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[Jptannen]

I have an 89 ex500. Ran, then wouldn't idle without keeping the rpm above 3000. I figured I'd just go ahead and clean carbs. So I did. It has been sitting in the garage. I changed the two spark plugs. Reinstalled the carbs, and let it stay that for for about 2 weeks. I orders a much needed air filter, as well as a petcock rebuild. I tried to start her up today, and I only get one strange crank and noise from the starter and it seems like I'm hearing metal in the engine case. I'm concerned a piston is jammed or something. I hard they can sometimes stick. Popping the clutch can be more forceful that the starter. Since its been sitting. I'm not too knowledgable, but somfar I e learned a lot with this. Ike as a project. I'm eager to ride her again.

I looked around, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. They call it a locked engine Correct?

[jonno1962]

If its an 89 model, I would suggest taking off the alternator cover situated on the left (when sitting on it) and take a look at the flywheel, it could have started breaking up, not uncommon on pre 94 bikes, also the starter clutch mechanism has a habit of loosening its screws which work their way out and jam up,.
Take care when undoing the cover bolts, they can corrode in and snap if you force them, if you do have a problem with them, dont go any further, let us know and I'm sure we can help you out, lots of knowledgeable people live here!   If it works out, gently pry off the cover, dont worry bout the gasket, sealant will be ok when you reassemble, and dont worry about dropping the the oil, the level is below the alternator line, and as long as the bike is kept on the mainstand the oil loss will be minimal, and take a look at the rotor weights, you will soon know if it's them, they unglue themselves and drop into the stator part of the alternator causing either the motor to lock or they smash themselves to pieces leaving an unholy mess!
if this is the case, apart from cleaning the mess up, and you must be thorough, dont want any traces of magnet left there there is a modification which involves using the later rotor which is of far better design, I think it'll be on the Wiki site, anyway, it certainly sounds like it could be alternator related, start there and let us know what you find!

[VICIOINA]

check battery first, Its been siting.

[FOG]

He "cleaned" the carbs.  Check that you do not have a engine full of gas.

FOG

[FloridaEX500]

And if you ever do resolve the engine noises, the valves are probably badly in need of an adjustment as well as a carb synchronization. Cleaning the carbs is just one of several steps needed to actually get it to run decent. I always recommend to start with the valve adjustment first then work your way outward to the carbs and synch, with spark plugs and wire trimming somewhere in between.

[FOG]

The two words that strike a huge cloud of doubt in my mind are "Cleaned carbs"  along with several other phrases like I "checked it out" and "I did a valve job".

When these phrases are uttered by newbies. they amount to euphemisms for I screwed it up.
Then starts a 30 post q&a series to find out what he really did.

This is why I rarely answer such queries until the dust settles.

FOG            

[Jptannen]

Thank you all very much. I took a part the carbs correctly, as well reassembly. Following the wiki as closely as possible. I know this is not carb related, nor spark plug related. Very separate problem. I would of throttle it was electrical if I hadn't heard that strange noise. It literally seems like something is jamming the "turn over"

My guess is alternator like mentioned.

Mentioning the alternator makes sense. I had started charging the battery last and gave it a charge. I don't feel it could be the battery due to the jammed noise I hear. I will look into removing the alternator side, like mention.

Fog Im sure you have so many of the same questions, and newbs can definitely agitate haha. In other fields I'm actually knowledgeable in, I slap my forehead often from some some of their questions. I appreciate your help though. Youre name shows up everywhere.

I will look into the alternator and let all of you know what the case is with that. Thank you for each and every post here

[Jptannen]

He "cleaned" the carbs.  Check that you do not have a engine full of gas.

FOG

how do I know if the engine is full of gas? When you say full of gas I assume you are referring to engine flooding? The problem is that the starter wants to turn over but it seems to be jammed. Makes a clunk.

the gasket is the whole side of the engine correct? I need to remove all those bolts to the engine case? What do I use to seal it? Can I buy a rubber gasket seal? OR do you recommend like a silicone?

I am also having trouble finding that mod on wiki, not really sure what Im looking for. Thanks in advance.

-John

[montnrdr]

This may be what you are looking for:
http://www.ex-500.com/index.php/topic,12936.0.html

[Rainerg]

If you have never seen the inside of an engine I highly advise that you leave it alone and find someone that knows what they are doing.  I don't mean take it to a dealer.  But someone with experience.  If you think you can work on an engine because you saw a few episodes of shade tree mechanic then you need to get help from someone with experience.  If you call a pair of vice grips a "tool",  STOP and find someone with experience to help you.  If you attempt a carb clean and have no idea what you are doing you are asking for trouble.  Get someone who knows and watch them and have them explain what they are doing and why.  There are lots of small fragile parts and if you strip one, or lose one, or jam a piece in a hole its not supposed to go into you will never know and you will be screwed.  Then you will take it apart and reclean everything only to realize its still not working and its the snowball effect from there on out.  It only gets worse if you start cracking open the engine.  We all want to work on these bikes ourselves.  I understand that.  I get it.  But start small first and build up.  And get someone who can show you the "hows" and "whys" you are doing something.  A good mechanic always wants to know why something works. not just the instructions on how to install something.

[Rinzler]

He "cleaned" the carbs.  Check that you do not have a engine full of gas.

FOG

how do I know if the engine is full of gas? When you say full of gas I assume you are referring to engine flooding? The problem is that the starter wants to turn over but it seems to be jammed. Makes a clunk.

the gasket is the whole side of the engine correct? I need to remove all those bolts to the engine case? What do I use to seal it? Can I buy a rubber gasket seal? OR do you recommend like a silicone?

I am also having trouble finding that mod on wiki, not really sure what Im looking for. Thanks in advance.

-John

he means the crankcase might be full of fuel due to a malfunctioning petcock AND carb float valve allowing fuel to flow into the cylinder(s) and then further past the piston rings, eventually into the crank case. if left unchecked, this could cause a hydrolock.

[quicksparks]

There are some really simple preliminary steps you can take to rule out some of the doubts. Change the oil. Put a wrench on the crankshaft bolt and turn it by hand just to see if it turns over. That's a left-hand thread bolt that should be torqued to 51 ft-lbs. You should be able to turn the crankshaft clockwise without loosening the bolt.

Next, since you're planning on taking the left side cover off anyway, take a look at your starter clutch, chain, and gears. make sure the rollers aren't worn out.

[Rinzler]

remove the plugs though if you're going to be hand spinning the engine.

Never force anything. if it doesn't spin freely, don't press the issue.

[Jptannen]

I got the engine and starter to crank over, I wasn't required to take the case off. It's strange, and I don't understand. Maybe be it's the starter clutch slipping? If it was, would it be an adjustment, oil change, or what?

Also. From the initial attempt for a turn over I got one huge backfire from the exhaust. It happening twice before starting to idle, it idled really high, then calmed down to a normal idle range. Also, there seemed to be a smoke forming around the engine. It wasnt a heavy smoke. It may have just been chemicals I used used on and around the engine that were dissipating from engine heat?

My friends were telling me they were positive I blew a gasket. Would it be a head gasket? And I can't imagine blowing one from just staring the bike?  While idling I gave it a rev of the throttle, seemed fine. Other than the smoke. if I could ride it, and a gasket was bad... Would I be permanent damaging anything? How can I test my gaskets

[quicksparks]

An exhaust backfire won't blow any gaskets. If you have a blown head gasket you will usually get coolant in your oil or oil in your coolant. Look in your coolant reservoir while the engine is running. It might look frothy from air getting pumped into it.

But I highly doubt you have a blown head gasket. I don't know what other observations your friends used to make that conclusion, but if they were just reacting to the backfire, you don't need their advice. They probably don't even know what a gasket is.

Smoke around the engine after you've been working on it is normal. Your guess is correct. It's oil residue cooking off.

As for the starter clutch, you must take off the left side engine cover. Take off the front sprocket cover first, take off the left side cover (the "tail" cover), unplug the connectors, and make sure you remove all the bolts around the engine cover. It will probably need some gentle raps with a rubber mallet to get the old gasket to let go. You'll think it's impossible to get off but just keep rapping away with the hammer and it'll give. Also, when pulling it off, you'll feel the magnets wanting to hold it on. Just pull, don't worry. Make sure you account for the two dowel pins that may fall out when you get the cover off.

Once the engine cover is off you'll need a 14mm socket to remove the rotor bolt. It's a left hand thread so turn it clockwise to loosen it. You'll need a way of holding the rotor from turning. Tru having a friend hold the rear brake while you turn it. An air impact wrench makes this easy. Just make sure you turn it the right way.

Then you'll need a tool to pull the rotor off the tapered shaft. I have found that a 18mm spark plug tap ("thread chaser") works well for this. Your local auto parts store will have one for less than $10.

Once the rotor is off you'll see the starter clutch bolted to the back of it. If something is damaged it should be readily apparent.