[Gluaisrothar]

Hi

I have been advised by a main dealer mechanic that I have low compression in all cylinders on my (8500 miles on odometer) 03 600RR. The problem manifested itself as the bike refusing to start despite a fully charged battery. I checked oil level, fuses and everything that the Honda service manual suggested. I thought I had it traced to the oil pressure sensor, but that wasn't it either. The low oil pressure light was still illuminated and the engine wouldn't start. I took it to the main dealer on a trailer with what I thought was an electronic/electrical problem. They tell me that it is either a valve, cylinder or cam chain problem most likely caused by a lack of oil. It'll be at least $800 (on top of the $300 to get this far) in labo(u)r ... before any parts! Some have suggested that it would be cheaper to source an engine on ebay and have it switched for the one in my CBR.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks
Gavin

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by Gluaisrothar

Hi

I have been advised by a main dealer mechanic that I have low compression in all cylinders on my (8500 miles on odometer) 03 600RR. The problem manifested itself as the bike refusing to start despite a fully charged battery. I checked oil level, fuses and everything that the Honda service manual suggested. I thought I had it traced to the oil pressure sensor, but that wasn't it either. The low oil pressure light was still illuminated and the engine wouldn't start. I took it to the main dealer on a trailer with what I thought was an electronic/electrical problem. They tell me that it is either a valve, cylinder or cam chain problem most likely caused by a lack of oil. It'll be at least $800 (on top of the $300 to get this far) in labo(u)r ... before any parts! Some have suggested that it would be cheaper to source an engine on ebay and have it switched for the one in my CBR.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks
Gavin

Who is the dealer?

[Gluaisrothar]

The dealer is Honda of Indianapolis.

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by Gluaisrothar

The dealer is Honda of Indianapolis.

Where in the hell are they at? Never heard of them, the only Honda dealer I know of is Dreyer Honda on West Washington Street.

[dchd1130]

you need to find out what it is and the only way will probably be to pull the valve cover off I dont know if you have to remove the whole engine on this bike or not. If you havent ran it with out oil I would assume it is something in the valve train. If you are not able to pull the head your self you are at the mercy of the stealer. I would pull it apart my self before I went looking for a new engine. Either way the engine has to come out.

[ichsnoo]

You definitely need to have the valve clearances checked before making a decision on what to do. Did the dealer check the clearances and also indicate how far past the serviceable limits each inlet and exhaust valve was? For $300 U.S I hope that they have specified exactly what is wrong.

If it is a valve issue then you will probably be able to find a mechanic who can do the work cheaper than a Honda dealer. You should also be able to get replacement parts a bit cheaper than what Honda can supply too.

Cheers,
Dave

[C420sailor]

do a leakdown test NOW. if they don't know whether it's head gasket, valves, or rings, then they didn't do an adequate inspection of the bike.

[Gluaisrothar]

Thanks Guys. I'm going to take the bike to another dealer and get a leak down test done. I know that the current dealer hasn't done one, even they did mention it to me.

[C420sailor]

let us know what you find.