

[Big Rich]

Ha!

Where are you from Bert? Just curious. Taking an engine out usually isn't that tough - but I've never pulled a 500 engine either. Disconnect the carbs / exhaust / wires, and you're halfway there. 

[bertreynalds]

Just want to document what I did, hopefully it'll prevent someone else from making the same type of mistake.

This happened on Wednesday.

Since I bought the bike, I'd only ever put 2400 miles on it. I had never done a valve clearance check / adjustment, I was planning on doing that this past weekend.

Recently, after cleaning the carbs I decided to change from the stock airbox to a K&N lunchbox filter. I increased the pilot jet size to 22.5, but had not yet added washers to the needles nor increased the size of my main jets.

After being unable to ride for 6+ weeks, I was eager to actually take it out. With the new pilot jets, it gave me the confidence to actually take it on my short ride to work and back.

On the way home from work, I allowed myself to get on a highway to, I dunno, 'test' how it performed at higher speed... (this is the part where I'm a dumbass) I was going about 55mph at 6000-7000 rpm. I knew I needed to get off the highway but there wasn't an exit for another mile or two.

After ~60 seconds of highway speed, it died. When the engine died the bike sputtered a little bit but it wasn't too jarring. I pulled the clutch in, and either I shut off the engine or it shut itself off as I coasted to a stop.

I think this is what happens when you run way too lean, with valve clearances that are out of spec. I think the engine got way too hot due to the lean Fuel/Air mixture, which caused one of the valves to break. It then got crunched up in the left cylinder, along with the melted/smashed spark plug.

Let my loss be a lesson to you, I guess. It certainly has been a lesson to me.

[The Buddha]

TBH, I have run it lean as hell before, and not just for 1 highway ride either ...
But maybe my valves were good - I actually learnt to set the valves long before I learnt to jet carbs.
That is a ton of aluminum looks like, a burning valve will throw more steel.

My skorpion with a lean jetting and high compression motor died peacefully, with not a shred of aluminum anywhere. Carbs, intake, exhaust, and everywhere else was super super clean. Its decompressor prevented me from taking a compression reading.

I actually had to fill the chamber with gas with the oil plug out to find the river of gas. I concluded the piston was melted at the wall (lubrication failure) and I pull it, and I see a tiny crack and a tiny grain of metal missing from it. Even the rings came out nice and clean.

Cool.
Buddha.

[bertreynalds]

Is pulling the valve cover off even necessary at this point? I'm pretty sure this means it's time to cut my losses and move on, but I might be wrong.

What's my next move?

[Big Rich]

I asked earlier - round about where are you located?

if all you have is top end problems, a rebuild isn't too bad..... but there is the possibility of needing a new engine altogether.

[bertreynalds]

I'm on to the Westside of Los Angeles

[Daeouse]

 

That's a disturbing amount of metal where it shouldn't ever be! That's got to be a top-end frag on that side! Yikes! Wishing you the best of luck on no further calamity.

[Sal_the_man]

I'm on to the Westside of Los Angeles

Check Ebay for GS500 motors. I recall seeing a few in CA for ~$400

I bought my bike in July and blew the motor in August. It was mint but burned most of its oil from my riding style

I think it's worth doing a swap since these bikes are SO cheap. I completed mine in one day thanks to some friends who helped me get the engine in and out of the frame.

I bought my replacement motor for $220. It had 7707 miles at the time - 10000 miles less than the one I blew. Drove 8 hours roundtrip to Ohio and was definitely worth it.

Yes it sucks, but be patient and persevere. Motors are readily available and you're capable of doing a swap since many people have done it before.

Edit: Lookie here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-1989-1997-GS500-E-Twin-GS-500-running-Engine-Motor-/161482535950?hash=item25991bf40e:g:WlwAAOSwh6xTvDmg&vxp=mtr

[barry905]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Hope it gets better from now on.

If it was me I would take the engine out of the bike and see exactly what went wrong. As stated earlier it is much easier to work on the motor with unrestricted access, and as you have the tank and the carbs off you are over half way there. Then just because I'm nosy I would take the head off and see if that tells me what the damage is. That way I can decide whether to rebuild or replace.

Good luck.

[The Buddha]

38k for 400 is rather steep. Keep looking, LA has a great CL and there used to be the recycler - is that still around ?
Cool.
Buddha.