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Old August 8th, 2018, 07:20 AM   #42
gantt
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Name: michael
Location: Central Georgia
Join Date: May 2013

Motorcycle(s): 2019 Ninja 400, Sold 2012 Ninja 650, Sold 2009 Ninja 250r, Sold 2007 DRZ400s

Posts: 628
so i ran the bike yesterday, runs ok at idle, but within four minutes or so, as the engine warms up i start to see number two dropping out, ending in a dead cyl at number 2. pulled plugs, number 2 fouled a little, gap at .032 both plugs. swapped coils from cyl to cyl, so eliminated that. also noticed a ticking sound under the valve cover. started thinking maybe i didn't know what i was doing three or four years ago when i did the valve adjustment. pulled the valve cover and noticed some silver in my oil. never a good sign.

i couldn't do a full check, didn't have the correct feeler gauges at home, and engine was still warm. i am pretty sure the valve lash is too tight. i will do a full check today, i likely used too much effort of the gauges when sliding under cam lobe. i am used to adjusting valves on big 13 liter engines, and i must say its a different animal than these little motorcycle engines. i hope i have not done too much damage, cam lobes look ok, no scarring or pitting yet. hopefully i can adjust them correctly this time and move on. if not, i'll follow the adjustment with a compression test to see if i have caused any valve or valve seat damage. i did ride the bike about 40 miles after the adjustment was done, and it started running bad enough for me to have my wife bring the truck and i towed it home.
so looks like i may have messed up.. oh well, will figure out whats bad, and make needed repairs and keep rolling along to get this ole girl on the roads again.
on a lighter note, both tires came in, and Saturday is creeping closer, with @maverick9611 coming with fork know-how and tools for help me replace the springs and seals. most other parts ordered should be here by week-end. lets keep our fingers crossed that a simple valve adjustment will correct my problems!!
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