220 Bayou Starter Clutch bolts...

[Fairwind]

My Bayou 220 ATV has been making an engine noise very much like piston slap for quite sometime. A few days ago while riding at moderate speed something went BANG in the engine and it started making A LOT of noise, sounded like a rock crusher..The electric starter also would no longer engage, just spin freely.

I pulled off the left side cover and the flywheel (without the "special puller") and discovered the three bolts that hold the starter drive clutch to the back of the flywheel had sheared off cleanly, allowing the clutch and it's drive gear to flop around behind the flywheel making a lot of noise but causing no further damage to the engine..

I suspect the bolts had been loose for quite some time, allowing the two parts to snap back and forth until the bolts finally just sheared off.. Has anyone else suffered this problem or is mine an isolated incident?

[MFolks]

I've read/heard of this happening on the road bikes once in a while. The fix will be to remove the sheared bolts,and install new ones with some # 242 Blue Loctite. Don't use any Red Loctite as it requires about 350 F to loosen it's grip.

[Fairwind]

It will be a few days before I can obtain the rather special socket bolts. I'll post back with the final results..

[kawpaul]

I do not think they have to be the exact same bolts as long as they have the same thread and are the same size. I looked on babbit and they look about the same size as the screws on the yamaha warrior starter clutch. I actually have a few of those still in the package if you think they will work. They are phillips head but other than that they appear about the same size. I am not sure but I think they are 8-1.25. I can check tomorrow if you like and if they match up you can have them.

[Fairwind]

Hey kawpaul, thanks for the offer! But you are in Tennessee and I'm on a remote beach in Mexico! I'm going into town (Hermosillo) tomorrow where there is a nut and bolt distributor and a Kawasaki shop so I should be all set. Yes, they are 8x14x1.25 pitch Allan head socket bolts. Again, your offer is appreciated..

Carefully examining the parts, I believe the bolts have been loose for quite some time. They are "trapped" in position so they can't work themselves out. But being loose they allow the clutch to act as a sort of harmonic damper, working against the flywheel snapping back and forth with each power stroke of the engine. This produced a sound very much like a piston slap..It will be interesting to see if my "piston slap" is gone when I button the engine up with a properly torqued down and lock-tited starter clutch..

[kawpaul]

Well I figured if you were in states it would cost me maybe a buck for shipping. I bought them years ago and never used them and just saw them in my tool box the other day and really have no use for them now. So I was thinking as long as someone could get some service out of them I could spend a buck.