950 not sounding good, oil lamp flickering

[ciedema]

All you need to order is a water pump seal kit (comes with a new shaft and 2 x seals), an oil filter and oil.

Replace these and tell the shop to leave everything else alone.

The only other thing you might need to replace is very possibly the spring for the bypass valve. But unlikely, do the filter and water pump seals first and then see.

I would tell the mechanics to leave everything else alone. If they don't listen take it off them.

Many people here have had the same symtoms, with the same fix.

[Two Moto Kiwis]

Originally Posted by norschweger

forgot one detail: the oil filter looks as expected, wavy.

Cool, hopefully that photo was of help then.

Good advice from ciedema, having just gone through all this it is that simple-ish

[norschweger]

had to use a flame to get the seal out. What about the bearings. Looks like they have some signs of wear towards the space in between... What about the seals of the cylinder-head that they have already taken off? look good...the part number of the waterpump-cover-gasket seems to be wrong. In the data-base it shows a slight difference.

[norschweger]

Originally Posted by Two Moto Kiwis

Cool, hopefully that photo was of help then.

Good advice from ciedema, having just gone through all this it is that simple-ish

Yes, thanks! Sorry to read about your problems. Seems like we have more in common than we wished for...: ) But my screen and oil look good actually.
Good luck!

[DockingPilot]

Yep, replace those bearings and shaft. Youll need to be careful not to nick the new seal going back onto the new shaft.

[Pantah]

The early 950's were a problem in that they occasionally had winking oil lights and such (particularly after a hard ride). The cam chain tensioners dropped their fluid a lot. That led to the clacking noise. But if you rev it and the light goes out, you are probably golden.

I vote ride it. The early 950's were safe to ride, but were crude running. I did for 60k miles with all those concerns. I had the fuel pump replaced twice as a measure, and the clutch slave failed once, but I got her home. Maybe 700 miles on that slave refilling periodically at Walmart.

[DockingPilot]

Originally Posted by Pantah

That led to the clacking noise.

Or the 05.5 "upgraded" torque limiter

Now that was a clack!

[norschweger]

Originally Posted by Pantah

The early 950's were a problem in that they occasionally had winking oil lights and such (particularly after a hard ride). The cam chain tensioners dropped their fluid a lot. That led to the clacking noise. But if you rev it and the light goes out, you are probably golden.

I vote ride it. The early 950's were safe to ride, but were crude running. I did for 60k miles with all those concerns. I had the fuel pump replaced twice as a measure, and the clutch slave failed once, but I got her home. Maybe 700 miles on that slave refilling periodically at Walmart.

seems like you have not really read what the problem is!?

[norschweger]

Originally Posted by DockingPilot

Or the 05.5 "upgraded" torque limiter

Now that was a clack!

???

[norschweger]

The mechanics did not listen and properly check if the waterpump seal was the leaking. Instead they were accusing the timing chain and wanted to take that out. To do this you basically have to disassemble the whole cylinder, which i stopped halfways...the guy has never worked on such a bike and the boss does not know shit (sorry for my language but he starts to piss me off). The way the things were taken apart was not really professional and you can just imagine what it looked like under and around the bike. I tried to clean up the mixture of parts, oil and coolant in a way that it could maybe be possible to find which screw belongs where....I do not feel comfortable letting this guy reassemble it by trial and error, but to do it all alone will be tough, especially because of the timing chain tension...to transport everything to another shop will be a bit complicated and maybe expensive (at least to Guadalajara) and the question is how willing someone is to clean up the mess of someone else. If anything goes wrong, everyone will blame the other one...
I am considering to contact the headquarters of KTM and ask them for advice.Too many things have been done wrong by "KTM"mechanics so far that I am not willing to swallow the bitter pills all alone. I have told the mechanic of Wilson motorsports/Fresno (who did the big service) about that and asked him to talk to his boss what possibilities I have...we will see

[DockingPilot]

Originally Posted by norschweger

???

In mid 2005 KTM made big changes to the 950. One of them was a new torque limiter that had a design flaw. While turning over the engine if there just the slightest resistance the torque limiter would clack and loud. It would make heads turn it was such and ugly noise.
The retrofitted. A limiter that actually worked soon after.
But that's neither here nor there for you.


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[ciedema]

Originally Posted by norschweger

The mechanics did not listen and properly check if the waterpump seal was the leaking. Instead they were accusing the timing chain and wanted to take that out. To do this you basically have to disassemble the whole cylinder, which i stopped halfways...the guy has never worked on such a bike and the boss does not know shit (sorry for my language but he starts to piss me off). The way the things were taken apart was not really professional and you can just imagine what it looked like under and around the bike. I tried to clean up the mixture of parts, oil and coolant in a way that it could maybe be possible to find which screw belongs where....I do not feel comfortable letting this guy reassemble it by trial and error, but to do it all alone will be tough, especially because of the timing chain tension...to transport everything to another shop will be a bit complicated and maybe expensive (at least to Guadalajara) and the question is how willing someone is to clean up the mess of someone else. If anything goes wrong, everyone will blame the other one...
I am considering to contact the headquarters of KTM and ask them for advice.Too many things have been done wrong by "KTM"mechanics so far that I am not willing to swallow the bitter pills all alone. I have told the mechanic of Wilson motorsports/Fresno (who did the big service) about that and asked him to talk to his boss what possibilities I have...we will see

Have a look at the parts fiche - they go back together very easy. Dont get worked up about the tension the bike has automatic tensioners.

[MOLAHS]

I don't know whether this helps but I've had a similar problem with noisy top end on start up, oil light after take off and after 3-4 minutes reducing to a flickering and then off. I took the bike to a very experienced KTM mechanic and after removing the oil filter which showed the deformed section similar to examples of failed water pumps, but no sign of cooland in the oil. The oil filter (put in by PO) was not a KTM oil filter. The mechanic says he's seen this happen a number of time with non OEM filters, including K&N. OEM filter is in, no oil light on and I ride home. I should add that the OEM oil filter has the part no on the top of the filter, mine had nothing.

[norschweger]

what would you do if the mechanic of a KTM-dealer had hammered several times on the cylinder-head to get it off while there were still some screws holding it (of whose existence he did not have a clue)?
I am pretty sure I would get everything together but considering that they might blame me afterwards for any failure...I do not know. THEY did a lot of mistakes and are unable to order the parts, I am the one who found the problem with your help (and who told them from the start, unfortunately by then I did not know that I just would have had to take off the clutch cover).
Yesterday I reached a new climax of frustration: calling him and asking for any news about the parts, he said, noone in Mexico would have it,Asking where he had investigated there was one dealer he mentioned first, thinking hard, he came up with one more. There are 10 in Mexico! I sent a request to all of them and if I order at two different ones I might get all the parts. When I asked why he did not ask the others he said that he does not cooperate with any other dealer...and that IT WAS NOT HIS PROBLEM! that he is waiting for ME to arrange the parts!...
Now I am waiting for an answer from California and even wrote KTM Austria....wait and see

[norschweger]

after weeks of waiting, wrenching, being lied to, writing to KTM Austria...I am in Leon now.
The carbs have been cleaned, the valves adjusted (intake on the rear was less than 0.08mm, new oil (filter), air filter...engine seems louder to me (maybe because there is no gear on the bike), does not perform the way it should, is week in the beginning (first gear) and hesitates when accelerating immediately. Seems not to get air or gas...They say it is the timing, maybe something with the airstream...want to check tomorrow...Sounds familiar?