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Engine Noise - Top end
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:30 pm
Author: njwmct
Got a problem with my Z1000 Mark 2.
It's a low mileage motor at 6200 miles.
There is a noise that appears to be coming from the top end of the motor.
It's most evident at idle when the motor is cold - hard to describe but the noise comes & goes.
It's not a rattle like a camchain & it's not a heavy knock - it's more of an intermitent clanging noise.
The noise lessens when the motor has warmed up but it's still there slightly from time to time.
I had the alternator cover off to check that the rotor was tight & it was.
I will have a look under the camcover tomorrow.
Just wondered if anyone has experienced a similar thing?
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:08 pm
Author: paul doran
had something similar on My MK2 when I bought it
Mine turned out to be a locating dowel off the head being spun around the head
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:39 pm
Author: Rich
Have you had the valve stems ground?
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:37 pm
Author: tlc
Make sure all the exhaust clamps are tight.
Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 10:35 am
Author: ZedHead
tlc wrote:Make sure all the exhaust clamps are tight.
But remember the studs are made of cheese and snap easily

Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:20 pm
Author: njwmct
paul doran wrote:had something similar on My MK2 when I bought it
Mine turned out to be a locating dowel off the head being spun around the head
Paul can you elaborate - do you mean a locating dowel spinning around in it's location or completely out of it's location?
Was it a camshaft cap dowel?
Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:21 pm
Author: garyd
vaugly remember I had a bike that used to make about 6-10 taps then go away for a few seconds and come back again.
Turned out to one of the camshafts slightly moving along it's length. Managed to make it go away for a while by removing and putting the camshaft back again, torquing evening down correctly..
but then it would slowly come back after 4-500 miles. gave up after it came back again for the 3rd time.
Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:16 am
Author: tricky
every z ive had has done this, cam end float, once the oil gets up it goes away, tricky.
Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2013 5:44 pm
Author: paul doran
njwmct wrote:paul doran wrote:had something similar on My MK2 when I bought it
Mine turned out to be a locating dowel off the head being spun around the head
Paul can you elaborate - do you mean a locating dowel spinning around in it's location or completely out of it's location?
Was it a camshaft cap dowel?
it was one of the cam cap locating dowels and it was flying around insine the head every time it came into contact with the cam chain it made a terrible rattle
Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 7:27 pm
Author: gray
I had camshaft endfloat on my zir engine , a sort of regular ticky noise that comes and goes at idle.
Caused i'm told by the face of the cam lobe striking the valve shim fractionally offcentre and so imparting a sideways load along the cam , so it floats from side to side( fractions of millimetres). Obviously there are lugs on the camshaft to prevent it getting out of hand.
Harmless and so live with it was the advice I was given
Re: Engine Noise - Top end
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 6:01 am
Author: njwmct
njwmct wrote:Got a problem with my Z1000 Mark 2.
It's a low mileage motor at 6200 miles.
There is a noise that appears to be coming from the top end of the motor.
It's most evident at idle when the motor is cold - hard to describe but the noise comes & goes.
It's not a rattle like a camchain & it's not a heavy knock - it's more of an intermitent clanging noise.
The noise lessens when the motor has warmed up but it's still there slightly from time to time.
I had the alternator cover off to check that the rotor was tight & it was.
I will have a look under the camcover tomorrow.
Just wondered if anyone has experienced a similar thing?
A RAY OF HOPE?
I was trawling through the internet last night to try & get some more ideas about what is causing the noise when I came across a you tube video of a Z1R which makes the exact same noise - (at least I'm not the only one!) - the guy has never got to the bottom of what is causing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXyMohtm ... detailpage
My Mark 2 is making the same noise, it does'nt go on for quite as long but it to disappears once the engine has warmed up.
Any ideas?
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 7:23 am
Author: jimmock
gray wrote:I had camshaft endfloat on my zir engine , a sort of regular ticky noise that comes and goes at idle.
Caused i'm told by the face of the cam lobe striking the valve shim fractionally offcentre and so imparting a sideways load along the cam , so it floats from side to side( fractions of millimetres). Obviously there are lugs on the camshaft to prevent it getting out of hand.
Harmless and so live with it was the advice I was given
Panicking about nothing.
What is the worst thing that can happen??......
The camshaft will "machine" it's way out of the head!!
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 7:29 am
Author: z1bman
it could be the cam chain roller shafts moving from side to side. if the engine has never been striped the small oblong damper rubbers will have gone hard + tend to shrink over many years. best thing to do when these are replaced is to put some silicone sealant on the end of the shaft as there is quite a bit of sideways movement
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 8:36 am
Author: Pigford
Loads of them "
tick" - as long as it doesn't get progressively worse - don't panic
But, if it develops into a "
knock" - then you can start to get a bit worried ... but even then it'll probably run on for years
.
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 9:13 am
Author: HowieD
My Z1-R Motor did this from new - told it's Cam Shaft End Float and caused by the lobes hitting the shims as describe above.
Does it cold, does it hot, I expect it'll still be there when I fire it up again after its rebuild.
56k miles and didn't cause any bother apart from a bit of concern in my own head
regards
Howie