OMR: '76 KZ900 Restoration/Modification

i made it for 10 months,im only going to be stuck out there a couple more weeks hopefully unless they put some outside walls up around the damn building! :sick:
only in nebraska do they pour half the floors in the building and part of the roof and forget the exterior walls,while framing up the interior walls in the middle of oct.
and yell at the plumbers about being behind schedule at the same time! :sick: :woohoo:
i dont mind working 3-4 months out of the year if i get to take the other 8-9 months off,gives me all that free time to work on my own junk and an absurdly large pile of money to do it with! :evil:

just a couple of my many views at 5:00 every morning waiting for everybody else to show up for work :woohoo:

trying to make the man out to be like a woman and then... Nothing about feelings just his true passion. Motorcycles are like women. We always enjoy riding them.

79MKII wrote:

kano wrote: ...

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:lol: :lol: So Very True!! :lol: :lol: Why do they read so much into things??

OH-BLOODY-DEAR OMR! very sorry to see that. You might, once its right apart, have a look at the little ends in the rod, the one that has let go looks to have seized pin in the rod, you can see where the pin has picked up in the piston on both sides, this would help the piston "leave the building"!

Keep your chin up, its a good reason go BIG!
cheers,
Kt

Jeff.Saunders wrote: The scrap metal on the intake side - that may make sense. Once the piston performed its vanishing trick, there's no downward motion of that piston to draw air in - so when the valve opens you have slightly positive crank case pressure that's going to exit the easiest way it can.

I'm curious about what you find when you do tear down fully - I still can't understand how the darned piston just disappeared without the valves being trashed....

happened to a friend, KLR 600, very little oil to cylinder, fried it, head was fine

OMR Did you get a chance to drop your oil pan yet?

Sorry all, been busy with other shit then KZ....

Ok, got the engine out and opened... DOH!!!! :pinch: :whistle:
KZ1000 Head off to Larry for his magic....

In trying to figure this out, best guesstimate at this time is pre-detonations!
Another thing I found, piston C-clips missing off other pistons.
Basically found 1 clip only on the other 3 pistons where they had come out. :blink: :S

Here's the basics of the wiring harness I will be fabbing up....
Subject to change on the left hand control for turn signal and horn but close enough to get started.

NOTE: Note sure if I will be going with the Oil pressure gauge as depicted...

Whoa... Double posted... AH well- Oops! :laugh:

Anyhoot, that's the game plan...
I have the original 1015 KZ1000 pistons all cleaned and measured, all good. Due to extensive heat and $$$ funds right now, set of 4 new rings/seals/gaskets and should be up and running after the first of the year.

Bottom end tranny, gearing, clutch etc... all good other then the crank so New welded crank (off a 903cc Thanks Plumi!!! ) Seals, O-rings, gaskets and APE Main bearing kit etc...

I'll post more images later....

OMR

OMR, you only had 1 wrist pin clip still in place?
When assembled was the Gap of the clip set to face with the gap of the clip, in line with the Rod? If they are set at a 90 degree to the rod, they can get Sprung and pop out.
Some don't like them, but if you use Teflon Buttons, you will never have a clip problem. You could save the new clips from a set of new pistons for a stock motor.
Have you been using Ethanol like the majority of the rest of the USA, or do you have an Ethanol free station you can by from? Is it possible the Tank of fuel you got, was Regular Unleaded, put in the wrong underground tank at the station, or maybe a mix of Diesel/ Gas? I've seen it a couple of times now, and will destroy a motor, if Diesel is mixed with Gas/ Petrol. Depends on the ratio, but a Gas/ Petrol motor with this crap run through it will rattle its self to Death, overheat, and run like crap.
Looks like you might hold the record for running a 4 cyl KZ motor on 3!!!

"you only had 1 wrist pin clip still in place?"
On 2 of 3, missing clips (1 each).
The last clip was out of the piston groove but still in the wrist pin hole.
Possibly the other 2 popped completely off during removal of the cylinder ... Same time, they weren't in the groove! :pinch:

When assembled was the Gap of the clip set to face with the gap of the clip, in line with the Rod? If they are set at a 90 degree to the rod, they can get Sprung and pop out.

Following the instructions, clip was to be 180 out from clip cut out in piston lip.


Some don't like them, but if you use Teflon Buttons, you will never have a clip problem. You could save the new clips from a set of new pistons for a stock motor....

Yup! Where are you guys obtaining these from?

Ethanol..... Depends on the ratio, but a Gas/ Petrol motor with this crap run through it will rattle its self to Death, overheat, and run like crap.

Larry and I have discussed this possibility in length and based on pre-detonation evidence in the remaining 3 pistons, very possible this is exactly what occurred....

Another reason I'm liking the idea of 8.7:1 OEM 1015cc pistons... I may loose a tad over 3% BHP so not a real big deal to me at this point in time.... The big bore will just have to wait... So get the lower end all tightened up for if & when I make that decision so I won't have to open her up again.

OMR

Check for Teflon Buttons for the KZ here: www.pingelonline.com/wrist_pin_buttons.htm
No more clip issues for sure.
Were those clips the Round Wire type, or the Square Snap-ring type with the Cir-clip pliers holes?
Gap up or down on these probably doesn't matter. But 90 to the rod can be trouble, especially under stress such as Detonation. Lot of shock load to go into each and every component.
Just curios, what heat range plugs were you running? 8's? 9's?
Have you drained the tank into a clear container and try to see if the fuel is/ was the problem?