98 yz125 metal in oil

[JWW]

Bike: 1998 YZ125
Me: The person with the worlds worst luck with used bikes :(

I bought this about 4 months ago for my son. The bike had been stored for about 4 years. You could tell by the condition of the rubber and plastics that this was true. I was told that the bike was parked and not sold due to sentimental value. After meeting and chatting with the folks I bought it from I do believe that this was true. They are also moderators of another popular mx board and appear to be well respected over there.

I changed the oil about 6 times now and each time it comes out semi gray and sparkling. It’s not quite milky like a water leak. The first thought was that maybe there was some build up from the stale oil and I also read somewhere that the old clutch plates may deteriorate over time. Now today I changed the oil again and I found a piece of what appears to be cast metal on the drain plug. It was a little smaller than a grain of rice.

The bike runs absolutely great. It hasn’t given me any trouble at all. So that’s my dilemma. Any ideas where I should start looking? Is this going to be a complete teardown?

 

[MX86]

i don't think it's a major factor... i would take the clutch cover off an inspect the clutch plates. re-dip each one in oil and put it back into place

 

[76GMC1500]

The metal in the oil is from aluminum clutch plates. All MX bikes do this. My oil is gray after 1 ride from the amount of metal in the oil (not from water). This is especially true after some very technical trail riding in which I can only let the clutch out for about 3 minutes of 30. My other bike has steel clutch plates, the oil stays clear for many rides. On the CR with aluminum clutch plates, I change the oil every 2-3 rides.

 

[Ol'89r]

Bike: 1998 YZ125
Now today I changed the oil again and I found a piece of what appears to be cast metal on the drain plug. It was a little smaller than a grain of rice.
QUOTE]


Jeff.

Was the piece that you found steel or aluminum? Can you e-mail a photo of it to me? As far as the silver/grey oil, I agree with the other posters. Check your clutch.

BTW, was it a little windy at the outlet stores? :laugh: :p

 

[JWW]

89'r- Since it was windy I decided to go to Arrowhead. It was cold but it was nice.

The piece appeared to be metal but I dropped it and cant find it. We just got back from riding Cleghorn Rd and the bike ran great again. Im going to change the oil again tomorrow. I will drain it through a paper towel and see If I can catch any debris.

 

[nikki]

If the bike ever had any previous problems (like a shattered clutch plate or piston) it is very possible that there are still some small pieces floating around in the engine. I have a YZ 125 that liked to eat clutch plates for dinner, and it was a pain trying to clean out all the pieces that hide everywhere. If it's metal, the flywheel is magnetic, so it should attract pieces, if you are really concerned, you could take a look at it. Also, they sell magnetic drain plugs, if you don't already have one. Last, if you inspect the clutch, you might want to go the extra step and pull off the side case (next layer behind the clutch cover) to take a closer look for any other pieces.

 

[2strokerfun]

This is a two stroke, so no piece of piston should have ever gotten into your oil. And if any oil is getting to your flywheel, you have a problem bigger than metal shavings in your oil.
If you are uncomfortable with it, replace clutch plates with steel ones. Even with those, your oil will probably still turn grey after a few rides, but you might solve the metal shaving dilemmna.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

ALUMINUM plates has to be one of the top ten worst ideas! They warp faster, trash your oil, wear faster, but their lighter!! Please scrap them and get steels, new fibers and check the pressure hubs and outer basket. Yeah, the hubs are aluminum too, dohhh! I do believe that if you found a piece of steel in your trans it could be trouble, magnetic plug is a very good idea , a rice size piece of steel would cause alot of damage floating in there. Check the kick starter gears while you have that cover off, bad installation would put small pieces of steel in the trans, if it came from in the cases I think you would have some other sign going on, shifting problems or noise. Good luck

 

[JWW]

Famous last words...Im going to change the oil tonight and take it for one more ride Thursday. I will post a pic tonight of any debris. Thanks again for the advice. Having never pulled a side case its going to be interesting.

 

[76GMC1500]

Why are you going to pull the side cover?

 

[JWW]

side case

 

[JWW]

The pieces that came out this time are very small. Maybe twice the size of salt. They didnt photo very well. This is the oil as it drained.

 

[76GMC1500]

That is what your oil is supposed to look like when you run aluminum clutch plates.

 

[elcamino12sec]

I would recomend strain it with a coffee filter, it may take a day or two but will work well for doing what your trying to see. A paper towel will fall apart and you will have a big mess. Or you can pour the oil in a glass and let it sit on top of a speaker magnet overnight. The next day you can pour the oil out of the glass (with the speaker magnet still on the bottom of the glass) and if there are any particles still on the bottom you know they are steel. If no particles are on the bottom you know you are seeing mostly aluminum from the clutches and have nothing to worry about. Im sure you know that aluminum is not magnetic.

 

[JWW]

I finally got some semi clear pics.

 

[76GMC1500]

I would inspect all clutch parts closely. Check around the kickstart gear for signs of gouging of the crankcase and general wear of the mechanism. How does the transmission shift? Are those pieces magnetic?

 

[elcamino12sec]

stick a magnet to them and see if they are steel or aluminum

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

That lower pic looks like either a bearing cage or outside material. Check the gear faces, dogs and forks, drum and bearings, nothing to it.

 

[JWW]

Non magnetic

I just found out my son is moving to Texas with his mom. Im going to try and squeeze 2 more rides out of it. I will open it up and report back.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[elcamino12sec]

If non magnetic than its aluminum. I would not worry too much, in my opinion its either clutch material or basket material which are easily replaced. Most of the important, expensive and hard to replace parts are steel.

 

[Yz250JdT250]

Hey i also have a 1998 yz125 and it always has metallic oil :cool: . I havent seen any metal chunks before though, you might want to investigate that. If you decide to crack the cases, be very careful when pulling them apart because the transmission gears and all the little washers and stuff will go everywhere if you dont do it very slow while holding it together. My bike runs great, i bought it about 2 years ago, i havent touched the motor besides regular maint, never replaced the top end. Its getting down to about 150 psi cold though, so i think it's due for one for the next season. :ride: