Spare bits

[jakeymara]

Engine is burning oil, so I will be taking it apart tomorrow.

I dont suspect I have a problem as big as this, but this is just for my future refrence. If the head and/ or barrels are stuffed can you get new ones, or is it the death of the engine until you can cannibalize parts from another one?

I have been on the Kwak web site and have the part Nos. and been on Z Power's price listing for parts, but a new head is no longer available. However, if it was it would be in the region of ?900 just for the head!!

Neil

[KWACKERZ1]

Hi,
Unless your head is completly stuffed i.e. cracked they are usually recoverable,.
SEP in Kegworth leicestershire do headh refurb work, they did a zx9 head for me with new valve seats guides, new valves etc. The seats in that were completely worn out, so new guides, valves, seats and labour came in about ?400-500. The cost depends on whats needed but they are good.

Barrels can have new liners inserted and bored to the pistons you want, its normally cheaper to go for a big bore. But zeds dont generally wear badly and often new pistons/rings will sort them out.
If your burning oil check the ring gaps to the manual. However if you are seeing lots of smoke on the overunn, when you close the throttle, replace the valve guide seals, (in fact do this if you have the head apart if as they do crack/go hard etc.)

Hope this helps,
Phil.

[jakeymara]

Thanks Phil

Nice to know there are ways around problems, I never thought about liners.

Is it true about the barrels wearing well? It is just the bike's cylinders was honed by the previous owner only about 2k to 3k miles ago, which suggests to me, at any rate, that at the time of the engine rebuild (by Big R Engineering? or something like that), there were no really serious signs of wear on the barrels. I suppose it could all be down to the valves letting in oil.

I will do a compression test first I think, see if that throws anything up.

There is actually very little smoke from the exhausts and the plugs are 2 No. OK and 2 No. black sooty, as opposed to oily. But the bike drinks about 0.5 litres/ 100 miles of semi synth! Very wierd!

Cheers anyway

Neil

[KWACKERZ1]

If the previous owner has had the barrells honed, it could indicate he had other problems before having them done. He may have skimped on a honing job when it needed a rebore! and new pistons.

And they may have messed it up, and taken to much off, a compression test should help verify if its rings/bores. I have come accross barrels that have been honed/re-bored and end up oval, which obviously does not help sealing. A mate had barrells done by a well known big tuning firm and they did this, took ages to sort out.

As said before take it down check ring clearances in the bore and in several places. Up and down the barrell and try to ascertain if they are round. A good engineering shop would be able to do this with bore gauges.
Cheers
Phil

[phil churchett]

Can back up what KWACKERZ1 says about SEP, they are very good.
Good luck, hope it isn't too serious.

[jakeymara]

Thanks for the info guys,

I understand what you are saying, honing seems to be an art rather than a science and gut feel is, the engine has to be taken apart and so be it. Oil consumption is just too high for it to be a case of it being too thin.

It is getting to winter after all!

N

[Pigford]

Jakeymara, if it ain't smoking much, the oil can't be being burnt off thru the engine That rate of loss would be quite VISUAL
There aint a crack/hole in the motor that is leaking/spraying out of somewhere
Is there any oil in the air box (or coming out of the breather pipe if K&N's)?
Black sooty (dry) plugs is rich mixture. If oily, usually look damp
Might be worth running with straight mineral oil for a few miles to check

[jakeymara]

Hi Pigford

Ran a compression test and results were not too bad.....well not as bad as I was expecting.

148, 130,130,148 psi for Cyls 1 to 4. I understand 130 is just about OK.

Tried it with throttle closed, I dont know why and not sure it means anythingg except compression is closer

100, 92,90,92 psi

Changed to GTX today and put in new plugs..B8ESs. It had Bosch Platinum jobbers in, but bike sounds even better with the NGKs. I also closely monitored the exhaust on tick over and reving the engine in the garage, the gases are absolutly clean no sign of blue smoke!

I checked the engine no sign of a crack or hole.

Will run it on GTX and monitor.

Cheers

N

[Pigford]

Glad to here the GOOD news mate
See, the old Zed just don't like posh, modern oil
That posh stuff must be evaporating
Bit like trying to make someone like Fitzer 'Get a Life'

[jakeymara]

Aye, the Z seems to a tough old bird, with the exception of the cam chain tensioner or course. :

I can tell you that is the last time I take advice from the local bike shop about oil.