kz900 head troubles...

well here is the deal. my 900 head had 8 bent valves.i ordered all new valves and laped them to fit. they seal very well. hold water for 6 min without springs. i went and pre fit the cams in and noticed that the caps on the left side, the ones that locate the cam, is very warn on the inside, and parts of it have chiped away and the other is broke. it craked right next to the bearing in the bridge of sorts. whats the chances of installing caps form a diff head. i know they are machined to the head. but i'm trying to not stick a bunch of money into it.

I never tried swapping cam caps. I guess you could try it and then plastigauge to see what the clearance of the cap is. If the cap is too tight, I guess it could be polished a bit?

I suspect buying a used head would be cheaper. I priced one for my 750 twin and it was about $100 complete.

i know people who have swapped the caps.if you have a bucket full of spare caps and some plastigage its possible since the cams only move half speed of crank,but i dont reccomend it personally.id be worried about where those metal shavings went to,id say atleast drop oil pan and check oilpump screen.

Re:kz900 head troubles...quote]
I've been on Cymbalta for my head troubles.:laugh: :laugh:

Sorry, just couldn't help myself. (Hence the Cymbalta):ohmy:

I have used miss-matched caps before. Check your clearances like plummen said or you may have increased wear on your cam bearings.

If you have a bucket full of caps, try a few dfferent ones, if needed?

I will bet there are hundreds of bikes with miss-matched caps, out there on the road. Take your time and check everything closely.

I should of asked, why did it bend the valves?

Did any valves, hurt the piston domes?

How wide are your valve seats?

exact reason for bent valves is unknown. but i found a cam tower rubber with steel plate stuck between the cam chain and crank sprocket...i'm sure that is the cause. still havent explaned the wear on the caps yet. i'm wondering if by the chain getting so tight which was pulling down hard on the cams!!!! if it might have caused the broken cap that i have and maby bent the one that is tight.

also the top end is down and the pan is off for cleaning

plus i dident keep track of the cam bearings and just have them where ever. the caps are marked so that is easy. i'll try and put marker on the bearings for the tight cap and see where its tight by spinning.

is it possiable to weld some more on the inside of the cap to retain the original inside of the cap with a little work.

I have seen people use caps from another head,I dont recomend it.
it is possible to have the cap weleded and then remachined so that it is in line like its supposed to be, but in the long run you prob could find andother head cheaper, and would prob be better off

plastigage is not always a perfect indicator. I wouldn't worry about the caps, you can check the bearings later and confirm there not too tight. I'm using all kinds of diff caps and beat the heck out of my bike. No problems.