A forum for owners of Yamaha TTR250 trail and enduro bikes!

G-Rig · Member

Crashed in a puddle

TTRfan · Super Guru

Jarrah's advice is excellent as usual

There is a Shane Watts video - and others on You Tube - but I couldn't immediately find a 4-stroke video:

However, turning the TTR upside down is NOT a good idea. The advice I have seen is to to a 4-stroke on its tail to empty the water out of the header and exhaust pipe.

Brian

TT-R250M · Super Guru

Make sure the ignition is not on, remove the spark plug then squirt fuel into the cylinder. Cover anything that you do not want to have fuel on it. Then give it a good kick to flush out any sand, grit or water. BE CAREFUL AS FUEL WILL SQUIRT OUT FROM THE CYLINDER!

Make sure you have done an oil change & cleaned or replaced the oil filter.

The best method would be to remove the head/cylinder to remove any grit, sand, water but if you're not keen on that, just do the above.

brindabella · Senior Member

..and drain the carb float bowl (careful with that cross head screw though).

G-Rig · Member

Thanks you for the help up and running. I thought that was it for the bike.

G-Rig

Lostboyscout · Veteran Member

Interesting to see how much water comes out from the spark plug with the bike upside down ......note to self! learn to ride better or avoid water, lol

G-Rig · Member

I did notice a lot of water come out of Spark plug hole and i left it upside down for about ten minutes.The problem i noticed when it was upside down was oil comming near the air box. The suggestion of fuel in the cyclinder and cranking it over or pushing the bike in gear(no kick start)worked for me. Avoiding water is hard because the best trails are on the other side . smile

TT-R250M · Super Guru

G-Rig wrote:
I did notice a lot of water come out of Spark plug hole and i left it upside down for about ten minutes.The problem i noticed when it was upside down was oil comming near the air box. The suggestion of fuel in the cyclinder and cranking it over or pushing the bike in gear(no kick start)worked for me. Avoiding water is hard because the best trails are on the other side .

Turning your bike upside-down is NO good for the engine. Any dirt or bits of metal that have used gravity to find the sump, will then use gravity to find your gears, bearings, rings e.t.c.. Also oil tends to seep through the rings & into the cylinder after time. Sorry, it had to be said.

Avoiding water an be hard but isn't the grass always greener on the other side? smile

G-Rig · Member

I ma hoping that when it got drowned it was a brand new oil filter and oil. After three oil changes and a new oil filter the oil is clear not milky .I had an 1.5 hour ride and the oil looks clearin the window .i am keeping my fingers crossed

Thanks for the imput

G-rig

Mike Wright · Veteran Member

Hope you got it sorted.... The funny part of the video is "Time to kick her in the gut" ! Not heard that one before biggrin

Nickj_UK · Member

I drowned my XR280 once and just turned it over on its side with the plug out (and the hole facing down) and turned the motor over a few times by turning the back wheel with the bike in gear. We then ran another day and half racing with no problems.
In a 4T not much in the way of debris would pass the rings and get into the engine, if it does then there is something radically wrong with your motor. In a 2T it could through the transfer ports.
Standing on its tail will still leave some water in a 4T's head, a little is OK as it will just spit out of the exhaust valve(s).
Just don't turn over a possibly water flooded engine with the plug in, the pressure build up will tend to bend things!!

brindabella · Senior Member

it sounds like the puddle of 10 days ago is no longer a problem and bike is OK.

But following on from that, I would like to propose a general "no tools" method of getting a drowned 4 stroke bike going.
And I am hoping for criticisms or suggestions for refinements (but no tools allowed - assume we forgot them).

1. pick up the bike and push in neutral to dry land.

2. get access to airbox and filter - drain water, squeeze filter.
(I think you can force the outer cover around without undoing the screw on the TTR).

3. tip the bike up and try various angles to get most of water from exhaust.

4. carefully try the kick starter by hand (or rotate rear wheel forward in gear) to see if there is sign of hydraulic lock.
(now assuming there is a resistance, suggesting water in cylinder..).

5. rotate rear wheel backwards in gear - this will push some water through the inlet AND exhaust valves due to valve timing overlap.

6. repeat 4 and 5 and a bit of 3 until you can eventually get past TDC on forward compression stroke.

7. remove spark plug cap, wipe water off, replace cap. and you might as well have a look at the oil to see if the level is high indicating water, although there is nothing you can do about it now.

8. try to start
(now assuming it doesn't start).

9. there is almost certainly water in the float bowl and with no tools, all you can do it tip the bike at various extreme angles to promote fuel overflow, maybe blow in some of the carb breather tubes for good luck and go back to step 8.

10. finally ride off, expecting the bike to run poorly for a while. don't ride too hard if the oil is milky, but after a while some of the water will evaporate. when home, drain the oil and the carb float bowl.

burton500 · Veteran Member

I always have a length of rope with me so that one of the other bikes can tow me back to the trailer if the bike has a problem.

Lee

G-Rig · Member

Thanks my TTR is running well and the new oil is staying clear.Great tips for on the trail fix (Brindabella) hope not to need it.I have a new tow rope with me now also .
Gerry

TT-R250M · Super Guru

The problem with Brindabella's quick fix is that if any dirt or grit got in there, you have now worked it into your valves. This would not be the place to have sand or dirt.

Always carry tools & at the least you should have a spark plug spanner & a spare spark plug.

I cannot count the amount of times that I have been far from anywhere and needed a spanner to tighten something up. Also, it pays to take spare bolts (and cable ties) incase they rattle loose. This can happen to the best of us, usually at the wrong moment.

My rule is: Never go out adventuring without tools!- It may be a long walk home otherwize.

TTRfan · Super Guru

An interesting thread with lots of good advice and information.

At the risk of repeating myself, it is always worth checking that you can undo the drain screw on the carb float bowl in the comfort of your garage or shed before you venture out. If you can't undo it, get it sorted so that it is an easy job for the screwdriver in the TTR's little tool kit.

If its seized then see here

Sermon over wink

Brian

Haggis Hunter · Veteran Member

As another little add on. I remember doing an enduro in Wales about 1980 and I managed to take the wrong line through a bog and draw water in to the carb the less than a mile from the finish and with very little time left before I was out of my hour, so no time to get the spanners out. I managed to keep the bike running but it would not pull in gear.

My Mate had told me if that happened a good way of clearing the carb out was to rev the nuts off of it and pull the choke on as this would pull any muck/water through the jets. I was cynical when he told me this as I thought it may pull more muck even further in to the carb! With nothing to loose I did it 3 or 4 times and it worked.

Made it back in my hour for tea and a medal biggrin .

Peter

brindabella · Senior Member

I'm guessing that your bike in 1980 had an old fashioned choke which blocked off the air on the filter side of the carb.
That would work (exactly as you described) by creating a very strong vacuum on the carb side at those high revs.
Unfortunately it would not have that effect on the TTR250 fuel enrichment device, which is strictly not a "choke".

Nevertheless, a bike being restarted after drowning is quite likely to need the choke, simply because enough fuel is not getting though due to a bit of water in the carb. And a bit of revving and tipping from side to side may help too.

Haggis Hunter · Veteran Member

Ah yes, Thats a good point. It was an old fashioned carb with a butterfly choke and it was a 2 stroke. These nice light weight 4 strokes hadn't been invented then!

Peter