repair or replace....gpz1100 engine
 

hey guys i was hoping someone could share some knowledge with me about my bike. i have a 1995 GPZ 1100 with about 22k on the engine, at the end of last season i was out riding and stopped at a light and thought i heard a strange noise coming from the engine. i pulled over and realized there was a strange internal engine sound coming from the cylinders.

you really cant hear it at idle but if you give the bike maybe 2.5+RPM's it gets louder and louder. i had a few friends over to hear it and they suggested maybe it was piston wrist pin or engine bearing going bad. i also described to dealership and they say possibly timing chain going bad.

in any case i stopped riding the bike so it would be fixable and stored it for winter. i followed the instructions in the manual other then i left gas in there and just used that stabil stuff from parts store. well winter is over and of course that stabil stuff didnt work and the bike wont start so not only does it not run right but i cant even get it to start right now.

SHOULD I
A. try to repair the engine and suck up the cost.
or
B. should i just replace it and keep on truckin.

my main question that i have is what all engine can i use with my bike. i have found that my bike has alot in common with the zx1100 and my thought was that i might be able to use that engine in my gpz frame. does anyone know if thats the case or are there any other engines that could go in my frame with out too much modding. i would really like to get back on the road this season if anyone shed some light on what i should do and what engine will work. any help is greatly appreciated.

so after doing some calling around and looking on the site it seems that i could use the various kz parts to fix my gpz. can anyone shed light on what exact years and what size engines i can put into my frame??

also i had 2 people tell me they felt like fixing it would be best way to go about it. i've never opened an engine before but i have done engine swaps in cars and know my way around a tool chest. i have the manual for the bike as well. would u guys suggest searching down a new engine or should i take the plunge and go to work on what i have.

ok, so what did your leak down test and the compression test tell you?

I too hate a strange lower end engine noise.

i havent had the chance to do either. i've never really done internal engine work before. are both of those tests that can be done with the engine still in the frame? i would assume the compression could be done because thats done from spark plug holes correct?? can i use a automotive compression tester or do i need one cycle specific?

yes, but use the adapter for your plug threads. That may prove the upper end of the engine, but not the lower end.

also does anyone know if i can use any other engines aside from the gpz1100 i would perfer to replace then repair.

zx11 to gpz 1100
 

I know that you can use the bottom end of a zx-11 but not the head due to the angle of the gpz intakes. You would also have to change the timing pickup on the lower end in the cover in front of the shifter. I had this issue a few years back. It will work, but you will have to use your old heads and ecu pickup.

so then best thing to do would be find a bottom end of 90's zx-1100, use my current gpz1100 head and gpz timing pick up.



once completed would i notice any diffrence in power? i know the gears will be diffrent due to zx11 being more sports bike then my gpz. i'm really excited to figure out exactally what to do so i can get this girl up and working again.

Optimo, if it's a rattle kind of sound, or a medium-higher kind of pitch kind of zzzzzzzzzzz sound, it may very well be timing chain or the tensioner. I know some models had some problem in this area. It's not a really difficult job to fix; you can probably do this yourself. When you tear down label everything, keep a clean work area, and consider putting in a head gasket while you're in that far. At least find out what is wrong, before you go looking for other engines to swap or steal parts from. Get a manual or exploded view picture so you can have a better idea of what it should look like.
Good luck!