A couple days ago I posted a questiong thinking I had a bent valve on my 1985 Kawasaki Bayou 185. It turned out to be a lot worse. Here is the story:

The guy I bought it from had it for his kids, but they moved and got another four wheeler, and it sat in storage. It had no compression when I got it for $210, but the tranny works great and it is in pretty good shape.

I am guessing the kids ran around wide open on it in 1st or 2nd, and eventually got the exhaust valve so hot it cracked or something. Today while trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with it without taking the head off, I took a flashlight and looked into the cylinder through the plug hole. In there I saw a chunk of the valve sitting on top of the piston. So, that leads to my question:

What all do I need to do to take the head off? I have taken the head off on lawnmowers before, but never an overhead valve engine. How do I take the cam timing chain off? What else has to come off for it? I am just going to get a used head for it, instead of replacing the valve (anyone got a used head that works?). When I got to put it back on, how do I redo the cam timing? Any other help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Devan

 

Not a real bad job, first get a gasket set for the top end, then remove the front fenders and gas tank to give you lots of room to work. most 4 stroke atvs have little covers on the left side of the motor for the timing marks, you want to line it up on TDC so it stays in time when you pull the head and cam chain. There should be a little cover on the side of the head to remove the cam, take it off, remove the cam bolt, and pull the gear off, take a wire and tie it to the cam chain so it won't drop into the motor, then remove the bolts that hold the head on and take it off, holding onto the wire to keep the chain from coming off the bottom gear, and then tie it to the frame to keep it in place. At this age, a new piston/rings is probably in order,too, you should be able to tell if the bore is going to need work if it is scratched or pitted, get by with the smallest overbore, that will keep it near stock, and more reliable. Best thing is to get a Clymers manual to get the step by step for this, not every motor is the same, some have special steps to take for an overhaul like this. Good luck, let us know how it turns out, and don't worry, I rebuilt my Wolverine in my garage with minimal tools and even less knowledge, and a good manual !!!

 

Ok. Well, now I think it might be the intake valve. I took the pipe off and the exhaust valve is there. I am going to be out a chunk for this. The piston is all nicked up and has chunks out of it from the broke end of the valve. That is what I can see through the plug hole. Maybe tomorrow night I will take the head off. Or maybe I will wait a few weeks until I get a service manual. I am guessing the cylinder is all nicked up too. How much would it cost me for a used cylinder, piston, and working head? Would I be better off finding a parts one locally and buying it? Then I figure if the cylinder and piston came from the same engine, I would not have to mess around with boring it or honing it. I don't really know a whole lot on that stuff. I prefer to work on carbs. I am pretty good with tiny engines, like chainsaws, leaf blowers, brushcutters, and string trimmers. I have never owned an ATV before, but have put quite a few miles on a Kodiak 400 Manual 4x4. It does not seem to be too much of a challenge, just that I don't know how much torque to put on each head bolt.

 

I'll stick my nose in. You paid 200ish bucks, spend another..what? maybe 500 to get all the new goodies and you got a quad that will last another 4-5 years, right?
you stole the deal dude- enjoy!!

 

Allow me to chime in, aw well. Check out ebay, be it for parts for your ride or al all new quad; check this one out!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWAS...QQcmdZViewItem

... a pristine 1985 Bayou 185. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I saw that one. I also saw the white one. I wonder what year it is?

 

I'm kinda eyeballing that Mojave 110, if only to own a peice of history. would be neat

 

Sure it's a Mojave 110? With the rear plastic off it looks just like my 185.

 

Yes- back in the day the mojave was a 110. probably similiar frames, yes.

 

I think I will wait for a service manual and then take the head off. I did figure out why my starter does not work now.