1981 Kawasaki 440 LTD problem with right cylinder knocking?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jess g
  • Start date Start date
J

jess g

Guest
What are the possibilities of why a 1981 Kawasaki Motorcycle 440 LTD 4 stroke would be knocking on the right cylinder top end? Does anyone know how to fix the problem or can anyone request any websites where this information is available ?
 
Could be bent valve ,piston hitting valve,bad big end bearing,worn connecting rod bearing.If I remember right that machine has a centrifugal balancer in the crank case.If the timing is to far advanced it might develop a k knock k knock sound.Set idle to one thousand rpms and make sure the timing is correct and see if it clears up.I hope it is the latter. Good luck to you.
 
I would check your carburation and plugs. Kawasaki's tend to knock more if theyre not running on balanced carbs
 
So can you tell if it's in the cylinderhead or in the cylinder block? If you can't, take a piece of plastic water pipe or even a hammer handle and with one end to your ear, press one end against different parts of the engine. This will help isolate and amplify the noise.

If your engine has a single overhead cam, the valves may simply be too loose. With double overhead cams, valves tighten as they wear.

If it's in the cylinder block, it could be a galled piston from lack of lubrication caused by insufficient oil level, pump failure or oil film failure from overheating.

If it does it only when cold, then it sounds like piston slap. The piston is just a bit too small for the cylinder but after it warms up, it's ok. My KZ1000 acquired piston slap at 35,000 miles and ran fine till I swapped the engine at 105,000 miles.

Make sure the cam chain tensioner is working properly because a loose chain will flop around and make noise. The '81 KZ1100's had an excellent non-slip tensioner while the 1300's still had the failure prone piece of cr@p they designed in '79. Not sure what your bike has.

If your bike does have a balance shaft, some are chain driven (like the ZG1200) and the chain must be tightened periodically.

Does this have anything to do with your question about removing the cam chain that I answered earlier?
 
It is not likely the Knocking is related to fuel but I suspect you are referring more to a mechanical noise.

The piston, connecting rod bearings would be suspect. I suggest you perform a disassemble to get to the true cause.
Proper repair manuals run about $15 usd.

BAsed on age, wear and tear I'm thinking that it will be worn bearings causing slack. Piston goes to TDC and the noise occurs.
Try "kawasaki motorcycle forums.com" Huge and lots of info there as well.
 
Back
Top