Z1OwnersClub GB

Anyone got any cam going, full or part set, or what have you.?? Paul

Hi Paul
the cam caps weren't sold apart by Kawasaki, they came with the cylinderhead as they were machined together.
It's possible to change them from one head to another but there's a risk.
There are a few different heads ( Z1 early, Z1 late, Z1A, Z1B and Z900A4) with minor differences as wel in the casting of the heads themselves as in the casting of the cam caps.
On the German forum there are pictures of the differences between the cam caps.
You must be very certain about the type of cylinderhead you own and about the correct type of cam caps you need for that type of head.
You have to be able to mount the camshafts with the cam caps on the head (without the valves mounted!) at the correct torcque and the camshafts must be able to turn free by hand.
If the camshafts can't be turned by hand, the caps are not correct and you'll need another type.
It's not always plug and play...
In an perfect world you would be able to choose from 3 or 4 different cam cap sets. Unfortunately our world isn't perfect.
I wish you all the luck in finding the correct set!
GrtZ
Philippe

Paul, speak to Buzzard, he may have some.

You may already know what Philippe is telling you. The caps and heads were line bored as a pair. I am told , although I have no personal experience that there is a work around using a plastiguage.

Thanks for the advice chaps
The upshot here is that my cylinder head has just been overhauled and upon reassembly Paul from Engine Techniks has give me the bad news that the cam caps are not correct for the head, and are stopping the cams from moving.
Given that the bike was a none runner to start with, it would appear someone has replaced them at some point.
He told me that he could possibly 're jig them around and fettle them to make them fit, but if he had some spare ones to try and get the best fit.
It's not the news I wanted but I'm stuck. The bike is a Z1b by the way.

Hi .I have a selection of cam caps here , maybe a dozen or so
Im not far away if I can help

DDZ900 has about 20 going spare, so plenty of options paul. good luck.

8 Valve Mark wrote:DDZ900 has about 20 going spare, so plenty of options paul. good luck.

I have 3 heads here in Lancashire and 3 sets of caps so Id be happy buy DDZ900s caps and we can work together to get a all the heads sorted if price is right

I'll pm you Chris

i have 16 spare caps here to help you guys ! i will let you fight it out

thanks DD ...... if you need anything from my spares stash feel free to ask

ChrisW and I have both gone through assortments of caps to make sets up that work in a given head with cams. It's easier if you don't use the dowels.
Good luck!

Is it ok to fit them without the dowels, i wasn't sure.
I went over today to get my head round the issue, and he had one in place without the dowels and it was a better fit.
Thanks to Duanne for agreeing to send his stack of caps over for trying.

Wrigers wrote:Is it ok to fit them without the dowels, i wasn't sure.
I went over today to get my head round the issue, and he had one in place without the dowels and it was a better fit.
Thanks to Duanne for agreeing to send his stack of caps over for trying.

Yes, you can safely run without dowels.

The dowels are there for a reason, that is to stop movement of the caps when engine is running, i would run with caps out of a different motor providing they come into spec but not without dowels as this is asking for trouble the caps can and may slide.

kev edwards wrote:The dowels are there for a reason, that is to stop movement of the caps when engine is running, i would run with caps out of a different motor providing they come into spec but not without dowels as this is asking for trouble the caps can and may slide.

Myself and others have run without the dowels with no issue. You will not manage to match non-original cam caps into another head without removing them anyway, in my experience.