found stripped cam holder bolts

i need advise, i took off my valve cover on my kz1000p and was going to check my valve clearance and the first step is to make sure the valve holder bolts are torqed correctly at about 12 ft lbs and in cheching i have found at least 3 stripped out apparently the police dept mechanic was not carefull when they serviced this bike.can i succesfully retap and use a larger bolt for these?any suggestions?i believe this is the reason i was hearing valve tapping.i can also see some of the numbers on my shims i thought these were supposed to go in writing down?please tell me i can do this without removing anything!

you need a helicoil www.emhart.com/products/helicoil.asp

You might also try Time-Serts...google them. I ended up using Time-Serts over Heli-coils (although others have had good luck with them)...pricey, but I like them. The fundamental issue is that the KHI manuals apparently are incorrect at 12 ftlbs of torque. That exceeds the recommended torque for an M6 bolt (your cam cap bolts) and will eventually strip the head...which is what J motored bikes are notorious for....I speak from a position of strength. After many discussions on this site and others, it was revealed that between 8 and 9.5 ftlbs are a better torque to use, NOT the 12 ftlbs.

And no, you'll need to pull your head (the one on the bike ) to do either the Time-Sert or Heli-coil. The numbers on the shims go down, not up.

thanks i will look into it. but really angers me now that i probably stripped out 1 myself because of 12ft lbs in my book?what about the shims inserted with the numbers up?does it matter?

i think i can tap the holes without removing the head?

I believe the shims should go with the numbers down as the numbers up will have the cam rubbing them away.

As for drilling and tapping with the engine assembled, metal chips will cause problems getting where they don't belong, and drilling 90 degrees for straight holes is another problem.

I had some stripped threads for my cam cover bolts on one of my bikes that i had to install helicoils in.I circled the hole to be drilled with a clean rag filled the hole to be drilled with white grease with a good blob all around it,Then I just turned the drill bit buy hand with a pair of vice grips while holding it at 90.The aluminium cuts real easy and the grease caught all the cuttings(youll be able tell when your at the bottom by feel)Then carefully pick up the messy grease.For tapping I did the same except I first used a starter tap then a bottom tap and turned with a small adjustable.Also used adjustable to install helicoils.Took a little while but way better than taking the head off

i like yhat idea,i will leave the head on and i work in a shop and will be able to keep it clean.do you know what all i need and size of helecoil and drill and tap?

youll get it in the kit you buy except one of the taps i cant remember which.

If your bolts are m6x1 the kit you need is P/N5546-6 youll also need a good sharp 1/4 in drill bit.youll get 12 inserts a tap and installation tool and instructions with it I think the last one i bought cost around $40

scubarod wrote:

thanks i will look into it. but really angers me now that i probably stripped out 1 myself because of 12ft lbs in my book....

As a matter of reference - - -

KHI FSM Mar. 12, 1979 [Part No. 99931-540-03] covering '77~'79 KZ1000 specifies
95~113 in-lbs.

KHI FSM KZ900 Mar. 28, 1977 [Part No. illegible ] covering '73Z1~'76KZ900 specifies
104 in-lbs.

Chilton's Kawasaki 900Z1 Repair and Tune-up Guide 1973-1974, 1974 First Edition covering '73-'74Z1, specifies
105 inch pounds.

12 ft-lbs is 144 in-lbs, and obviously too tight by almost 50% over-torqued, at least for the large Kawasaki fours through 1979 models.

Am wondering exactly which manuals contain the bogus information?

Good Luck!

do you have a suggestion on where to buy one of these kits and do you know a range of how much $?,thanks for your help