TOPIC:

Piston #1 both sides are good piston #2 only the one to the exhaust is good piston #3 only exhaust valve measures good too piston #4 both are good and yes I am turning the engine to we're the can is to be no engaging the valve before measuring . So at this very moment I guess I'm going to remove the cams again since isn't that how I fix the valves I thought they were adjustable I'm reading in the Kawasaki manual that the ones that don't measure correct are to be replaced??!! Also here's a pic of the carbs it's got no hoses on it they all were burned when it caught fire when a "mechanic " came over and was GOING to fix it but instead made me have to make a new wire harness and lose those hoses so it set me back ps. I'm POSITIVE THE CARBS THE JETS THE OVER FILL TUBES ALLL IS CLEAN VERY GOOD ! Choke lever it ALL is good .

The bike is a 1982 Kawasaki ltd 550

Where are the vents? They have to be open to let gas in. It like like one of the air bleed jets is clogged on #3 carb.
Steve

Yes I just realized that too it seems clogged I'll be sure to recheck that one and by vents u mean we're the hoses come to right and they stay open well those too got burned they melted so I removed them I'm going to have to try and get those as well

Make sure all passages are open. Are the floats melted too? You might need a set of carbs.
Steve

I'm with Steve......my guess is you need a new set of carbs (I have a set I pulled off an 81 550 LTD) You can have them if you pay for the postage so you can get your bike running. When/if you redo your cams post a picture showing the relative positions of the lobes as well.....that will help

If those photos are after cleaning the carbs, then you may need to redo them & make sure the passages are clear.

Bluez has made a very generous offer. I suggest you take him up on it. It would be helpful to have another set of carbs and use parts off your old ones if needed. Jets etc. Don't put the cams back in without posting pics. Everyone is trying to help, please let them.
Steve

Yes today I'm going to make a chart remeasure all the clearances to see which need to be replaced and it is Friday! So I'll have all the time . And we'll no the floats are not melted . And so I have a question the ones that done measure the ones that are tight touching the valve can I get those in an ordinary auto part store or I'll have to head down to Kawasaki and so I'm going to sizes up? Or how does it work so that I get that clearance that is needed.

They have numbers on the back. Say it says 250, if it's tight, you'll need 240 or 245. >004-.002.
Get the carbs if you can. Postage can't cost all that much.
Steve

Valve shims are supposed to have numbers on them as Steve said, but not all do. You may need to get a micrometer to measure them. You wont know that until you have them in your hand.

Dude, you are in way over your head. Also, you don't appear to have the time, nor, patience (the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset) to succeed at this restoration. In my opinion you have months, not days or hours, of work ahead of you. Finally, you don't seem to have adequate financial resources, while at the same time you have spent money rather foolishly.

Gjason89 wrote: Yes today I'm going to make a chart remeasure all the clearances to see which need to be replaced and it is Friday! So I'll have all the time . And we'll no the floats are not melted . And so I have a question the ones that done measure the ones that are tight touching the valve can I get those in an ordinary auto part store or I'll have to head down to Kawasaki and so I'm going to sizes up? Or how does it work so that I get that clearance that is needed.

Carbs: Since the carbs were burned, you will either need to replace them or completely rebuild them. Even if the floats are not melted, there are lots of rubber parts, o-rings, and diaphragms, that are likely damaged or degraded. They all have to be replaced. If you don't replace them your bike will have zero reliability.

Valve Adjustment: Based on your posting so far, I don't believe you have the skill to loosen the overhead cams to remove the valve shims. When I do this job on my KZ1000, I use a tool to simply push the shim buckets down to extract the shims. In my opinion this would be a safer method for you if available. Yes you will need another tool (less than $20 online). Then once you get the shims out you should measure them with a micrometer especially if the shim thickness is not indicated on the shim. I measure mine regardless. You may be able to trade your shims for the ones you need at a motorcycle shop but if you need to buy new ones they are typically $10 on line.

Delays: Well the internet is great for getting parts, but each time you order parts expect a 2 week delay. Yeah you can get them faster if you are willing to pay more for shipping but, like me, you don't like parting with cash. If you are willing to pay extra for shipping you may find that fast shipping cost more than the parts you are ordering. This is why I say you have months of restoration time ahead of you.

For example your carbs. Taking them off the bike, taking them apart and determining the parts you need will take half a day. Then you have to find all the parts on-line and order them, another half day. Then you have to wait for the parts, two weeks. In the wait time you can give the carbs a good soak in carb cleaner dip (not the spray can stuff, but the paint can dip). You need to take the last step because your carbs burned. Then when you get the parts back, another day of putting them back together and putting them on the bike. Finally several hours of synchronizing and adjusting. During the above process if you realize you don't have the right parts, you damage one, or you need another one, well that could be another two weeks waiting for those parts if you buy them on-line.

Same thing with the valve adjustment shims. You have a day ahead of you pulling the shims, measuring them, ordering them, and then two weeks waiting for them to arrive. Then another day getting all that back together.

Like I said you are over your head. Both in experience and patience.