Looking at this 73 Z1 for sale

Ahhh. The “it ran when parked” selling tactic. Gotta love it. But all kidding aside you now own an early 1973 Z1 900. Just let that sink in. 

Mikaw post=849346Ahhh. The “it ran when parked” selling tactic. Gotta love it. But all kidding aside you now own an early 1973 Z1 900. Just let that sink in.

Yeah, and as Bill Murray would say...  So I've got that going for me... which is nice.
 

Mikaw said:  "I’d say it’s time for a rebuild. Hopefully you didn’t bend a valve already. Not the end of the world though."

I'm not ready to go nuclear on this thing just yet. The valves are fine.. at least I didn't bend one anyway.  It turns over smoothly by hand.  It may have jumped a tooth or two but I need to pull the cams to see what's going on with the tensioner anyway. 

Im sure I can speak for the forum. We’re here to help in any way we can. In all honesty you can look into the cam chain tunnel and “see” the idlers. That really won’t tell you much. At a minimum the head will have to come off to properly diagnose the cam chain. At that point you will more than likely disturb the block base gasket. I think at a minimum you talking about a complete top end rebuild. As for valves before you go deeper you can use some shop air into the cylinders and listen for leaking. Kind of a poor mans leak down test. You have no way of telling the valve conditions at this point. Let’s hope all is good. It truly doesn’t take a lot to bend one if the cams are out. This is an interference engine. 

Was the spring inside the tensioner at the back of the engine?

First thought is that the tensioner wasn't working.  Was the spring inside the tensioner at the back of the engine?

Yes, the tensioner was intact.  I think for some reason the "tensioner assembly" (#10 on the Partzilla cam chain diagram) ... the hinged part with the gear on it that the tensioner pushes against, was jammed.  After I removed the cams, I pushed on it again, a little harder this time and it kind of popped and then moved freely as it was supposed to.  Before that it only had about a half inch travel.  I think it should work right now.

If it was my bike I would want to check compression after adjusting the valve clearance.  

Hey Robb2018, realistically what are your goals for this bike?  Perhaps I missed it in all the other thread replies.  The reason I ask is that you are moving down a road that is leading to one destination.  Rebuild the top end at a minimum.  The comment about the chain tensioner "popping" and then moving freely would absolutely concern me and I would want to take a close look at it..  What if you go thru all the work you are planning to do and put the bike on the road and that tensioner locks up again?  It could get ugly real fast.  Taking the top end apart is no big deal and will give you a much better idea of what is going on with the valve train and associated parts.  Once you have the top end apart you can make an educated list of what is needed to repair the bike at least to the extent you have it apart.  Knowing what condition the head and valves are in is a big plus in my mind and remember too that that would be the ideal point to replace the cam chain pieces which no doubt will need to be replaced.  You already know someone was minimally inside the engine doing God knows what and that alone would super concern me.  I don't like to speak ill of anyone, let alone a Harley mechanic, but the truth is even current day Kawasaki mechanics at the dealerships don't want to work on the older Kawi's for several reasons.  You have a very desirable bike, don't short change it.

Rick H.

Alternatively, you can install the cams again, properly timed.  Install the tensioner correctly.  Rotate the crankshaft manually with the kicker to ensure your valves are opening and closing properly.  If there is any resistance then stop and disassemble.  If the crank rotates correctly you can check compression and run the engine.

If you take the head off you will need new head gaskets...not sure if that engine is a one piece or two piece.  They are not cheap for OEM.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration
 

It seems a shame to rip apart an early Z1 and sell the bits.