Knocking and metal shavings in oil

I think my engine is shot. Engine died on me after making some knocking noises. I trailer'ed it back home and my mechanic found some metal like shavings in the oil. He says the shavings are non metallic (ran a magnet to it) so he suspects the piston connecting rod is the culprit. The engine starts now but makes a loud noise that seems to be coming from the front. It's an '06 w/ 64k miles.

What do you guys think? What are my options? Replace the motor maybe ?

Thanks!

Hard to tell you ... you can pull the valve covers and spark plugs to see a bit more as to the possible source of the issue. I've read of only a couple engine issues: a screw went thru one cylinder, and a cam chain tensioner didn't keep tension on another.

Does the clutch still work correctly?

If you do replace the engine, there are good deals on ebay (engine failures are so rare, the engines aren't in demand so they're cheap).

Yes, the clutch still works. But I did have difficulty shifting gears when I rode to the gas station after the engine stalled.

Here's how it played out.

Was on a camping trip to Death Valley. Rode ~450 miles to get there the first day. Didn't notice anything. Mostly highway riding.
2nd day rode around the valley. Noticed that the bike didn't have the honda humm. Sounded kinda like a harley.
3rd day heading back home, on a slight incline, started making knocking noises and engine seized. Pulled over to the side and wouldn't start.
Turned the bike around downhill and after waiting for about 30 minutes I gave the starter another try and it started. Rode the bike for about 4 miles to a gas station @panamint springs. During this stretch, the knocking noise was pretty bad and was difficult to shift.

From there I trailered it back.

When I tried to shift gears at the shop, I wasn't able to reproduce the problem.

When your mechanic used the magnet, he only proved they were non magnetic - therefore not iron or steel. They could be aluminum. This of course, does not make his diagnosis wrong. Today they make fiber optic scopes that are cheap - maybe you can borrow one (Milwaukee makes them, so do other tool manufacturers - for plumbers and electricians). Then you could pull the spark plugs and examine the top of the pistons. I'm not sure what you could see if you drained the oil and poked a scope up the oil drain hole.

By 'knocking noises' do you mean as if you are getting detonation - from low octane gas? And 'sounded like a Harley' - does his mean the exhaust bark or is there an engine noise peculiar to Harleys? If your engine seized, was there oil in the crankcase? Coolant in the radiator? Did it overheat (temp gauge on the dashboard)?

How are you w/ tools? This would have a bearing on whether you buy a used engine complete or maybe try to rebuild it using parts from an engine involved in a crash. For me, it would be a whole, working engine. While I've rebuilt a couple ofl basket cases and been wrenching around bikes and cars for much of my adult life, now I would rather ride than wrench.

Might you consider an FJR? Where Honda stopped upgrading the ST, Yamaha kept going on its big sport cruiser. I'd love to test ride that bike, or have a good excuse to do that, but my bike is too new (only 5 yrs old) and has low miles on it.

A blown rod or crank bearing should have no effect on how the transmission shifts. I suspect that something may have come loose in the clutch or clutch center hub nut loosened. Could also be part of the clutch basket spring dampers coming loose. A clutch that is not freely releasing would make shifting rough. I would pull the clutch cover off the front and evaluate what is going on. Also take a look at the cam drive chains and tensioner.

Replacing an engine is cheaper than rebuilding one!

Man that really bites. Sorry that happened.

Count me among the curious as well. I'll be interested in hearing what the problem actually was as well as how you solve it. Good luck.

John

The engine "siezed" and then it started again?
Is it possible you ran super low on oil?
Sound to me of lubrication starvation.

If the engine truely siezed it would not re-start. I agree with checking out the clutch first.

Once the engine is infused with metal shavings, it has to be completely taken apart, cleaned/repaired. As the other posters suggest, these engines are available in abundance at an affordable price. I would opt to to replace it completely as repair might be cost prohibitive.

I'm betting clutch problem. Start by pulling the front clutch cover.

What was your oil level in the bike before and after this problem? What type of oil are you running? I have had an engine seize on an old Honda when the oil plug fell out and it ran after the motor cooled down. Hope you find some answers to the problem soon.

Oil level was good. That's the first thing I checked on the side of the road. Thanks for the suggestions on checking the clutch. I'll ask my mechanic about it.

Repairing the engine is going is going to cost too much so that not an option and I don't know if I can pull of an engine replacement. I do some of the minor work on the bike myself like oil-change, brakes, electrical etc but I don't think I can hack an engine replacement.

I would pull that front cover before doing anything. If the clutch blew, it would throw non-metallic parts all over inside. The clutch area has a direct gap into the oil sump area. So it could easily throw bits and pieces in there.

maz said:

Oil level was good. That's the first thing I checked on the side of the road. Thanks for the suggestions on checking the clutch. I'll ask my mechanic about it.

Repairing the engine is going is going to cost too much so that not an option and I don't know if I can pull of an engine replacement. I do some of the minor work on the bike myself like oil-change, brakes, electrical etc but I don't think I can hack an engine replacement.

Click to expand...

The suggestions about a replacement engine were good ones. I found this on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-ST1300-1300-ENGINE-MOTOR-/370188762903?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5630f83f17&vxp=mtr

A 2004 engine w 34K miles for $600? Ask your mechanic what he would charge to swap engines - or ask around for help from more mechanically adept STOC members in your area. If you have to pay for everything, I would guess the engine will cost you around 1K after shipping and maybe the same to swap the old for the replacement. (These are scientific wild-a guesses - I've no experience here). This is still going to be cheaper than buying a new bike.

I do have some questions about the cracked part in one of those ebay pictures, but that might be minor. Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

Have your mechanic or yourself:
Pull the plugs and scope the cylinder walls. If nothing is found drop all the body plastic.
Pull the front clutch cover off and inspect. Nothing found,
Drop the engine oil pan and inspect.

If a bad engine is found buy one off ebay.

There may have been enough oil in the motor but if the filter or a passage was clogged it couldn't get to critical parts. Once there is lack of lub parts will heat and swell. Swelling would cause engine to seize but when it cools and parts go back to normal size it could restart and run until it over heats again.

Replacement would be quickest and cheapest but curious minds mean a complete tear down would be needed.

When you say it seized, are you saying the engine and frustrating locked up? I had a pacific coast pc800 a friend changed the oil and went for a ride...oil plug fell out...kept riding....everything locked up! Engine started the next morning, but died a quick death in a couple minutes while we listened to the knock.
I agree with the others, your clutch basket may have come loose or grenades on you. Pull the plastic and simply removed the front cover and have a look see.
Good luck.