Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

I have an interesting experiment upcoming to see what effect lack (or low) oil pressure has on the top end of an engine. My fave bike of mine, the GT550 ran without any oil pressure to the topend about a year ago, when an oil line came off the oil cooler. It may have done a km or so on the highway without oil up there. Was a pity coz only a couple of months prior I rebuilt the engine, with new genuine pistons and a rebore. The cams were fine prior. No rockers in the GT engine though, and the cam operate directly on the buckets. It still runs fine about 7000km later, but is smoky as hell on startup and some oil burning as it runs. Valve clearances are due in 10000km or so, and cams will be seen then. I'd imagine the cam bearing surfaces would be shot.

Neilp wrote:

s man wrote:Im a little lost here. If the engine is running low on oil pressure I doubt that would cause pitting.
In fact Im 99% sure it wouldnt. It would however cause scoring & bluing of the cam lobes .
"Pitting" is small pit/holes in the metal or hard facing of the cam.
Both two very different issues.

Pitting can be put down to poor metals being used, incorrect hard facing practices, or simply crap quality control at the manufacturing stage.
Not at all related to oil pressure/running in/cheap oil, which would all cause scoring/bluing of all working faces.
Just my 2 bobs worth.

Finally someone here who understands something about metallurgy!

Neil

Thanks Neil. If my ZRX has pitted cams it will be going to be fixed, be it out of warrenty or not, at Kawasaki's cost. Pitting is crap hard facing/metal.
That is a engineering/quality control issue that Kawasaki should have addressed, & by the sound of it didnt.
So their fault not mine. End of story.

s man wrote:

Neilp wrote:

s man wrote:Im a little lost here. If the engine is running low on oil pressure I doubt that would cause pitting.
In fact Im 99% sure it wouldnt. It would however cause scoring & bluing of the cam lobes .
"Pitting" is small pit/holes in the metal or hard facing of the cam.
Both two very different issues.

Pitting can be put down to poor metals being used, incorrect hard facing practices, or simply crap quality control at the manufacturing stage.
Not at all related to oil pressure/running in/cheap oil, which would all cause scoring/bluing of all working faces.
Just my 2 bobs worth.

Thanks Neil. If my ZRX has pitted cams it will be going to be fixed, be it out of warrenty or not, at Kawasaki's cost. Pitting is crap hard facing/metal.
That is a engineering/quality control issue that Kawasaki should have addressed, & by the sound of it didnt.
So their fault not mine. End of story.

Had the same problem with my ZZR 3 years ago now pitting was picked up at 48000 k service, cams & followers were replaced under warranty, new cams were also sent to be face hardened so it could not re-occur over 76000 k's now & still all is good. I have heard of others that have over 50000 miles with cam pitting discovered early with no problems, so it is probably in most cases just cosmetic.


Neil

Interesting!! When I do my valve clearances, & If I find pitting I'll be heading off to me Kawasaki dealer for a chat. My bike is out of wan=rrenty, but its only got 38000Ks on it, & Im sure Kawasaki designed their engines to last longer than 38000Ks! So Like I said, warrenty or not it will be getting fixed, [at their expence]

Steve,
My experience is that your chances of getting it done under warranty is exponentially higher if the dealer really fights for you.
Kwaka Aus have a reputation of knocking back a lot of warranty work.
Just my 0.03.
Cheers,
Tony

Thanks for the heads up Tony.
I might have to call in a favor from a mate at Kawasaki.
If that dosent work,
I'll befriend a dealer to go into bat for me.
If THAT doesnt work its off to Fair Traiding,
if that dosent work ist off to the media.

If this has been an ongoing manfacturing fault,[sounds like it is] they have to in good faith fix them.
Its the LAW.. According to me anyway.

s man wrote:Im a little lost here. If the engine is running low on oil pressure I doubt that would cause pitting.
In fact Im 99% sure it wouldnt. It would however cause scoring & bluing of the cam lobes .
"Pitting" is small pit/holes in the metal or hard facing of the cam.
Both two very different issues.

Pitting can be put down to poor metals being used, incorrect hard facing practices, or simply crap quality control at the manufacturing stage.
Not at all related to oil pressure/running in/cheap oil, which would all cause scoring/bluing of all working faces.
Just my 2 bobs worth.

Absolutely true: a quality regrind & reface solves the problem. Tighe did mine at 12 000 K and I now have 99 500 K on the bike with no sign of cam or rocker deterioration.

I have 98000km on my '01 ZRX1200S

Cams were pitted and fixed at 50000km (Kawasaki paid for it - they were sent to Sydney for treatment).
I checked them at 96000km and they were in excellent shape.

The only thing that pisses me off at the moment is my radiator! Repaired once already at the top left hand side. Now it has developed a couple of extra leaks.
I am replacing that with a Delkevic Kawasaki Direct Replacement Radiator - AUS$299, as compared with the Ron Ayres price of US$450.
I haven't dared ask Kawasaki here.

Bike still runs like day 1 though.


Bill.