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I'm shopping for a 96 or newer kdx 200 motor for a hybrid build. I found one locally but the top end froze in the cylinder. The cylinder is scored and will need to be sleeved to plated (not sure on these motors). What are the odds that the bottom end will need a rebuild? Is this motor even worth deal with or should I keep shopping? FYI he only wants 50 for the motor?

Depends on your budget? I did a complete rebuild on mine including cylinder weld and replate, crank rebuild, all bearings replaced, wiseco piston and rings. Ran about $600 total. $650 is not a bad price for a "better than new" engine. If it doesn't need a bottom end, you could re-plate and put in a new top end for about $300. If you're doing a hybrid, that should seam like penuts.


What's wrong with a 95 engine, anyway? :P

Haha, sorry 95 and up.

Was the just parts or labor as well. I'm pretty mechanically inclined but I'm not sure a bottom end I a shade tree job. What are the odds the bottom end is bad?

It's tough to say without pulling the top end and jiggling on the con rod. That can at least give you an idea of the big end bearing. If enough of the piston, rings and cylinder got into the bottom end, then you might have problems. However, if the failure was just top-end related, and there is no up and down play in the big end bearing, you can probably just rinse the bottom end out with some solvent, like kerosene, to get any piston/ring/cylinder debris out of the main bearings and big end bearing.

$50 for a complete engine is great if it only needs cylinder repair and replating. I just paid $100 for a mostly complete H engine (missing clutch and powervalve governor and toothed gear thingee on the powervalve actuator arm). It needs a trasnmission output shaft bearing. Top end is in great shape, though. I'll have it together for under $250. Of course, I paid $400 for the clutch pack with EFM auto clutch, so it's not exactly an ultra-cheap motor...

I learned to split cases on my E series motor, and it's really not that bad. You do, however, need aq case splitting tool, and access to a hydraulic press makes getting the crank in and out a lot easier. It's not the simplest job in the world, but it's not too bad if you stay organized and follow the online shop manual.

$50 for the motor is worth buying if all you ever need out of it are some odd parts.
If you are planning to build a hybrid it might be better to start with a complete and hopefully running KDX. It doesn't have to run well and can be pretty ragged out but there can be quite a few odds and ends that you might want off the KDX.

KarlP wrote:$50 for the motor is worth buying if all you ever need out of it are some odd parts.

+1

I bought it for$20 over the weekend. The motor ate up part of the piston. Strangely enough the cylinder is not as bad ad I thought it would be. There are no deep imperfections it just looks like the honeing is wore away. If I post some picture could you guy tell me how bad it is? Now for the bad, the crank only as about a 1/4 inch of movement and the rod seems to be frozen to the crank. I have it stripped almost all the way down but I need a splitter. to crack the cases. A local shop wants 150 just to split it for me and said a bottom end rebuild would cost me about 700. This seems pretty high to me. Should I buy a splitter for 60 to see how bad it is would I be better off shopping around for a rebuild?

You can make a splitter pretty easily. I use a couple pieces of angle iron welded together with a hole drilled for the crank end and some holes that line up with the stator cover bolt holes.

I actually have I few automotive pullers I was going to see if I could make work. I guess it doesn't hurt open it up

$150 seems WAY to high just to split the case. $700 would also be pretty high to do the bottom. You can make a puller or possibly use one you have and get out of it a lot cheaper than that.

oh, sorry. I was too aghast to even comment on the $700 bottom end. You can do it yourself for less than half that, and that's replacing everything! $150 to split it, also rediculous. Should take any competent shop about 5 minutes.

On the splitter, as long as you understand the concept it's easy to make something work. You need to pull the LH case half off the crank. Use the crank end as the stop (hole needs to go past the threads, so you don't bugger them up), and use bolts in the stator cover bolt holes or stator bolt holes to pull the LH case half toward the LH end of the crank.

Clear as mud?

I removed my motor & carried it to an independent local shop to split my cases & replace all seals/gaskets in the bottom end. Used a $70 Moose seal/gasket kit, cleaned the valves & piston, replaced a cracked $10 piece in the Kips, checked everything over & buttoned her up. Total bill including labor was $165.