Top end oiling problem, how to troubleshoot.

MadShad wrote:

baldy110 wrote: What kind of oil are you using?

15-40 rotella.

Regardless of the pictures, my question is what should my oil flow troubleshooting process be if I suspect the top end being oil starved.
Particularly on the right side

Do you let the bike idle while it's on the sidestand? That can contribute to oil starvation on the right side.

I have no center stand so while the bike is warming up with the choke on for a minute or so it's on the kickstand.

Other than that, no.

But that does make sense

I had a somewhat similar looking thing like this and a couple lobes galling.
Since the shims looked the same and smeared, I got rid of them and replaced them with new ones and a good set of used cams.
No problems now checking again after 1100 miles.
I am 80%~90% sure it was cheap crappy aftermarket sims rather then no oil.

MadShad wrote: I have no center stand so while the bike is warming up with the choke on for a minute or so it's on the kickstand.

Other than that, no.

But that does make sense

A followup, then.

When you start the bike, are you sitting on it (so it's vertical) or is it on the sidestand?

I ask because when you park it the oil will drain away from the highest points. If you start it on the sidestand those points - which have little to no oil - will be the last to get oil because it is then heading uphill (so to speak). You could be getting a lot of wear in that minute when the choke is on: elevated RPMs and oil starvation are a bad combo.

I replaced some shims with ones from z1 ent.
No idea if they are oem.

The bike IS on it's kickstand while warming up, as I stated.

Here's what I'm getting at the head, the flow was the same on all 4.

Looks good to me. I have two gauges. One at the test port and one on my dash. The one on the dash takes a few seconds to climb.
Steve

MadShad wrote: The bike IS on it's kickstand while warming up, as I stated.

Yes, I saw that. But 'starting' and 'warming up' are two different things: I was talking about the actual choke-and-starter part of the process. I prefer to do that while sitting on the bike, hence the question. Maybe you start the bike from the saddle and then put it on the sidestand; how would I know without asking?

Sorry, yes I sit on the bike when i start it.
Learned that lesson as a kid when I dumped my first street motorcycle by starting in gear on the stand.

Once started i put it on the stand while I gear up.

Being the strainer is at the bottom of the sump, it shouldn't starve for oil.
Steve

MadShad wrote: Sorry, yes I sit on the bike when i start it.
Learned that lesson as a kid when I dumped my first street motorcycle by starting in gear on the stand.

Once started i put it on the stand while I gear up.

No worries. And ouch to the dumping. I hope no one saw that.

If this is the source of your wear, you may want to gear up and then start up so the bike is vertical the whole time.

MadShad wrote: I'm using an oil cooler with lager I.D. lines and fittings than what the gpz 1100 used stock.
I'd think that was big enough, maybe its not.

My pressure gauge should be here tomorrow.

These motors normally run on very low oil pressure (with higher capacity) so I wonder if by installing larger oil lines you may have inadvertantly created an oil starvation problem.

I think you might have encountered a combination of bad circumstances.....

1. Check oil flow? - pull the right side exhaust cam bearing cap and have a look at the bearings - if they look good, then you are probably flowing enough oil to the right side.
2. Your aftermarket shims (I'm pretty sure Z1 Ent. sells quality, but A/M shims - they might be hard as OEM, but not as smoothly finished / polished - new OEM's are ground like mirrors on my Hondas) might have contributed to lobe wear, when combined with...
3. Starting and / or warming the bike while it is tilted over too far on the side stand (how far does it lean?), and just a little wear on the cam lobes is the beginning of the end...once the hard face starts to wear, it accelerates very quickly...there is no cure after that. The lobes do not get direct oil supplied to them - they depend on the pools of oil left from leaking out of the cam bearings and past the lifters.
4. If you are intent on gauging the oil pressure to the cams, drill and tap into one of the right side head oil galleries for a fitting so you can temporarily install a pressure gauge. Plug the gallery when you are done.