12xlr8
Posts: 26
Score: 100
Joined: 8/30/2007
Last Login: 5/2/2012
From: Wayzata, MN, USA
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Wow, I got a few updates on this thread today. I haven't logged in for a while. I totally forgot about this thread. Somebody must have a squeaking Saito... and done a search. 
Interestingly, I have never found out why any of my other Saitos squeak. At least not which air port causes it. Crank vent, carb barrel, intake tube, or whatever. They just sound like a bird with laryngitis.
I finally started seeing more issues than just the squeaking on this engine. I finally decided that it wasn't my responsibility to disassemble, troubleshoot, and repair, a new thousand dollar engine. Sometimes, I don't mind doing some of the "Consumer R&D" and early mods, on the new cutting edge YS's, but I wasn't in the mood on this one. So, I left the yellow paint marks in place on the engine's bolts, and never opened it up, and just sent it in.
They found that they forgot to put the bearing spacer between the bearings at the factory. They didn't even seem surprised. I think they had a batch of them between serial numbers xxx and zzz. A new assembler or something.
Sadly, I wanted a new cylinder on one side that I knew was marginal, and had much lower compression, because it's hard to get that one lit now, among other indicators. They replaced the bearings, ...and the missing spacers that they had forgotten to put in there. But, even though they agreed that the cylinder was marginal, (from trying in vain to get it to run consistently, due to the tight bearings.) they refused to replace all the parts that were damaged by thier mistake, and chose insted, only to replace the minimum number of parts to get it to run.
So, I actually hate the engine now, and don't use it anymore, even though it runs OK, once both cylinders are lit.
It soured me on the whole deal. It actually soured me on Saito. It was thier fault, they forgot the spacer at the factory, and it fooled me, because, so many other Saitos have a harmless squeaky noise all the time. But, this wasn't a normal Saito squeak.
Even though they knew they put it together wrong, they still wouldn't give me all the parts to make it like it should have been when I bought it. Instead, they returned to me an engine that will never run like it should have, if they had not made the mistake at the factory in the first place. One cylinder is soft, and I suspect that the extra heat that it generated, and metal particulates it generated, caused other permanant damage as well.
I should have refused thier repairs, and told them I wanted a whole new engine. In fact, I expected them to do that on their own, knowing that they forgot the spacer in the first place.
They didn't. They wouldn't.
So, sorry Saito. I spent a grand on a sweet 300 twin with 4 glow plugs and twin carbs. They built it wrong, but didn't want to replace it, only repair the bare minimum parts. Now, it doesn't start well on one cylinder, and will never perform as it should have. So, .... The fact is... That's most likely the last Saito I'll ever buy.
I suppose I won't have to wonder about where the bird with laryngitits is anymore.
The lesson for everyone: There are harmless squeaks, and harmful squeaks. Never assume that if 5 engines have harmless squeaks, that they all are suffering the same fate. Which is really the point, no? Squeaks are normally bad. Even if it is a harmless airflow issue, the factory should find it's source, and eliminate it across the board. Then, when the customer hears a squeak, they don't waste time troubleshooting a harmless air squeak, or not troubleshooting a real squeak. .... The "boy that cried wolf" story comes to mind... 
The other lesson for Saito: Tell your "authroized repair stations" to learn the difference between a serious factory mistake, and a minor one. When it's a $1000 engine, and it's missing an important part like a crank shaft bearing spacer, that can cause all kinds of damage to a new engine. And the yellow witness marks are still in tact on the crank case bolts. ....Replace the entire engine, or replace the entire customer.
They don't all squeak, just a lot of them. They aren't all bad squeaks, just some of them.
Cheers,
T
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Why do Saito engines squeak? - 
