Wrist pin clip lost!!!!

[Bob Garner]

I really wish I had a different screen name for this one. How stupid can I get. So...I put in a newly bored cylinder, new piston, rings, wrist pin , wrist pin bearing and new wrist pin clips.
The bike runs great for 100 yards and I hear a mechanical noise and the engine stops. I look and the chanin seems loose so I think that is my noise and it stops because..... the choke is on. Engine seems to turn over smoothly. Attemp to crank, crank, crank....crank...choke on, choke off, gas off, throttle open, etc..no run. Must be carb problem..clean etc.. crank, crank...no run. Ah motoplat... as spark must be weak, check timing, replace with different motoplat and coil. Crank, crank..no run.
Take off head and cylinder and find piston and rings beat up, bore scared and cylinder skirt damaged. One wrist pin clip missing.Where did it go and am I doomed to split the cases to see if it is in the crank housing? Any thoughts, suggestions?? Condescending remarks are welcome.

[Larry Perkins]

Bob,

Most everyone has done it at one time or another.  If it is intact and not impailed into the bottomend you might get it out with a magnet.  If it has done some damage I would probably split to see if bearings and seals are all good crank wise.  Also check rod bearing if you do.  Don't feel bad though, as it could have been a plane and it would be a long slow fall to the ground.

Larry P

[brian kirby]

Larry is right, everyone has done this or something equally embarrassing at least once. Get a magnet and see if you can get it out, as Larry said if its intact you are OK.

Brian

'72 Berkshire

[Kip Kern]

You can possibly save a teardown by using a borescope and looking in the crank area for the clip.  Rule of thumb, always put the clip opening at the 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock position when installing them. Good Luck!

[t20sl]

Check your exhaust pipe. Usually if not found in bottom end they end up in exhaust.

[Bob Garner]

Thanks guys....ya'll are the best!

[tomale]

I have never done that, not that it should not have happened to me... A year or so ago I was having some issues with the bing carb and so I pulled it off only to find to my amazement that the plastic retainer that holds the needle jet and spring in place had somehow ended up lodged in the intake manifold... I have a distant memory of not being able to find that piece the last time I had the carb off, thinking it had rolled into hideing. So I must have taken one off another carb. So the question is, how long did it stay in there and why did I not feel a drop in power? Or how about the time on my Montesa Cappra 360 we were desert riding and 5 miles from camp the bike die's and I can not get it started again.. What happened is that the air box had this rod running thru the center of the airbox tunnel and it had broke in two and the 10.mm nut had come off and managed to make its way all the way through the engine and beat the piston and head pretty good. A bit of clean up to the head, and new piston and a fresh honing, fix the airbox and the bike was on the trail again. but boy did I feel foolish as I was pulled back to camp and had to sit the rest of the weekend with nothing to do as the rest of my buddies went off and had fun...I remember having to spend 50 bucks for a new piston which at the time would have been half of my weekly check, It was my first experienc with buying parts for a European big bore.... Got to love um!

Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)74'
250 hare scrambler (project bike)