HELLO ALL IVE BEEN LURKING AROUND FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND DECIDED TO JOIN AND GET SOME MUCH NEEDED INPUT ON MY PROB I BOUGHT MY 97 SAVAGE MARCH 07 WITH 2200MI AN I LOVE IT
BETWEEN MARCH AND OCT I PUT ON A BLISSFUL AND UNEVENTFUL (EXCEPT STANDARD MAINTENANCE AND AFTER MARKET TURN OUT 3" MUFF) 5500MI APPROX.


THEN TRAVELING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 70MPH IN THE FAST LANE I WAS PASSING A SEMI WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNK KIND OF BANG SOUND THAT MADE MY BIKE LURCH. I VERY QUICKLY GRABBED THE CLUTCH NOT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED AND IT SMOOTHENED OUT. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS OK SO I RELEASED THE CLUTCH  ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE IN ORDER TO GET PASSED THE TRUCK, WHILE STARTING TO TWIST THE THROTTLE BACK INTO PASSING MODE I REALIZED THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE BIKE WASNT RUNNING AND I WAS SLOWING DOWN NOT GOOD I GRABBED THE CLUTCH ONCE AGAIN HOPING THERE WAS STILL NO ONE BEHIND ME STARTED TO SLOW DOWN TO GET BEHIND THE SEMI SO I COULD GET OFF ON THE SHOULDER AND INSPECT MY BIKE. AFTER I REACHED THE SHOULDER REALIZING THAT WHAT HAD JUST TRANSPIRED HAN TAKEN PLACE IN THE MATTER OF SECONDS INSTEAD OF WHAT FELT LIKE AN ETERNITY. I COMMENCED TO CHECK MY BIKE, WELL FIRST I JUST THOUGHT I WOULD RESTART IT SO I PREPARED TO START THE BIKE AGAIN AND AS I PUSHED THE START BUTTON IT CRANKED OVER WITH GUSTO BUT WOULD NOT FIRE JUST CRANK OVER. AT THAT TIME I DECIDED TO CALL FOR SOMEONE TO COME GET ME AND TOLD THEM I WOULD START PUSHING TOWARD TOWN AS I WAITED FOR THEM  WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY ABOUT TWO MILES LATER I WAS NEARING THE OFFRAMP.  I CALLED MY HELP BACK TO LET THEM KNOW WHERE I WAS AN THEY HADNT LEFT TOWN  YET SO THEY MET ME JUST DOWN THE OFFRAMP. WHEN I REACHED THE SHOP AND STARTED TO EXAMINE THE BIKE FURTHER I REALIZED THAT AS IT CRANKED OVER IT SOUNDED AS IF THERE WAS NO COMPRESSION SO I REMOVED THE SPARK PLUG AND CRANKED IT OVER ONCE AGAIN SURE ENOUGH NO COMP. DECIDED TO PULL VALVE COVERS OFF AND CHECK VALVES FIRST CHECKED FIRST TWO VALVES NO PROB GOT TWO THIRD AND IT DIDNT FEEL RIGHT PULLED UP ON STEM AND IT PULLED UP ABOUT 1/8 IN NOT GOOD A DROPPED VALVE UPON CLOSER INSPECTION REALIZED THE CAM AND ROCKERS CHEWED UP AS WELL. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED I DIDNT HAVE TIME TO TEAR ANY DEEPER INTO IT AS I HAD TO LEAVE STATE NEXT DAY. AS I WILL HAVE TIME TO START WORKIN ON IT AGAIN SOON I WOULD LIKE TO GET AN IDEA ON WHY IT DID THIS AND IF THERE IS A BIGGER ISSUE I NEED TO ADDRESS THAN JUST PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER.

WHILE DOWN IM GOING TO ACCOMPLISH MANY OF THE UPGRADES LISTED ON THIS SITE AS WELL AS PERSONALIZE THE BIKE TO MY OWN LIKING DOCUMENTING ON HERE ALONG THE WAY.

ANY INPUT APPRECIATED. I RESPECT THE OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE ON THIS SITE, THE TIME IVE SPENT LURKING HERE IVE REALIZED THE PEOPLE HERE ARE A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE.

THANKS

Doesn't sound like he has your luck, Yonah.  That engine's toast.

REPINSEGAVAS (SavageSniper?),

Doesn't sound good.  Like they said above, you are at the point where you are going to need a manual.

To answer some of the question above, Pull exhaust, and pull right side cover (Clutch /oil fliter side).  

TIP, as you get ready to remove bolts, get cardboard, draw a picture of what you are taking off, then as you take bolts off, punch them thru the cardbaord at the about the same spot on the picture.  Makes reassemboly a breeze.

Good luck.

First I apologize for the caps wasnt thinking about the difficulty reading.

I do have a clymers for it i have also been working on cages since i can remember so the mechanical part comes fairly easy to me. Ive owned several bikes just never had to tear any apart.

I do not believe it is the cam chain everything still turns over freely piston, cam and all, just with no comp, with no abnormal sounds which is surprising considering the dropped valve. I thought i would have heard it clunking in the cylinder.

It had plenty of oil the only work done to it since I bought it was the 3" turn out muff and two oil changes.

Its just seems odd $1200 for a 97 with 2200mi and no probs to have that serious  of a prob after an additional 5500mi put on it with no signs of probs previously.

I will be pulling head off the middle of this week to see what damage might be done internally. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it isnt too bad an I can rebuild it. Ill keep you posted on what i find.

Hmmm, no compression, dropped valve... after muff change.

Did you rejet?  You might just have a burnt valve.

Hope you have an easy time with it, what ever it is.  

REPINSEGAVAS wrote on 02/09/08 at 19:37:27:


Just have to wait until you find out what came loose before we know what caused the problem...

There was a set on ebay just yesterday.

Almost $200 for head and cover.

Lancer has cams that add some OOOmph.