Ironhead compression after rain and heat

[pdgoede]

got the folowing:
ironhead 1957 rebuild is running very well. Did about 2000 km.
When doing a rally in Italy, the motor stalled after steap uphill in in the rain.
Tried tro kick it on and wasn t feeling any compression. Put it in 1st gear, rocked it a bit and was able to kick it on again.
I have checked the gaslevel, since it has been a steap hill, 2 gallons left still.

Engine was running fine again.
After taking gas in the afternoon , it happened once again, rocked it in 1st, kicked it on and runned great.
any idea what could be the cause?
thanks,paul

[antsap]

Would love to see some pics :-)

I'm taking a real stab at this so definitely wait for more responses ...

Maybe a sticking valve or lifter?

[vonh]

You should never go from full compression to no compression unless something is broke or loose. Is the kickstarter tight??

[doodah man]

i've noticed with my bike after riding for a good distance (up hill or not) if the engine is really hot, it feels like there's little to no compression with my kicker (it pushes through the cycle very easily, unlike a cold start where i can stand on the kicker and hardly move it), but like yours, it starts back up and runs just fine. i'm guessing it's perfectly a normal trait of a hot engine. as for your stalling out, could be rain soaking your air filter?

[ryder rick]

Duplicate thread should be deleted.

Check pushrod adjustment COLD (stone cold).

[Hopper]

+1 on wot Rick said. Check pushrod adjustment with cold engine.

When you say you felt no compression, did the engine turn over but felt no compression, or did the kickstarter just move without the engine turning over at all? If it was not turning over at all, it is probably a kicker ratchet jamming problem, and rocking it in first gear frees the ratchet.

[pdgoede]

thanks guys,
I indeed need to check the ratchet as well. However it was strange to me that the engine stalled at first. Maybe a frozen valve or so. It's in transport now and will update when it's at home again.

[83XLX]

I'll jump on the stuck valve bandwagon.

[pdgoede]

[fergerburger]

Like other said, pushrod adjust or sticking valve. sometimes when they ream the guides they leave a high spot in the middle of the bore if they use an adjustable reamer (as not all shops have the correct reamers). the valve will stick...also check your heads for torque as you can lose comp through the head gasket...not all leaks are audible.