1979 KZ1000 LTD B3 Help wanted - Bike will not start

Taking pics of the intake ports but its quite difficult as the engine is still on the bike. I checked with a flashlight and although there is some deposit I could see the valve and when rotating the engine, see it open and close. I did not inspect the exhaust side but I remember seeing some carbon deposit in the 4 ports when I installed the header. Would you recommend I remove the exhaust and clean that out too ? I did not read anything specific about that in the manuals.

Sorry if I am a bit all over the place I just want to try and find out what is wrong with the bike and try and fix it as best I can.

As for the cleaning, I did not entirely remove the caps and camshafts and read about the whole procedure and I will tackle that this week-end. It will allow me to clean-up some more and get all the values for the shims. Any surprises I should know about when removing the camshafts ?

As for pulling the head, I am a bit intimidated by that, never done it before and I was kind of hoping I would not have too. Do you think its absolutely necessary ?

Download the service manual for you bike and read what you have to do be for you do it,(wrong).

kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/Kawas...Service%20Manual.pdf

We all here will help you and guide you step by step but some reading is necessary!!!

Scirocco wrote: Download the service manual for you bike and read what you have to do be for you do it,(wrong).

kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/Kawas...Service%20Manual.pdf

We all here will help you and guide you step by step but some reading is necessary!!!

Thanks Scirocco,

I had already downloaded the manual and started reading the section about the camshaft disassembly. Since my bike is a 1979, the Clymer manual I have was also handy as the tension adjuster system is different on my bike.

So I took everything apart this morning being super careful not to drop any parts in the case. TDC. I tie-rapped the chain in place so it wouldn't fall and proceeded to remove the caps and then the camshafts.

I did not figure out how to remove the Tach pinion shaft yet and I realize I need to remove it when I will re-assemble.

Reading about what should be the specs on the camshaft lobes and the bearings I realize I am going to get myself a thickness gauge which will come in handy anyway in the future.

I then cleaned everything up further and removed the buckets and shims and inspected each of the individually. No major findings there I think. In general the buckets were smooth with the exception of two which had a bit of carbon deposit on them. Also under the buckets a bit of superficial rust deposits on a couple of valves which I cleaned up.

I was able to take the shim numbers individually for future reference.

Should I remove the valve retainers, springs etc. or is that inspection conclusive enough to go ahead and replace the shims and re-assemble once I have made sure the camshaft and bearings are OK ?

Thanks.

I would pull the oil pan, a lot of unwanted dirty sludge, rust, water, and other unknown things are collected over the years there and have to be removed by hand.
This is a must do for your engine.

Well you're into it now, and if it were me I would remove the head and check the valves and springs. You would need a spring compressor for that task. You can also look at the top of your pistons and clean them up if they show carbon deposits.

I'm not a mechanic either, but I've done that job a few times and it's not all that difficult if you have a manual. Plus you also have this site to ask questions.

shrap66 wrote:
I did not figure out how to remove the Tach pinion shaft yet and I realize I need to remove it when I will re-assemble.

Remove the screw and use a wood stick to knock out with light taps the tach gear out of the head.
Do not use unnecessary force.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, so forgive me if they have. Do not try to estimate torque. Get good in-lb and ft-lb torque wrenches and be sure not to over torque your cam cap or your valve cover bolts. They strip very easily.

For your info...I have a 1980 B4, so almost the identical machine.. Great fun to ride!

Pull the head and inspect the valves. While in there replace the valve guide seals with Viton seals. With the valves in the guides rock them to check for excessive play. Post pics and go from there.
You'll be glad you did.
Steve

hardrockminer wrote: I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, so forgive me if they have. Do not try to estimate torque. Get good in-lb and ft-lb torque wrenches and be sure not to over torque your cam cap or your valve cover bolts. They strip very easily.

For your info...I have a 1980 B4, so almost the identical machine.. Great fun to ride!

Thank you Hardrockminer. I do have the proper torque wrenches in both in and ft-pounds. I do most of my service work on my harley. I love my Harley but my first bike was a Honda. Always liked the Japanese bikes and the one I aspired to was the KZ1000. The Mad Max movie with Goose's MFP police bike and the toe cutter bike probably have something to do with that

Thanks Scirocco for the info about the worm gear. Came out this morning.

hardrockminer wrote: Well you're into it now, and if it were me I would remove the head and check the valves and springs. You would need a spring compressor for that task. You can also look at the top of your pistons and clean them up if they show carbon deposits.

I'm not a mechanic either, but I've done that job a few times and it's not all that difficult if you have a manual. Plus you also have this site to ask questions.

I found a local mechanic experienced with old Kawasaki. Good to know if I end up over my head (probably already am) . He had a ton of shims which I got for $5 each, not bad. I changed them, reinstalled the camshafts, cleaned and oiled everything and re-installed the caps, binder , being really careful to follow the instructions and counting the 28 pins according to the manuals. Once completed I checked for timing and everything looks ok and I went ahead and re-measured all of the gaps between the shims. All of the measurements are now within limits except for the exhaust valve on cylinder #3.

I will change it and also I might fine tune the shims so I can be on the higher end of the specs closer to .150 for all of the valves.

I also did a dry and wet compression test to see if changing the shims helped any. I now have compression in all 4 cylinders and the values have increased between 28 and 48 PSI, still far from being standard as the manual says between 126 and 156 PSI (Clymer says 130-155) and service ceiling is 100 PSI.

I have decided to follow your advise and remove the head so I can inspect further and fix any issues with the valves, springs change the seals etc. It's also going to allow me to clean the engine bit more. Going to remove the oil pan too and clean that up.

I am seeing I need a special tool - Cylinder Head Nut Wrench. Is that a must or is a good rachet / Torque wrench set enough ?

I am also seeing several special tools for the valves - Valve Spring Compressor, Valve guide Arbor, Reamer etc. I guess I will know if I need all of those once the head is open.

I am too far in to back out.

I'd ride it for a while and see if they come up. If oil fouling is indicated take the head off and install new valve guide seals. Normal tools are all you need.
Steve


kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/605981-valve-...1000?start=20#784779
kzrider.com/forum/13-bike-related/597654...crank-bossie-the-kaw

You don't need a special wrench to take the head nuts off. But you will need your torque wrench to install them when that time comes. You will need a valve spring compressor to take the valves out of the head, and it can be made from a large C clamp. That's about all, unless you need to grind the valve seats. If that's required you might want to find a good machinist.