Greetings, this is a further update on my progress thus far…
You may recall from my last post, I was having an issue with an unidentified, intermittent engine noise that seemed to be vaguely emanating from inside the motor.
After disproving a number of different theories on what this might be, I was left scratching my head…
In the meanwhile, there were inconsistencies with the manual cam chain adjustment and I also noticed a barely visible green stain in the shape of a couple of drops on the outside of cylinder #1.
So… the head had to come off and once removed, I was able to confirm that the head gasket was leaking and that the lower rubber cam chain idler wheel was partially shredded (another possible candidate for the intermittent, abnormal engine noise, I thought).
It looked to me like the PO had previously fitted an accessory brand head gasket (without the sealant rings) and it didn’t look like he used sealant around the water jacket ports or (anywhere else).


I gave the head the old “fill the ports to the brim with petrol” leak test – there was not the slightest leakage past the valves which was a surprise, I decided not to remove / disturb them.
I did not remove the block either, the cylinders are on standard bore and looked ok.
I had checked the cylinder compression (hot) earlier and the results were all within the manual service limit spec.
I cleaned up the top of the pistons and the combustion area in the head with some kero and a rag and was surprised how easily they cleaned up – I’m guessing that the only miles this head has done since being refurbed are the ones I have put on it whilst I have been out riding the back streets (initially struggling with carburation and other issue’s).
I installed the head using a new OEM gasket, I was unsure, but in the end, I used a little additional sealant on both sides of the gasket.
The bike started up without any drama’s (as per normal) and just as I put my helmet on, ready to head out for a test run, the dreaded engine noise was suddenly back – WTF!
By chance I happened to discover that the sound was coming from the tacho unit, when I disconnected the cable, the sound abruptly stopped.
Upon disassembly and inspection of the Tacho, the spinning discs that hold the magnet was partially seized and hard to turn by hand.
I was able to free this up using some fine lubricant and that seems to be the end of it…

Now, I was also able to easily adjust the tension on the manual cam chain adjuster, screw in until light contact, then back off a quarter turn…
I know… people tell me that the proper way is to adjust them is with the motor running, I did try it but could not find any sweet spot – it all seemed the same to me.
It got me thinking though, is my cam chain adjustment right?
As an exercise, I removed the cam cover and measured the chain slack between the cams, up and down I got about 8-9mm (seemed a lot).
OK, so I dug out an old OEM auto tensioner (the type that fail), checked that the spring was within spec (min, 71mm long), installed it, released the mechanism, turned the motor over several times slowly and then made the same measurement – I was surprised that it was very similar.
With an addition of a longer 6mm bolt and lock nut, the OEM tensioner can be made into a manual locking type of adjuster with the advantage that (periodically), when you release the lock nut and bolt, you get the factory chain slack adjustment (no chance of premature wear on the chain, idler gear or roller)
This has previously been well documented in the Com, I am thinking about leaving it in and giving it a go…

My “to do” list was getting ever smaller…
When I removed the clutch cover to clean and check the status of the plates and polish the cover, I found that the clutch mushroom was friction welded to the ball, it turns out that these parts have the same part number as used on the Z1 series from 1972 – to at least 1979 and after rummaging through some old parts bins, came up with the required replacement parts without leaving home.
It’s a pity that the clutch plates aren’t the same as well, because mine are just about on the service limit


I went for the satin over the mirror finish on the covers, this is #200-ish paper applied wet with kero and then hand polished with autosol.
In the end, I decided to run with a new pair of black and round Metler Lasertecs 110/90-18 and 130/90-17, they seem to ride and stick alright – has anyone had experience of using these tyres?
There was one final drama waiting for me and that involved getting a legit licence plate for it – the bike sailed through the physical part of the testing station process but it turned out that the certificate of title papers from the US had a typing error in them for the frame number (from back in the day) and the licencing authority here in NZ wanted to make a big deal over it (like, they weren’t going to give me a plate).
Got that sorted now (bless them), no more major problems I hope, Spring is here, warmer weather is coming and I am looking forward to my first club ride outing…

Yep, I think that's what I'm going to do. will post some pictures once I have it completed.

If is was me, I'd do exactly what Ronlander did, then I'd add a, say 1/4 inch thick (or whatever makes sense), round slug of aluminum with the appropriate diameter (i.e a thick washer), drilled and taped for the same size bolt, thread the bolt through the slug and into the tensioner body. Then wind wind the slug down tight on the tensioner body and tig weld the slug to the body using the bolt to keep everything in place.

After reading a few posts It might be smart to add more material to the back of the tensioner (or a nut on the inside) since it’s really thin back there, I would say I can see about three threads, question is, how much force dose this screw needs to hold if the tensioner fails. I have a friend that has a TIG welder so it’s somewhat easy to add a few mm to the back, then drill and tap again.
Thoughts ?

Nice Work!

Nicely done. I like the minor mod on the flanged nut to accommodate an oring. You've obviously put some thought in to this. Kudos to you.

After reading all the posts about this mod I just had to do it, the risk of not doing it is way to high. I bought a used ZX cam chain tensioner and I didn't like that the pressure on the cam was much higher then the stock tensioner, even after I shortened the spring by 10mm, I decided to mod the stock one. Drilled a 4mm hole in the center, tapped it with 5mm. I've also countered the lock nut so that I can fit an O-Ring, I think it will provide a better seal. It's true that there is not much material for the thread but it seams to be fine, I will inspect it from time to time to see how it holds, if needed I will add a nut on the inside for more strength.

Biltonjim - this crossed my mind indeed, and was thinking about getting back to it and backing off the tensioner a bit. It is pretty tight now. 0nt the bright side - it seemed to work. But yes, before installing the cover I will back off the tensioner 1/4, maybe 1/2 a turn - will see feeling the chain by hand.

Thank you Paul! I am already visualizing the complete bike. I will definitely not miss on doing a before and after comparison.

Scotch - thanks for the info. The coils definitely worked well when I did that 27 km bringing the bike home! And I love the space between the engine and the frame. It seems like whoever did the aftermarket changes to this bike knew his way around KZ1300. I'd love to hear from the original owner, and I hope I didn't scare him away by pointing out a few things which I found not to my taste and liking. Perhaps it was a quick mock up? Nah.. I doubt it. Not a high quality craftsmanship, but the guy definitely knew his way around including the electrical system.

Speaking of which - a couple pics of the other side of the coils. You can see the resistor. I have no idea yet about any particulars pertaining to this set up, as I'd like to sort out all the mechanical issues first (engine, brakes, etc.), then do as much as I can replacing the aftermarket parts with stock. At this point it will be the front end (headlight, controls, etc. ). Then - in a few short weeks I should be getting the brackets from Paul. They will go on the frame (I am planning on buying a small welding machine and doing the welding myself - it's never more than one inch at a time so I might be able to get away with it), and then I'd mount all the electronics in place. From that point I'd plan wire connections and would start reverse engineer what's there now.

To your question - I haven't seen anything coils related up close in an investigative way. I will measure the resistance when going back to the bike by the weekend or on Saturday or Sunday.
The mounting of these coils - just sitting there. Maybe some silicone hidden underneath? I was able to wiggle them a bit. But all the electronics were simply cramped inside the modified tail section - including the not attached to anything battery! There was some velcro but nothing attached. I guess velcro and silicone were the original owner's favorite assembly weapons.






A thing I noticed with these coils is they came with plug caps fitting spark plugs with those screw-on little 'things'. I have no idea how you call them.
And when pulling one boot another 'little something' came out. I haven't looked into it, so I'm still wondering if this can be just pushed inside or was it attached and broke off? If possible, I'd love to change all the boots to those I have on the other bike. These MSD are soooo tight! And short - it's hard to pull them out! Plus - I'd prefer them and the leads black, haha





Another bit about what's on the bike - the exhaust. It's a 6-1. It will stay for now, but at one point, when my stock exhaust (which I'm making from bits and pieces), will be complete and perfect, they will come off. Given I will make and weld the brackets for it - they were also cut off! And so was the mounting for the center stand... The exhaust will be probably the last thing I will do on this bike.

Anyone knows this exhaust? I think someone bought this company and I couldn't find anything KZ1300 related. Maybe it's an item from the past? Anyone familiar with this exhaust system for our bikes, and what are they valued? All I can say it actually sounds very nice and throaty.

Would you say that the manual cam chain tensioner on this engine has been suitably adjusted- not too tight or loose?

Next is the cam cover. But first a few photos of what I can see there. The vacuum valve is removed, and there is an aftermarket ignition coils block installed. It says MSD - I know the name, but no idea about this particular one used. Anyone with ideas?









The good thing is there is lots of space above the cylinder head. In fact so much, that I can simply remove all the bolts and pull out the cover without touching anything. Absolutely no hassle, unlike my A4 with all mounted as it is in stock bikes.






The cam cover is off. What a wonderful sight!! All clean, shiny, like new! I'm truly impressed. No discoloration means the engine is young, the camshafts looks new, the cam chain tensioner sprocket looks still fine, and the chain feels and looks nice and solid. I think this engine is a jackpot! Definitely, a well broken and solid yet low mileage engine.














Well, the open cylinder head got covered and secured from any dirt and dust, and now has to wait for part two. That will be checking the valve clearances after which a freshly cleaned and painted cover will go back on the engine. All the bolts are going to be replaced as well - too many rusty ones! Which make me also wonder, how long has it been since the bike had been serviced.

Welcome to you, extreme lean.
You sound like you could be an invaluable asset to this forum. There is a core of members who try to help answer nearly every post, and I’m sure they will be happy to have the input from somebody who worked on these bikes professionally.
Did you own a Voyager? Did you work on any exceptionally high mileage bikes?
Did you also work on the KZ1300? What is your opinion , likes and dislikes, about these bikes? Oh, and the cam chain tensioner issue - did you experience many failures of that part, and what was Kawasaki’s angle on it?

Glad to see someone's out riding around having fun rather than working on cam chain tensioners and carburetors. I'm drooling over the thought of that pig on a spit. First (last) time I cooked up one of those, I had 40 people over for an afternoon. Meat turned out fabulous. Thanks for bringing back that wonderful memory.

cheers,
KB

My gut instinct says that the cam chain tensioner bottom roller has disintegrated.

I agree with you Lare at this point. I think Idemon should revisit checking the engine from the top. We mentioned before the tensioner and guides, and he said he checked all after removing the cam cover and all looked good. But it makes me wonder if he knows how exactly things should look, so perhaps he missed something.

Idemon, I'd suggest digging in again with your camera piece. The roller of the tensioner is right behind the cam chain tensioner and is facing the inside of the engine, so you'd need to do it from the top through the cylinder head (it's directly below the nylon sprocket, at the other end of the metal piece that sits below it).

For reference, this is what you are looking for. The cam chain should be sitting on the roller - the tension from cam chain tensioner is applied to the chain with this roller.
If it's messed up (in this case would be more like missing), the cylinder head must come off. It's much easier than swapping the engines.

My gut instinct says that the cam chain tensioner bottom roller has disintegrated. The black plastic like particles are from the roller and the metallic bits from the needle bearing / housing underneath the roller body.
My roller broke down a year ago and I had to replace it, the mess in the pics looks very similar.

I now have disassemble the head cover and everything look good up there. I did a visual diagnosis and nothing suspicious.disassemble the two tensioner timming chain and again all good there.Then disassemble the oil pane and at the same time the exhaust for Shure, no molten or propelled metal. in the oil a lot of metal peel and of course the scrin is filled with metal! There is two types of metal in there some magnetic so it metallic and other not like aluminum casing but don't see were and find like a half plastics bushing 1" in and 1"1/4 id but don't what is it.. I am going to dismount clutch and other cover like say Scotch, to see something of suspects and carry out an exam with endoscopic camera wherever I can see. I'll get back to you with the news.

Second look and an observation: I see black pieces of what looks like a chain or a tensioner guide.

Totally agree with Kawboy here and hope its not pistons hitting valves..................
Does your bike have the STANDARD Cam Chain Tensioner fitted ? If it does.........GET RID OF IT NOW and swap for a ZRX1100/1200 type now !!!!

Pete F
UK

I would follow Stan's plan with removing the right cover and turning the engine over by hand. If it does lock up then pull the cam cover and have a look at the cam chain, timing marks on the cams and also look down the rear cavity for the nylon gear on the tensioner for the cam chain. If the cam chain was loose the cam timing may have jumped a tooth and now a piston has hit a valve.

Running

With two small kids demanding so much attention I havnt been able to do as much as I want. But shes starts without a hitch and I can turn the choke off. I had to buy an air compressor to blow the cleaner through the passageways. Ran her around the block to check the feel and I need to get everything back to spec.

Not wanting to accelerate from a stopped idle. Issues going uphill from a stop. Revving without touching the throttle. Running super rich. All small adjustments to get dialed in over the next couple of weeks.

Longer-term I need to rebuild the forks, adjust rear shocks if not replace them, finish this damn gas tank, replace water pump seal, and put in the chain tensioner.

Kid tax.

Oil soaked aluminum castings are a bitch to weld at the best of times

I agree with that for sure, and it's a recurring thought, but we are not welding an oil soaked oil pan on a running engine on the side of the road. It's easy to prep this small detachable tensioner. Ultrasonic cleaning with simple green solution, filing the surface, and a quick wipe with acetone. My bet would be there is no oil on it.
Thin wall - yes, but people weld sheet metal. I couldn't do it, but I am sure for a skilled welder it would be a walk in a park.

I found this thread while researching, so it had been done:

www.kz1300.com/index.php/forum/welcome-m...-cam-chain-tensioner

Pasting a photo from that thread:



I agree, the rounded nut seems like the easiest simplest option for added stability of this mod. I am just still on the fence with keeping it in place from spinning and moving up and down the bolt, inside the tensioner. But many have had no problems without it, from what I gather, and scotch had no problem with it! So I want panic. There is always room for improvement.