Kawasaki ZX6R Problems - Hydraulic Lock + Additional Damages
 

I own a 2006 ZX6R…or what is left of it. I recently drove through the rain and left it out in the rain sitting for the rest of the day. When I come back a day later…I have difficulty starting the bike. I manage to start it but it only runs violently for about 10 seconds and quits. I can’t get it to crank again. While running then engine sounded really week and didn’t sound like it was turning over properly.
I break it down and look down at the valves and they have moisture on them with a bit of corrosion around the edges. When I turn the motor over I can see some moisture spraying up out of the valves. Next I pull out the spark plugs and they are also corroded and wet. I dry them and clean them up. I turn the motor over a few times with the plugs out to help flush out any water. I actually get a vacuum nozzle and stick down into the cylinders to try and pull out any moisture that way.
After that I change the oil…and there was definitely a good bit of water mixed in the oil. The level was really high and it was really milky looking. After changing the oil…I turn the motor over a few more times to sling out the water. I put the plugs back in and put it all back together; however, the engine runs the same as before. Runs about 10 seconds violently.
In a bit of frustration I spray some starting fluid down at the valves and crank it up. It appears to run normally for a few seconds however as the rpms die down I can hear a distinct knocking sound….very bad.
This is where I am at now. My questions are…what do you think the extent of the damage is? Seems like the motor was trying to turn over to begin with but couldn’t due to hydraulic lock. I failed to alleviate the lock and forced it to turn over with the starting fluid. Seems like I probably caused some damage there….what happened there? What did I bend?
Another problem I’m suspecting could be due to the corrosion around the valves…they may not be seating/sealing properly which could cause it to run that way..could that be it?
Ultimate Question: Did I trash this bike? Do I basically have to rebuild/get a engine to fix this thing?

What will it take to fix this?

Unbelievable. All this after ONE day in the rain? (Did you take a shortcut through the creek?) My ZX9 should be ready for the trash pile, after riding in the rain and snow like I do. Ummmmmm, no.

Clean and dry everything. Fresh fluids everywhere. No starting fluid. Report back to us.

You mentioned water....are you sure it was not antifreeze/coolant? What was that level?

Motorcycles sitting in the rain for one day will not collect water inside of the engine. Short of running it in the river as mentioned above or sticking the garden hose down the exhaust pipe....... I am baffled by this. (no pun intended)

I have been having a problem with keeping a good coolant level. I have just been regularly adding coolant to the radiator port. The moisture I saw appear to just be water but I don't know for sure. I need to check the compression on the cylinders first chance I get.

It could be that some of piston rings are bad now from overheating or something. Maybe the head gasket too? Maybe it overheated after I shut the engine down that day due to low coolant levels in the rain and ruined some of the gaskets/rings.

THHHAAAAAT makes more sense. Head gasket time. Riding through the creek didn't have anything to do with this problem. ;)

Welcome to the forums, jr. Sorry I got old and crusty with your first report....

Well say I replace the head gasket and piston rings....do you think the knocking with the starting fluid could have bent a rod or something?

A bent rod can be diagnosed with a leak down test set on a 4 banger to compare the CC's/or PSIG to. A compression test not so much on a bent rod test. But, it does seem like the gasket is gone, so testing only will be futile.

In all honesty, you have some serious contemplations/scenarios to consider. Do you have a favorite mechanic to check and repair? Pull the head, the cylinders and verify everything with it disassembled.

OK looks like I've got a bit of work to do on this thing. I also have the potential for messed up valves....That bike couldnt have overheated that much. I usually keep a pretty good eye on the temp gauge on the display unless the thermostat is no good.

free time spent speeding down mississippi country roads=====> hard labor

jr, engines will take a suprising amount of abuse before you begin bending things internally. Granted, a blown head gasket (we think) is what contributed to the milk in your oil. However, I've run my old 9 with a bad head gasket in the past, resulting in overheating, puking out the coolant reservoir, etc., without really damaging anything, let alone BENDING things internally. Even getting the engine pretty hot once or twice won't bend things, typically. A "knock" can sometimes be your cam chain in disguise (see related posts.) If you pull the valve cover and don't see things horribly wrong, and can turn the engine over (using a wrench on the flywheel...gently) and can see parts moving unrestricted as they should, AND if you drain your oil and don't see nasty bits of metal floating about...even with the milk in it, there may be very little ACTUAL harm done. Parts begin to bend and break when your cam chain jumps, or other hard parts get wedged into places they shouldn't (like cylinders or gear teeth.)
Not being there with your bike, it's difficult to diagnose, BUT....I would pull the valve cover and check for restricted movement or signs of obvious problems. Check valve clearances and proper seating. Look for chips or nasty grooves in your cam, as well as stray metal pieces in the top end area that obviously don't belong. (You might check your timing just to see if anything jumped.) Pull your head and replace the gasket. Remove your old gasket. Use a Scotchbrite and Acetone or Denatured Alcohol gently across the deck and check for "flatness" with a metal straight-edge to rule out warpage. Inspect and (gently) clean your cylinders with the Scotchbrite pad. Look for signs of ring scarring (in the event one of them possibly disintegrated--doubtful. Believe me, you would KNOW if that happened, almost immediately!) Install the head gasket (with goo, unless it's a new-age fiber type with the goo built in to the fiber "sandwich") and TORQUE PROPERLY. Re-connect cam chain and (again) rotate (by hand) the engine to make sure the top end is moving smoothly. Clean, inspect, replace valve cover gasket and valve cover. Fresh fluids all around. Re-install engine in frame and connect all plumbing accordingly. Inspect AGAIN for smoothness. If you want to do your leak test, now is the time. (However, your fresh head gasket hasn't heated and sealed, so it might give a false reading, IMHO.) Bump the starter to see if ANYTHING binds. (NO STARTING FLUID!) Bump it again. Report back to us. If there's ANY resistance or binding...BACK OFF IMMEDIATELY.

I'm sure some of you guys may jump in here and say "HEY! You left out X, Y, or Z!!" That's cool with me. If you've done this before, you know what I've basically tried to post here. Am I close?

PS: Jr, if you don't have the tools or this whole prospect makes you weak in the knees, find a good mechanic with tools who can help you. It's OK. Once you see it done, it's much easier.

I second jeffs ^ post

Not everything is written in stone. But there are alot of things that can be experienced with other riders that have proved useful.