Need PV help

[rootsnrocks]

First post owned my EC 250 for about 8 months so far. Perhaps I should have posted on the PV sticky thread but thought I may have a better shot at getting help with a new thread.

My bike had been acting very strange and was having trouble "opening up", "getting on the pipe" etc. basically since I got it. I had originally attributed this to a jetting issue as it sort of felt like the main was too small. Although occasionally it did seem to come alive which had me suspecting that it could be the PV. This went on for some time (way too long) until finally I began getting this strange symptom that a few people here have mentioned when they have a PV issue. Out of no where the bike sounds like your entire exhaust system must have fallen off, it is a horrible noise but quickly quiets down when you rev the engine. Very scary sound...

I took the right side PV cover off to find what appeared to be a simple fix. The screw that holds the actuator plate onto the PV shaft had almost completely backed out. I figured I could just re-align on the plate onto the shaft and re-tighten the bolt (correct me if I'm wrong). However in the process I dropped the washer for that bolt down the hole.

Obviously now I need to take the side cover off and find the washer and attempt to reattach the actuator plate to the shaft and tighten this bolt. Is there anything I need to know when doing this. I read on the P-V sticky forum the follow note:

"Special note: Don't try to move the plate around with the arm attached. It will dislodge a ball lower in setup and stop the system working."

I guess I am concerned that because my actuator plate was flopping around on there that this ball may have been dislodged. Or am I misunderstanding this?

How can I tell if it is dislodged and is it fairly straightforward to re-install it?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jakobi]

Having the plate flop around is fine. Bike won't run well as you've noticed but shouldn't cause any issues. The actuator arm (that comes up through the hole is operated under the right engine case by a governor with ball bearings that engages it when at certain rpm. If you go pulling on the arm its possible to dislodge a ball which will then bind the whole governor up.

Seeing that you will have the RHS engine casing off to retreive the washer you'll be able to check the govenor while you're in there and also adjust any slack on the arm to plate. The plate itself should be round with a flat side which is a press fit onto the powervalve shaft (where the bearing is).

So I assume the left bolt came undone and the arm popped off the plate full? or was it just floating on the pin? There is no way my arm would come off the pin on the plate. I really need to pull it back towards me before it'll have enough clearance.

The exhaust o-rings also blow out and will make the header vibe against the spigot intermittantly which sounds like a horrible vibration. When my powervalve gummed up and stuck wide open the exhaust note at idle and low revs sounded like the bottom end had fallen apart and the bike made about that much power too. Scared the poo right out of me.

 

[rootsnrocks]

The bolt that holds the plate to the PV shaft (center in your picture) backed almost all the way out of the shaft. This caused the plate to move away from the PV and not rotate the valve. Basically the actuator rod is doing its thing by moving upward at high rpm but it wasn't actually rotating the PV, the PV was just floating around in there. The plate had been flopping around for so long that it is no longer a "press fit" there is a decent amount of play just because the actuator plate hole w/ flat spot is now slightly worn. I should probably get a new one...

Perhaps you have some new comments now that you know which screw loosened up? I think you had thought it was the one attaching the actuator rod to the actuator plate and that's not the case.

Thanks for your help!

 

[GMP]

rootsnrocks,

All you need is a new plate (cheap), and loctite the bolt. The issue you read about relates to manually pulling the actuator rod upward, therefore moving the governer, and allowing the steel balls to fall from their ramp which will then jam the governer in the current more advanced or open position. This cannont happen any other way.

 

[rootsnrocks]

Okay I was pulling up on the rod to try to re-align the plate (which is when the washer fell) but I don't think the balls fell out because the rod moves right back down and didn't feel stuck or bound up. I will look for the balls as well when I take it apart.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jakobi]

Sounds like no issues with the governor. I originally thought you meant the center bolt on the main PV shaft, but then looking at my picture I noticed the washer on the actuator arm which I am always very hesitant of having drop down the hole

I usually use a small rag and stuff the hole. Like Glenn said you should get away with buying a new plate only.

 

[GMP]

The balls will not fall out of the governer assy. They will just become dislodged from their ramps and prevent the governer from returning to the normal "home" position. If the rod does not appear to be in a higher position than when you started messing with it you are fine.

Does the end of the drum valve shaft look OK? Is it beat up like the plate?