Hitchcocks Forum

I washed my enfield. 07 electra x
Tried starting shortly after and wouldn't fire. Presumed was a bit damp so left it a while.
Returned hr later and it fired up straight away. The choke was on full and managed to get stuck on my mirror bracket so it stalled. (All this maybe irrelevant but thought I'd say the whole sequence of events)
Readjusted choke and it just would not fire on kick or electric start. Kept turning it over until a ticking noise and now the piston won't move. The kick lever moves with clutch in so obviously the piston is stuck.
This didn't happen when the bike was running though and the engine was stone cold so I'm baffled. Thought I'd ask here before sending it off to the shop that do the work should I need it.

The enfield lifestyle is still fairly new to me so be kind.

Alex

Starter sprag fubarred?

Is the cylinder full of fuel my be preventing it from turning over try removing the spark plug keep any sparks away if it is though

Do you know where the ticking was coming from Alex? It would be unusual for a piston to sieze when cold particularly if it was okay prior to the current episode.

Stu

Thinking back to other threads I've seen in the Forum, could it be a problem with a valve seat having come loose?

Certainly not siezed, no way. I would be looking at the electric start.

I would also say it sounds like a jammed sprauge clutch You could try taking the plug out select 4th or 5th gear and rock bike backwards & forwards see if it frees it off. at same time if you hear starter spinning when pushing bike back & forth it will prove its a stuck starter.

Other than a dead starer sprag as mentioned by others...




IF...


The bike has been prone to kicking back when starting, the oil pump drive worn does not really like repeated and sudden reverse loading.


The worm drive has been know to fail (even with the Electa X) and then the big-end dies (cage disintegration) and the rollers have been know to jam-up and lock solid. Not always with the usual BE hammer noises, but rather a 'ticking/clicking' sound...


With the spark plug out, will the motor rotate backwards? (In gear spin rear wheel other direction)


Timing cover off will confirm either way.

remove the spark plug, give it couple of kicks.. then put finger over hole and see if there is any compression. with mine, the 'click' was caused by the exhaust valve seat (which is a pressed fit in the head) coming loose and falling into the combustion chamber only top have the 'bang' of ignition slamming it back. this was 'fine' until one day it happened and the push rod bounced clear of the rocker. take the exhaust rocker cover off and have a look.. or even the push rod adjuster chamber inspection cover. my rod was jammed in tight and hence did not follow the cam followers up and down.

the solution, after a strip down, was to have a new valve seat machined from scratch and a new larger valve from our hosts. not as expensive as it sounds.

yours may be another problem, with the engine refusing to turn over though?

Our hosts' oversize valves are for the classic Bullet engine, this one is an Electra-X! A.