1987 Honda Spree Piston Troubleshooting

Trying to get your Spree/Elite to run, or run better? Post your questions here.

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jayclaymore
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1987 Honda Spree Piston Troubleshooting

Post by jayclaymore »

Hello everyone! I have 1987 spree was running great and then stopped while riding it! I could not kick start it or electric start because it was bound up and unable to crank. I though the motor was seized so I bought the new piston kit and took apart the engine. I found the bottom of the piston broken and the crankcase was filled with gas! I emptied the gas out of the crank and found the broken piece from the piston and the connecting rod is now moving freely. Then, I put the new piston rings and cylinder on but it's still binds, almost like the piston is hitting something when it's cranking. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!
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Meatball
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Re: 1987 Honda Spree Piston Troubleshooting

Post by Meatball »

It may remain a mystery WHY the piston broke. Bottom line, a chunk of it went rogue while the motor was spinning which will cause much more damage than a simple piston swap will fix. While that chunk was floating around, it likely bent the rod, bent the crank and probably jacked up the bearings also. Youre lucky the motor decided to die before shrapnel exploded out of the side of the case. Either way, your motor is now a doorstop. Find a good used motor to swap in instead of trying to find a crank and rebuilding...or look at this as a good reason to swap in a better motor with more power/speed.
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