is this bad?

[King Nothing]

I noticed this small crack under my crankshaft? case....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/kingnothing03sv/P5210006.jpg

[japrules]

I noticed this small crack under my crankshaft? case....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/kingnothing03sv/P5210006.jpg


It ain't good.. I hate to say this.. but its probably going to spread. I'd see about maybe having it tig welded... dig a trench into it and fill it in..

[BenDover]

I noticed this small crack under my crankshaft? case....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/kingnothing03sv/P5210006.jpg


It ain't good.. I hate to say this.. but its probably going to spread. I'd see about maybe having it tig welded... dig a trench into it and fill it in..

You can't weld cast aluminum. Well, you can but it ain't gonna last.

I'd order a new part and ride it until the new one comes in and swap it out when you have time.

[Neb954]

I had something similar on my honda 300ex 4wheeler where the motor mounted to the frame.. It had actually cracked enough to leak small amounts of oil.. (Sold it soon after discovery)

I also saw similiar things which almost looked like 'stress' cracks in brand new bikes which they said was normal.. (still have my doughts though)

Best of luck.. btw I think the 4wheeler got the crack from prevous owner racing it/jumps.

[japrules]

"You can't weld cast aluminum. Well, you can but it ain't gonna last."


Where did you hear that? Its not true. Have seen and had it done many times.. When you race a 580hp chevy you know all about this... go ask any machine shop that repairs heads.. common practice. And it will last awhile.. awhile like as in forever. :)

I'm guessing he doesn't want to tear his motor down to his crankase.. its a bit more than a sunday afternoon job ;)

[R1chie]

It could be a casting flaw and in that case just leave it lone. Could be because someone overtightened the bolt in the picture, it appears oil was leaking so the bolts around that area were over tightened, if that is the case, loosen it, use something to keep the bolt from coming out and put it back in with less torque and leave it alone.

My guess is that it is not aluminum, but probably magnesium. I have seen them weld it but if it is leaking oil the welding could allow oil to weep very slightly (which is a bummer but I lived with it on a case that had been cracked on a dirt bike). Any good welder will tell you this is a possibility with magnesium and oil (more prone if you do not take the engine apart and clean the oil from the inside the case). I have a welder that has welded aluminum radiators so if it is aluminum, I am sure he can do it. But magnesium is more difficult but he still can do it without taking about the engine. I know the boat prop shops can weld cast aluminum and have do it before.

If this area of the case that gets oil as long as there is no oil seeping you should be ok and leave it alone except for the suggestion above about the bolt.

But what I would do is forgo all the internet advise and take it to a welder that specializes in motorcycles. (I have an excellent one but he lives in the Colo Springs) see what he has to say. Like I said it could be a casting flaw but unless someone can run a fingernail across the "crack". Until someone removes the bolt to see if it was over tightened. Till someone gets the thing in front of them. Everything is a guess. Good luck.

[japrules]

"Forgo all the internet adise"? Huh? Dude, my suggestion was to weld the mother up.. dig in it with a stone and fill it! Its NOT magnesium.. its aluminum.. pretty obvious.. bring it to a good TIG welder and have him fix it up.. srew a "motorcycle specialist" what the hell good is that going to do him? ... a good TOG welder will trench it FAR beyond where it is cracked so it will not crack any more...

DO IT NOW before it continues too far.. I wouldn't "leave it alone" cracks just don't stop for the heck of it.. and its pretty obvious its a crack.

FYI.
jap!

[King Nothing]

Ok fellas, simmer down. I looked on another SV at the races today, SAME EXACT THING! The guy was pretty bent out of shape about it. I think I ruined the rest of his day. I talked to one of the guys at TK and am going to try to take it down there sometime this week.....

[R1chie]

Again, instead of listening to me, take it to someone who knows. If someone else with an SV has the same problem, it may be just a casting flaw or it may be nothing, but again until someone who knows what they are talking about touches it and looks at it, there is nothing obvious. Don't jump to conclusion, don't weld it up, take it to an expert.

[Mista Black]

damn crappy japanese craftsmenship :no:

get well soon penny!! :up:

[R1chie]

But Jeffie..... His bike produces power. Bikes that actually can be called "performance" bike sometimes have problems. :lol:

You still a little hurt a little by my euro bike comments? :)

[Wahooman]

I say duct tape or JB Weld the bitch :lol:

[King Nothing]

I say duct tape or JB Weld the bitch :lol:if it is a crack i see a package of JB Weld on the horizon for penny. :lol:

[Wahooman]

I say duct tape or JB Weld the bitch :lol:if it is a crack i see a package of JB Weld on the horizon for penny. :lol:
It might be sad to say, but I would trust it ;) I have used it on a honda accord transmission that developed a crack at one of the bolts. We did this back in college to a buddies vehicle.......if he didnt' do this it required an entire new transmission. We JB welded the hell out of it and covered the bolt...since it never had to come out anyway. Still holding to this day! That stuff is amazing.

[Mr. Turbo]

I learned to ride on an old can-am 125. It had a huge rock gouge out of the case. JB weld + mountain dew can = case that still does not leak!

[trackaddict]

why not take it to the SUZUKI DEALER and have it looked at. i would assume that you haven't been using the SV for motocross practice. maybe it is one of those "secret problems" that Suzuki has told the dealer to deal with on a "need to know" basis.

they could also confirm if it is a stress crack or a casting mark, and what the case is made of--so you can tell a welder.

if Suzuki says it is a crack, and they won't help because they say that the last triple you cleared cracked it, then.....

i would definately go to someone who has welded on motorcycles. i am a pretty good welder, but i would not try the repair in the pic unless i had seen it done before and knew "all the little things" that can sometimes make the difference between a good looking repair and a pile of mouse turds.

try Johnny Law Welding--he welds for the MRA guys, and will know just what to do. you can find his number on the MRA colorado web site under the vendors list (i think). if you take your bike to an MRA event, he is sure to be there.

my .02

[Anonymous]

What you don't want to hear, is that these crankcases are machined and sold as a set. Because it's a matched-half kind of deal, you can't just buy that piece, you need to buy an entire case. That set alone is over a grand retail! IF it's a crack, you will want to repair it. However my 600 motor has some casting flaws that look similar (worried me at first as well) and it may be that's all you have. Either way, find the service manual so that you can loosen and retorque those bolts to spec. Also make sure bolts have gasket washers where needed (may need to replace these if you play with the bolts at all).

If you're going to fix it, just do a teardown on the motor. A gasket set will be cheaper, and you can freshen it up while you're at it with some new rings and a quick rehone. Re-do the breakin process on TK's dyno to seat the rings, and you're set.

[Anonymous]

why not take it to the SUZUKI DEALER
...
if Suzuki says it is a crack

Suzuki dealer != Suzuki. The dealer likely won't be any better than a shop like TK or TFOG. In fact I've seen a lot of dealers do some downright crappy work and give completely wrong advice. Just cause they have the logo, doesn't mean they know anything!

Good rec for Johnny Law though, he'll be able to tell what it is, and can likely repair it for you since he can weld on bikes.