f%#@

Just bought a 77 KZ1000 for 500 and i got the carbs cleaned new tires a battery and all kinds of crap ordered. i let the oil drain all night went to put the drain plug in and i found a piece of cam chain guide in sticking out of the drain plug hole. So the plan is to take the top end off hone the cylinders re-ring the pistons replace the valve stem seals get a new cam chain and guides and of course all new top end gaskets. im trying to do this as cheap as i can this will be the first time i have ever had an engine apart and not thrown a big bore kit in it. what do you guys think?

Had the same exact thing happen to me. front cam guide right out of the oil drain plug. In my case, I went in and simply changed the guide. I can kick myself for not doing what you are suggesting on doing. Yes, first make sure to measure the jugs to make sure they are within spec before having them honed. Do the new rings and replace the valve seals with new viton valve stem seals. But I would go further and measure the valve lash so you can order any needed shims for proper valve lash adjustment. You may need to grind a value stem or two if they ware way too tight . Also a good time to see if any of the valves need to be lapped. Cam chain will require you pull the engine and split the cases . Top end parts end up to being very expensive. Forgive me if you already know all of these things. I am just rambling of things that went through my head when I was dealing with this situation. In my case, I got tired of how long it was taking with the little time I had and how much it was going to cost. So I lost patience and replaced the broken front guide then buttoned the engine back up. Been riding it ever since for the last three years thereafter. Last year it developed a leak from the head gasket, from the cam tunnel rubber oil ring. There are some good suggestions here on what people do to avoid this common problem. I plan on going back in and doing all the things I should have done before.

a friend of mine that owns a shop that used to build engines for pro stock back in the day on these things. said i could just cut the stock chain and replace it with a k&l clip style so to avoid splitting the cases. i am not wanting to do this at all good thing is i get at cost parts through my work damn i am so pissed... can the guide be changed with out removing the cylinders?

menace wrote: can the guide be changed with out removing the cylinders?

No! you have to remove the barrels.
The guide locates in the bottom of the barrels and is held in by a screw at the top.

@zed1015, is there a method to measure the cam chain for its life limit without having to split the cases?

@menace, I did drop the oil pan in order to clean the debris from the broken front cam guide at the bottom of the pan and the oil screen.
As you stated, not a good idea to use a k&l clip style cam chain. I wouldn't comfortable with it myself. But if you can determine a way to check the cam chain stretch without splitting the cases, then most likely, you won't have to worry about replacing it.

No way of checking the cam chain in engine! And I would NEVER use a master link on one of these engines. Unless you never took it over 5-6 grand rpm's or hole shotted it or powershifted it etc. Might be ok for hometown cruise nights around the neighborhood @ 30-40 mph.
I hate to be a Donnie Downer! But Man! your gonna open a whole big can of bad worms!
Just from seeing that guide, tells me lack of maintenance (adjusting cam chain). Lack of oil changes. Beat on hard! And a lot of miles also.
Your going to find all the internals are worn past service limits. The whole valve train. And including the piston skirts & cyl. barrel tolerances.
Your gonna see black-brown burnt oil all inside this engine, heat & score marks on the valve lifter buckets.
I have taken over 50 of these Z1-KZ's apart in the past 40 yrs.
Then again, I could be wrong? just my opinion.
Good luck! These engines are indestructible and can be rebuilt!

As far as everything on the bike it was very well taken care of or replaced the floats the bowls everything has no tool marks except for the cam chain tensioner and oil plug the wiring the engine the oil other than the huge piece of guide in the motor its was clean. I have had my hands on well over a dozen of these things and this is one is one of the better ones. I was told by a friend of mine that owns his own shop that has been working on these since they came out and he said those chains are great. He is the best engine builder for power sports stuff in the whole city of Omaha and surrounding areas. He has built dozens of pro stock engines that would give all of us wet dreams. He said several bikes came with that style of chain from the factory granted they were honda's. I wont know anything until it is apart but it has 38000 miles and the oil has no metal flake in it and it wasnt black. I am going to tear into it and see what it looks like and try like hell to stick with my original plan and try to keep the stock chain definitely going with a APE manual tensioner. I am not saying that you guys dont know what you are talking about and i do appreciate the advice but i trust the words of my friend.

Doesn’t the camshafts and chain sprockets run at 1/2 the RPM of the crankshaft?
I don’t know anyone who is using a master link cam chain but I also don’t know anyone who did use one and blew the chain off.
I’ve been using a master link 630 drive chain for over 25 years and have had zero issues.

good posting.... I will be tearing into the engine Saturday night i have been doing allot of other stuff i put a cheap duro tire on it.. they seem to be a really good tire for the price and it seems soft i am not really concerned with the longevity but other than that i think its decent i will post some pictures of the engine tear down....

The rivet link on the roller type camchain is ok as long as it is riveted correctly.
I have seen the HYVO type fail though on quite a few occasions and for the potential risk I always fit endless.
Usually when the camchain is worn it's time to inspect the guides and rollers anyway so worth the cost of a gasket set to save another stripdown in the very near future.
May as well get everything sorted in one hit and be assured that the motor won't let you down after only a few miles.

I have no idea what is going to happen so we will see thanks for the heads up. I got a second opinion from another local builder he said as long your not running a slick at the track on a Hi Po motor you wont have any issuses.