The side has no blueing at all. I really do not think this was from overheating. I am worried about the valve and spring though. I will check them out this afternoon.

Has anyone else seen this on their tappets when checking valves?

 

Don't vector out of the problem, Hancadam. Nobody is talking about heat.

If the dealer had to use that thick of a shim, it sort of points to the valve not closing all the way due to the seat, stem or guide. It's also hard to imagine the valve spring set creating enough seat pressure to dish the tappet that way if everthing else is OK.

I would pull the head to check that out..but that's just me

 

Good advice Tremor. I recommend the same checks.

Another thing to think about, maybe the valve stem is bent. Either way, something is not right and its best to remove the cylinder head for better inspection.

 

What are you talking about vectoring out? I said I am going to check the valve and spring. I don't know any other way to do that other then pulling the head. And yes, heat was mentioned.

 

After looking at the cam better once I removed it, the lobe is worn badly. Tomorrow when I get home from work I am going to pull the top end off. A bent valve stem sounds like a possiblity. I agree that something is putting a lot of pressure on that valve and cam lobe, and I don't think the spring has that kind of power. What else should I be looking for once I have it torn apart that could possibly cause this?

Also since my bike is still under warrenty what should I do? Should I just suck it up and pay for it knowing I will do it right or should I take it to the dealer? I have a slip on, rejetted carb, snorkel removed, and klx300 header. Do these items void the warranty? By me working on the engine myself, does that void the warranty?

Thanks for all the help, very appreciated.

 

Another piece of the puzzle. This is not the valve the dealer adjusted. I removed the shim on the other valve and it was a hotcams shim. I doubt its factory, but could be wrong. So something else has happend since the dealer serviced it. Also, all 3 of the other tappets have a very small pit on top where the cam rides as well. Nothing like the one pictured, just a pit about the size of a ball pen tip. I am going to replace the other three just to make sure.

I am dumb founded on what could have caused this. My bike has 5000 miles on it and the oil has been changed 8 times. Its barely been off road. I have held it WOT a bit, maybe this has contributed to the problem.

So far I know I need an exhaust cam, 3 more tappets, and head gasket. We will see what other surprises I find tomorrow.

 

Good question about whether to use the warranty..... but first, why are your tappets discolored like that? ...... mine looked brand new like shiny chrome at a lil over 5k miles and I beat the snot out of my klx offroad AND 9K rpms for a solid 45 minutes on I-95 at 80 mph has been done quite a few times.....btw that muzzy will really glow red after running a little at 9k rpms...lol.

If you do take it back for warranty.....I would put all the stock stuff back on and just act stupid about mods and say ...... you guys did the valve adjustment, I just decided to check them and this is what I found...WTF

 

Ok, used a personal day from work just so I could work on my bike. I have pulled the head. The exhaust valves both seat completely. They both actually look a lot better than what I am use to. I collect and build 3 wheelers, and they are always caked with carbon. Both are pretty clean, and the top of the piston is also almost clean. The top of the piston is a light reddish/tan color, not sure if thats normal. My spark plug is a perfect tan/brown color. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. I don't have a clamp large enough to take the valves out of the head. I may run to autozone while I am out. I am going to take the head, cam, and tappet to the dealer and see what they say. I am going to see if they will just supply me a cam under warranty and me do the work. Not sure if thats possible, but I really don't want them working on it. If I have to order it I will.


On a side note: I wonder if manually making the cam chain tensioner go to the next click caused this. Do any of you think this is possible? This is the only thing I can think of that may have caused this, other then overheating or running low on oil which I dont think ever happened. I cannot see any blocks in the oil passages or line.

 

If the cam chain was too tight, it could cause wear on the bearing journals. Check them for wear. If they are worn, it could change the clearance between the cam and lifters.

I have heard of a couple of instances of cam bearing failure........cause unknown.

Ride on
Brewster

 

Here is the cam.