Timing Chain

When changing the carb holders which were leaking i had three studs break so had to remove the head to get it sorted. I marked the cams and chain before removing them. When putting it all together I turned the engine manually. I heard the chain jump on the crank a few times as the tensioner was not against the chain. When putting it back together i set the chain as per the Clymer manual which shows from the intake cam T count back 36 pins. I just checked the manual on here for the kz650 and it says count back 33 pins.
Can anyone confirm which is the right amount of pins it should be set at. Help greatly appreciated.

I would suggest you use the factory manual in the "file-base" section of the forum rather than the "Clymer" and "NEVER" rotate the engine without the chain being tensioned

Thanks Wookie. Yes, unfortunately I have learnt that lesson. Do you not rate the Clymer manual. The torque settings for the cam caps were definitely not right in the clymer. 

Z650 is 36 pins not 36 teeth. First pin is the one above the sprocket timing mark. 




Here's a link to the factory manual in my drop box. 

www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dswlumxskrh4om7uz...gna&st=8jz1rz9p&dl=0

Thanks Warren, yes that is the same image as shown in the Clymer manual, 36 pins

Deon wrote:

Thanks Wookie. Yes, unfortunately I have learnt that lesson. Do you not rate the Clymer manual. The torque settings for the cam caps were definitely not right in the clymer. 

Generally on the forum the more experienced guys don't speak highly of Clymer, ultimately the factory manuals are available here so have to be the "go to" source of information

Clymer manuals make good fire starter.  Tear out a few pages, crumple up, and cover in kindling.  

My dad, who grew up in rural Alaska, used to talk about using sears roebuck catalog pages to wipe the bum in the outhouse.  I'll bet a Clymer would be equally useful in that regard.

I'm not that hard on Clymer.  I have them in my library.  Sometimes the official manual doesn't give a good description and the Clymer will do it differently and make it clear.  

hardrockminer wrote:

I'm not that hard on Clymer.  I have them in my library.  Sometimes the official manual doesn't give a good description and the Clymer will do it differently and make it clear.  

Always good to get a balance of opinions, FSM's are generally written for dealership techs whereas the likes of Clymer and Haynes are written more for the home mechanic so your point is a valid one. 

Good call with the timing chain setup. Put it all together today as per workshop manual and it started up straight away.
Something a bit strange as for some reason the engine sounds like a bag of nails. Turned it all off for now. Will check the tensioner when I get a minute.

OK, as long as you're 100% sure you have the cam timing correct, valve lashed correctly and chain tensioned correctly it's time to set the carbs up properly.
​​​​​​Firstly check for any air leaks at the inlets. If you have a vacuum tap the vac tube from the carbs MUST be blocked if using a remote tank (often overlooked). Balance sync using vacuum guages. Check bowl fuel height. Colour tune to ensure burn mixture is correct. 

Chances are both your primary chain and clutch hub damper rubbers are at best only partly worn so any unbalance in the carbs will cause unbalanced combustion between cylinders which will make the primary chain and clutch hub whiplash and that makes a lot of noise.  Generally it smooths out at about 1200rpm so set your idle at the lowest smooth rpm. 

Timing chain and valves 100% correct. I got the normal tank on the bike so the vacuum should not be a problem. I just need to check that the tensioner is doing its job correctly. 
Some very good pointers will go through and check.