help... coolant

[RstredS]

well, so far ive stripped it all and got the engine ready to drop. im gonna have to send the head off to get it checked and skimmed. where is the best place for ordering parts, so far i need head gasket, cam chain cover gasket, cam chain and all 8 exhaust bolts.

also a few other questions. Will i need to replace the tensioner? or does it only break and not wear? also im thinking of changing the cam chain.. is it worth it?
and 1 more, all 8 of the exhaust bolts broke as soon as i touched them lightly, is this normal? they are also all bent? lol

[masterofinsanity]

gotta recommend cradley kawasaki mate they are quality!! tell em you are from the zxr400 owners club you might get a discount depends who you speak to, if you can afford to do it i would replace the cam chain and tensioner while you are doin the head. and the exhaust studs always bend, must be the heat!

[RedexRobB]

go for some stainless steel nuts on the exhaust, they wont rust then!

[superfly108]

ahh im still so confused if to my gasket has gone, i warmed it up (bear in mind i dont have a thermostat) so after about 5 mins its just leaving the cold marker but only just, theres vapor (not much at all) coming out the exahust, i was tyring to patch a hole at the bottom of the pipes, when i noticed what looked like water dripping onto the floor again not very much, it had been raining so could of dripped off the bike and i not noticed, i dunno, i cant even see if coolant is milky, because its only got water in it, and its got rad seal in it too, so it is milky anyway, the oil doesnt look milky apart from at the cap, and a tiny bit on the window, im so confused, how much could i sell a zxr400 if it needs its head gasket doing and thats it? with a new rear tyre, alarm system, 1999 engine,

[masterofinsanity]

i'll give you a tenner

[RstredS]

lou i havent got any of the symptoms such as oil in coolant etc etc, or milky oil, it depends where your head gasket has gone!

anybody know how much these parts are.

so far i know the head gasket is about 18 quid, and i think the chain is about 40 quid, what about tensioner? should it need replacing at 18,000 miles? also what do i replace, the whole thing?

1 more... whats the best way to drop part of the engine, foward or back?

[masterofinsanity]

its only a ten minute job to drop the engine out from the left hand side if i remember right.

[RstredS]

ok il giv it a go, will a normal car jack be ok?

also what actually goe wrong with the tensioner? im going to replace the chain, and looking at the tensioner it looks fine. also what sort of price am i looking at to get the head skimmed?

Thanks, sorry about all the questions, i dont want to fu*k it up!

[masterofinsanity]

the tensioner itself is a bit of rubber/plastic thing that wears there are 2 parts to it, also it should cost around £30 to get the head skimmed.

[RstredS]

ok thanks.

[RstredS]

ok so ive got it all out, got the rocker cover off and wooaahh!.

i wanna do the valve clearences, so ive got to measure these firts, erm.. what bit do i measure lol?

[Xphyral]

It's all in the zxr manual m8.

[RstredS]

your riht it is. ive had a god long look and am a bit more informed. I kind of know where im measureing now, anyone care to explain it a little more, like where the shims go?

[masterofinsanity]

check out the valve microfiche and you'll see where they go.

[bd]

i had the same problem on mine with the water coming out of the header tank the head gasket had gone.the job of changing the gasket is easy just make sure you reset the cam tensioner and torque the headbolts in the right sequence.other than that it's take apart and put back as you found it .if you have problems use the manual hope it goes alright bd