2000 rm250

[HillbillyTom]

To check the reeds you'll have to pull the reed block out and have a look. Look for chipped or frayed edges around the ends of the petals.
These things are hard to diagnose without being there to see/hear it. Since it sounds like you have compression, that only leaves spark and fuel to be the culprits. Your not getting one or the other. I noticed you said you "cleaned" the plug. I have never had any luck with doing this, best bet is to replace it.

Edit: Reread your last post and noticed something else. In your ready to start sequence you said you "turned on the ignition switch". Where did an ignition switch come from? There are no ignition switches on motocross bikes. Always on until you hit the kill switch. This sounds like something a previous owner cobbled on there for some reason, and now has drawn my suspect as very possibly the root cause of your problem.

 

[squale147]

To check the reeds you'll have to pull the reed block out and have a look. Look for chipped or frayed edges around the ends of the petals.
These things are hard to diagnose without being there to see/hear it. Since it sounds like you have compression, that only leaves spark and fuel to be the culprits. Your not getting one or the other. I noticed you said you "cleaned" the plug. I have never had any luck with doing this, best bet is to replace it.

Edit: Reread your last post and noticed something else. In your ready to start sequence you said you "turned on the ignition switch". Where did an ignition switch come from? There are no ignition switches on motocross bikes. Always on until you hit the kill switch. This sounds like something a previous owner cobbled on there for some reason, and now has drawn my suspect as very possibly the root cause of your problem.

yea i saw that to...i never saw a ignition switch on any motocross bike..

 

[Mason357]

I put the switch on today because the kill button had one of the wires broke off and i seen no way to get to the lead on the button to re solder. Doubt the switch is the problem it does the same thing as the stock button just in a on/off switch setup it was the kill switch for a go cart I had when I was a kid.

Also is it safe to use starting fluid on a 2 stroke? I want to give that a try to rule out stuff like if it starts and stays running but rough might mean bad gas, starts then dies maybe fuel system, and no start would be ignition.

Were the base carb settings I used (posted above) right to get it started? The plug was new I just have a habit of cleaning them before I check the gap. The end of the plug still looked like it had just come out of the box even before I cleaned. When I check for spark it gets good spark (bright blue arc across electrode).

 

[Mason357]

If someone could pm me a number I could let them hear to see if I'm even putting enough kick into it.
Also could email pics/vids just let me know what to get pics or video of.

 

[Mason357]

If someone could pm me a number I could let them hear to see if I'm even putting enough kick into it.
Also could email pics/vids just let me know what to get pics or video of.

 

[sixpack577]

Here's what I did today....Took off and cleaned carb with carb&choke spray cleaner,cleaned all jets/passageways with jet cleaning rods, set float, cleaned/dried/oiled air filter, cleaned plug, cut about 1/4 in off the ends of the plug wire and screwed wire back in coil/plug connector, replaced m/f spade connector for coil + as they were corroded, replaced kill switch, put hoses on all 3 vents on the carb in the pics above routed under bike, sprayed carb cleaner/wd-40 in plug hole and intake while kicking over to try and clean/lube reeds, adjusted chain ( the idiot that adjusted it before had L side at 3 1/2 and R at 2!!!!!!!) set carb air/fuel (the brass screw above the float bowl vent nipple in the first pic??) 1 1/2 turns out idle 4 or 5 turns out, turned fuel on, pulled choke up, turned ignition switch on, tried kicking over and push starting......

Still nothing.... Is how I set the carb the right initial setting? How do I know if the reeds are bad? Can I use starting fluid (ether) in a 2 stroke? Anymore advice on what I can do? I still don't know if I'm giving it a good enough kick cause I don't have a lot of weight behind me and when I try too push start most of the time the wheel just locks up and I can't try 3rd gear as like posted above the clutch doesn't fully disengage.

If the reeds are bad(very possibly), they will be visibley split or broken.

 

[Mason357]

Thanks I'll check the reeds tomorrow and try starting fluid to see if that will get it to fire up.

 

[HillbillyTom]

Thanks I'll check the reeds tomorrow and try starting fluid to see if that will get it to fire up.

Whoa there, no starting fluid in a 2 stroke. Remember, your filling the crankcase and the expansion chamber up with that stuff too. Something isn't right with it or it would start with no problems. Starting fluid (ether) is good for cold diesels and not much else, definitely has no place in a gasoline engine, especially a 2 stroke.
Bypass tearing up more stuff with the starting fluid and figure out what's wrong with it instead. Buddy of mine is about 5'6" and might weigh 125 soaking wet, starts an '01 RM250 with no problems. If everything is right, it will start on 1-3 kicks, hot or cold.
If your getting spark, and have compression, that only leaves fuel. Do you smell gas on the plug after you kick it a few times? Is the plug wet? Are you opening the throttle any when your kicking it?

 

[Mason357]

How many times should the engine spin with a full kick? This one goes through 1 sometimes 2 compression strokes and I remember my dt-250 doing 3-4 with a full kick. Also think I'm about to feel really dumb, guy said when I got it he hadn't rode it in a few months due to back surgery. I sprayed fresh gas in the intake instead of ether and thought I heard it sputter before I stopped (foot getting sore from not having hard soled mx boots). So it might just be dead gas and the 32:1 mix he was using I would think loses more of it's potency quicker than say 40:1. After all I did yesterday found out today it wasn't getting fire so pulled the tank off to check wiring, found out I wired up the new kill switch wrong (had wire to the coil connected to the part of the switch that's always grounded). Reversed the wires to the switch and it now gets fire when the switch is on.

That's when I sprayed a few mls of fresh gas that I got out of the busa and thought it sputtered. So when my foot rests a bit I'll put the tank back on and give it a try now that it's getting fire. If it still won't start I'll go get some fresh gas, drain tank and carb and put fresh 40:1 mix in to try before pulling it apart to check the reeds.
I'll let yaw know how it goes......


I'll post some vids later of what it's doing if this don't work.

 

[HillbillyTom]

Fresh pre-mix is one of the first things you do with a used bike. Drain the garbage out of there and start with new 40:1. I figured you had already done that or I would have mentioned it before.
Double checking your wiring on that switch was going to be one of my next suggestions. No attempt to fire at all is almost always an indication of an ignition problem
Fresh pre-mix, getting fire, and it will probably start now. A full kick will usually do 1, maybe 2 depending on where it starts from, compression strokes. Gotta figure, if it did more, it would be even harder to kick over.

 

[Mason357]

I feel so stupid right now. Drained carb and tank put in fresh 40:1 mix............And..............FIRED RIGHT UP ON THE 2ND KICK!!!!!!!!!!!! I overlooked the simplest most basic thing. It had a good amount of gas in it when I got it and I thought since it was running then the gas was good.......For anyone following this thread or who reads it down the road....Moral is..... Assumption really is the mother of all F!@# ups...

It really bothers ya when your a good mechanic and something like this happens. I thank all of you for your help and sorry about all this. I feel like I wasted everyone's time but, I guess stuff like this happens to everyone at sometime...


Thanks and sorry bout that

 

[lankeeyankee]

OK, start from scratch here. 2 stroke dirt bikes are about the simplest form of internal combustion engine on the planet. They only need 3 things to run, spark, fuel, and compression. First off, are you SURE it has good spark? A bright blue/white crack when you have the plug grounded against the case and kick it over?Next, that carburator needs to come completely off of the bike, be taken apart (completely) and thoroughly cleaned with spray carb cleaner. Check the float level. Someone else stated 16mm which sounds ball park to me. Set it with the carb body at an angle so as not to compress the spring on the float needle. The reason I say to set the float is because that hose nipple on the bottom of the float bowl is the bowl vent line. On some newer carbs (4 strokes in particular) it is the bowl drain, but on most all 2 strokes, it is just a vent and the drain is the 17mm bolt in the bottom of the float bowl. Since gas is running out of the bowl vent hose, it indicates to me that the float is either set too high or is hung open by some grit stuck in the needle/seat assembly. Pay special attention that the pilot and main jets are perfectly clean and unobstructed. It doesn't take much to block a 42 or 45 pilot jet. And even partially blocked, it can make it next to impossible to kick start.
Since your saying it is hard to bump start in second gear I'm presuming it has at least fair compression, so make sure it has the good spark, and the carburator is clean and set right (the other hose nipples are also 1/8" vent lines, run lines from all of them out the bottom in front of the swing arm pivot at equal lengths), then see if it will start.
As for the clutch dragging, the plates are warped, and/or the clutch basket is notched.

Do all this and let me know what your results are. In the meantime, here is your dirt bike version of this sight times 10.. ThumperTalk. Take yourself down the page to the Suzuki 2 stroke section. I'm Olhillbilly on the forum, you'll see me around.

I am no physics or engineer but I am pretty sure a combustion engine needs oxygen also to run

 

[HillbillyTom]

I am no physics or engineer but I am pretty sure a combustion engine needs oxygen also to run

Yeah, but it's kinda taken for granted that if it's getting fuel, it was sucked out of the pilot jet by the oxygen containing air going through the carb venturi.

To the OP.. Glad you got 'er running! Now, make sure you have about 10mm of free play in your clutch lever. If so and the clutch is still dragging, pull the right side cover off and see what all is going to need replaced there.

 

[Mason357]

Yea think it might just be the cable though. When I pull in the clutch cable is adjusted all the way I can still push more slack out of the clutch lever on the trans. Also gotta find a chain adjustment bolt. The right one is bent bad from where the po's "mechanic" (and I use that term loosely) tried adjusting the chain with just one side!!!! Glad nothing else looks damaged from the axle not being true.

A few more little things and the bike will be good to go.


Thanks again guys

 

[Mason357]

Another question. Is there any way to put fans on the radiators? I have to do low speed trail riding no real good straights to get good speed and after a few min of riding I hit the kill switch and it kept running had to pop the clutch and stall it out. It seemed hot...so hot it didn't need spark to run and I'm sure the kill switch is working. I know I'm running slower than normal because I don't want to get it too fast till I get a front brake lever and get a feel for the bike/dirt bikes in general. Also taking it easy for now cause it seems to have the power to get me in trouble real quick (accelerates fast front wheel comes up very easily) being inexperienced with dirt bikes and 2 strokes..

Also what's gonna be the best settings for the carb as far as air/fuel idle cause it don't seem to run right. It has trouble in the high rpm range and sometimes when I get going up in the higher range and let off the throttle it won't return back to idle it stays in the mid rpm for a bit. I'm positive the throttle is not sticking. I'm running 40:1 mix if that makes any difference with carb settings.

Last any tips from the experienced dirt bikers for a noob on like getting feel for off road riding,riding technique,what these bikes can/can't do etc?


Thanks

 

[Mason357]

Adding that it's still hard to start (maybe carb settings,timing, or just not doing something right?). I fired right up after replacing fuel last night (spit a lot of oil out the tailpipe when it first kicked off thinking built up in expansion chamber from all the attempts to start). This morning it wouldn't start after several tries I put a small space heater at the intake side for about 30 min and it finally started. Tried again later after it cooled down to check some things. Wouldn't start did the heater again 20 min later still no start. I have the heater on it and will try again in a bit.

I don't want to get rid of this one as what little I got to ride it I really liked how it handled,the power, how it rode but, if I can't get it where it's easy for me to reliably start it and it's gonna overheat on some of the low speed trails I'll have to and get a gasp! honda 100cc 4 stroke... I do realize a 250 2 stroke motocross probably wasn't the best choice for as small as I am but hey neither was the busa and I wouldn't have it any other way now. The RM was the only option I had though.

 

[HillbillyTom]

In normal temperatures (under 90 degrees), 2 strokes are next to impossible to overheat just by riding them slow. It takes 15 minutes of idling to just get my KDX up to safe operating temperature. Only time it has ever come close to getting hot was when I was stuck on the side of a hill in the middle of summer. I did have to warm my intake up a bit to get my bike to start a few times, turned out the coil was weak and not giving a very good spark. Replaced the coil and it starts with temps down in the 20's now.
It's so hard to diagnose this stuff on a message forum. If I had the bike, probably wouldn't be a big deal to get it running right, but here it's about impossible. Have you been over to Thumpertalk yet? Look around there and you can get the plan as to how to jet your bike. There isn't much to the process, but it's too long to type it all here. Or just hit your search engine for "how to jet a 2 stroke dirt bike", several in depth articles on the subject around.
Sounds like the bike is pretty well run down, so it's going to take some time, $$, and work to get it up in reliable shape. Keep after it, old RMs are good fun bikes.