So I tried pulling out my 06 ZZR600 today. (Been sitting in a garage all winter) & it's making this odd metallic Ticking noise & i cant get it to rev higher then 6-7k RPM's. Once it hits an apx. Temp. of 140°F it will stall out.

Just over 13k miles on the bike & has NEVER made this noise before. I just changed the spark plugs yesterday but i cant see that causing a ticking noise IF i F'd up something...

I changed the oil about...800 miles ago? (this was summer of last year) & I didn't think i needed to change it again, but now im wondering if, do to our harsh winter we had (I live in Michigan), the oil may have deteriorated enough to cause issues...

Been searching around this Forum (and others) & found other owner talking about a Tick/Click/Knock/Clunk noise that would speed up with the RPMs. Some say it's due to the CCT.

SO MY QUESTION IS...
Has anyone had this problem too?
Did it start happening randomly OR after the bike sat for an extended period of time? (Like over winter)
Could it b due to bad oil?
Could it be simply due to old gas in the tank? (even thou i put a fuel stabilizer in it)
Or something entirely different...

BTW, this is the link i found about the CCT:
KawiForums.com Kawasaki Forums: Kawasaki motorcycle forums

 

One thing to add...When i put my bike away for winter I threw a fuel stabilizer in the tank & topped the tank off with some gas in a can that was used for the lawn mower (kicking myself in the *** now to doing that) BUT i didnt run the bike to get the stabilizer past the fuel filter. Is it possible the fuel in the lines & carbs gummed up something? I REALLY hope not cuz idk how to clean/sync my carbs

 

Listen to the noise to figure out where it is coming from. If it is the cam chain tensioner the noise will be loudest right at the cam drive near the tensioner (I forget which side the drive is on). You can use a mechanic's stethoscope or a long handle screwdriver placing the tip around on the engine listening to where the ticking is loudest.

It might be a part of the pollution equipment too. I had one of my Eliminator customers that I worked with over the phone troubleshooting the cam chain tensioner installation. Turned out it was a ticking from an air leak on his air injector system.

If you do find you need a tensioner PM me. I do them for your bike and I know the KLX250 guys here will vouch for the quality of what I make.

 

The CCT is on the right side on my bike. I dicked with it yesterday, unloosing it till it clicked once, then re-tightened. After fresh oil & new fuel filter i got it to start (after 20mins of trying). The ticking is about 1/2 as loud now, i can live with it. Its still there so not sure IF what i did cure the problem or just prevented a future one...

The bike runs great now BUT i haven't rode it yet. Revving the engine in neutral & putting weight on the bike (throwing it in gear) could have completely different outcomes. Eigher way, thx for the input.

 

That is a good way to overtighten the cam drive and possibly cause the cam journal to break through the oil film and start to seize in the plain bearing cam surface of the head. If you ever overtightened a chain on a bicycle you'd understand - not good. Contrary to the name of the part "cam chain tensioner", the ideal cam chain adjustment is no play, no tension. You might start to create a future problem by trying jury rigging like that.

If that helped cut the noise you really should get a manual cam chain tensioner to play it safe. $33 bucks plus shipping for the peace of mind of knowing the adjustment is right. Why risk a rather expensive head, doing a poor "fix". It's just like the old practice guys used to do with noisy differentials on cars back in the 50s - put saw dust in them before "unloading" the car on an unsuspecting buyer - it eliminated the noise, but not the problem. You just did the same.

 

By all means, i'd rather do something proper then half ***. BUT i havent a F**king clue how to align my valves or cams. Chances are i could figure out how to take off the auto CCT & put on a manual one But i wouldnt know how to set my timing correctly...

Now i cant say i 'jury rigged' my CCT. To my understanding, all i did was set the auto CCT to it's next increment. There's a flaw with these auto CCT's in that they get stuck just before it jumps to the next setting. Like any other chain on the bike, they get stretched out over time, correct?

 

No the tensioner does not stick, the chain has not seated (worn in) enough for the ratchet to catch the next tooth properly. Then the plunger get kicked back every time under deceleration. It goes forward and is pushed back, when it just starts over the tooth it gets kicked back, chipping the tooth and pawl. That ruins the tooth (like missing a gear over and over, ruining the shifter dogs) and the pawl. I know, I've looked at enough of them to know and also talked with many riders who've seen the wear I have. The teeth show a pattern developed by the push back then ratchet back forward, plus on the back side the plunger shaft is polished from sliding in and out over and over.

You backed out the tensioner until it clicked up a notch then TIGHTENED it back down putting excess tension on the cam drive. I am telling you it is mechanical fact, you put excess tension on the cam drive, possibly risking damage if it is tight enough to break the film of oil between the cam and the plain bearing surface in the head. Sure, the noise is either lower or gone, but the noise is not the problem, it's a symptom - like pain is a symptom of an abscess on a tooth. You can medicate the pain away, but the dangerous abscess is still present. You can overtighten the chain, but you're not fixing the problem. You wouldn't overtighten your drive chain, don't overtighten the cam drive chain.

As for how long that HyVo chain should last, if a HyVo chain is treated right it will outlast the engine. They wear out when they slap about in the engine when the tensioner goes bad or are overstressed by improper adjustment. I have 30,000 miles on a 650 with only about .025" adjustment on the manual tensioner (about a half turn of the adjuster bolt). The manual tensioner has infinite adjustability, the OEM has to ratchet in about .5-1mm movements.

The tensioner problem is about the dynamic seating in of the chain versus the indexing tensioner to take up the play. If the seating in and the stacking of the machining processes of the parts match up (if the stars align) the tensioner will hit the right place and work until it does hit the bad spot, I've sold tensioners to Concours riders with 60,000 trouble free miles, then in a few thousand miles the tensioners fail, the stars don't align anymore. That is also why some 250 riders have no problems and others do. Again, mechanical and machining.

As for you doing the work to install the part - it is non-invasive. You pull out the old one and put in the new one, follow a simple adjustment process and you're good to go. I just did my 09, took a half hour with the worst part being trying to install the back bolt, finally resorting to a few long extensions, a 4mm socket, and a piece of 4mm allen wrench - done deal. I didn't have to retime anything. As anyone here, other than working around the exhaust, the process is really rather simple. If you can adjust your chain and take care of your air filter you can change out a tensioner. No loose parts to fall in anywhere.

Then if you hear light ticking when the engine is at full temp, it is time for a small adjustment, maybe around a quarter turn. That usually doesn't happen for a LONG time. I have 10,000+ miles on both my 550 and my 650 without adjustments. It is audible.

I am telling you this, not to sell a tensioner, but to keep you from having issues with your bike in the future. The only reason I make them is because someone asked, others found out and bought them, so I keep doing them. I'm actually a teacher for a living - industrial technology teacher with an engineering background - thus my falling into this.