My 2009 klx250s EFI is making quite a bit of noise from the camchain.
The local mechanics are busy this week, so I have a couple of questions.
The bike has done about 15000km.
If I keep running it as it is, will the camchain break,or something else damaged soon? I have to go on a 2000km ride into the wilderness soon.
My mechanic thinks the problem is with a worn camchain guide, so just changing the camchain wont fix it for long. does that sound feasible(at 15000km)?
Could it be a problem with a sticky camchain tensioner?
I plan to remove and reinstall the tensioner, I have read the service manual, anything else I should know?

 

Could it be a problem with a sticky camchain tensioner? YES.

Likely the auto tensioner has failed. Very common with our bikes. Search recent posts for Krieger cam chain tensioner and just get one of those ASAP. This will most likely fix your problem. It did for me and many others. And, is the noise the classic "rocks rattling in a shaken coffee can" around 5K rpm?

Anything else you should know: Yes. You can force an adjustment of the auto tensioner, but that's not necessarily a good idea. It can put too much tension on the cam chain and cause bad wear.

 

This is why there is a manual tensioner available for the KLX built by Mark Krieger. Many of us use it. What will happen if you continue to run it that way is premature cam chain wear. Mine was worn out of factory spec way before 10,000 miles...previous owner didn't have a clue. Surprisingly I had no rubbing block or cam chain guide wear to speak of. Not all bikes have a tensioner issue, but for those that do, get a manual tensioner. Don't expect Kawasaki to make any admission of this.

 

TNC - It sounds with this many miles, the OP would be well advised to check the cam chain length to see if within spec.

Here are some of the classic threads:

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...stalled-36477/

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...ise-0-a-36544/

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...djuster-35841/

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...ototype-33165/

https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...-access-31921/

Contact Krieger here: http://www.kriegercamchaintensioners.com/

 

I´d get a manual adjuster, like the guys mentioned. I use one on my bike (EFI like yours) and it´s awesome not having that annoying rattle noise.

 

I have nearly 50,000 K (30,000 miles) on the KLX650 without any slider problems, 21,000 on the Zephyr without slider problems. There is no reason for the slider to be worn out. You are just experiencing the notorious Kawasaki "automatic" cam chain tensioner failure.

Here's what it looks like:



As for the mechanic, when my mechanics (at the shop where I sold bikes, and they rebuilt my top end after the OEM tensioner failures - 2 in 15,000 miles) and I discussed the TWO tensioners failing we agreed the manual unit was the trick. The one pointed out that the manual units were what drag racers used. None were made for the KLX so I had to make it. Eight years later when I got the Zephyr with the tensioner going south I made five and started this whole thing. I darn near see cam chain drives when I sleep.

Sorry I got side tracked. Now nearly 50,000 K (30,000 miles) after doing the new top end and manual tensioner, I'm planning another 50,000 K without any trouble with anything.

I guess I'm saying I think your mechanic is incorrect. Think about it... why would Kawasaki build a bike with a cam chain slider or cam chain that wouldn't even see 20,000 K? Plus why would the same kind of slider and cam chain used in thousands of other bikes not fail after tens of thousands more miles. Like my KLX (after the manual tensioner) and tons of KLRs as well as all the street bikes. The key failure point in these bikes (Kawasakis) is the "automatic" cam chain tensioner.

 

thanx for the replies
I'd try the manual chain tensioner, but not by next week, I'm in thailand.
So if I run it as it is, the camchain will stretch. Not really a problem since I plan to get a new one in 2 or 3 weeks. It wont stretch so much that it slips, or breaks, will it? I just need to know that it'll last another2/3000km for a trip to laos
BTW, when I did the marcellino cam mod, the marks didnt line up with the head, because of the camchain wear. so it took a while to figure it out

 

It probably will be OK to use for that duration. The cam chain is probably already shot at this point anyway with that mileage...or not. Just take the pin-to-pin measurement as indicated in the shop manual.

 

Depends on when the tensioner failed. If I hadn't had the second one fail I'd not have trashed my chains. I replaced at 5,000 miles or about 7500 K. If the noise has just come up in the past thousand or so, the chain may still be good. You'll know if you pull the cam cover and measure it. HyVo chains just don't wear that bad normally.

 

So my 3200 mile '09 is making a horrible "SNUUUUUUUUURRRRLL" sound at 5250 rpm, which abates by 6k.

Sounds like CCT, and by the reports here, and a Youtube vid, I gather my diagnosis is spot-on. I took the bike in to the Kwak dealer for the "600 mile service" which is a valve check and tune-up, and I complained about the noisy tensioner. After paying $249 for a valve-clearance check and valve cover gasket replacement and new plug, the noise has gotten worse. It's not there for the first 8 minutes of operation but appears afterwords. It's so G-D noisy that I'm embarrassed to ride with anybody. I took the bike back to the Dealer to get the recall for the tank fixed, and complained that the sound was there, and getting worse. I was told "Sorry, the tensioner is between two teeth and won't push in. These engines are noisy. Ignore it."

I gather they don't care if it is fixed, or hope I'll simply fork over $1800 for a new motor if the chain wears out and the piston crashes into the valves.

I bought a manual CCT from Mark for my old CBR 600 F3 about a year-and-a-half back; I guess I'll buy another for my new Kwak now.