I had the valves adjusted on my 650 brute by a licensed Kawasaki dealer and it hasn't worked right since. Its hard to start, keeps shutting off, its backfiring like crazy and burning up the plugs. I brought it back today for the third time now and they are still working on it. However...., and this is where everyone is stumped, after the motor gets HOT, (not just warmed up but kicking the fan in every time i stop) it runs just fine except for the rare stutter in idle and the fact that its burning up the plugs.

anyone have any ideas to what can be causing this or have seen it before?

 

I have the idle stutter too, but never (to my knowledge or since I've owned it) have had the valves adjusted.

Figured it was just normal.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: KneeBone650
Its hard to start, keeps shutting off, its backfiring like crazy and burning up the plugs.
</end quote></div>

Your description sounds like the dealer set the valves too tight. Ask them what setting they set at.

Another possibility is the air leak in the air intake system, that might have happened when dealer removed air box to get to the valve cover, causing too lean condition. Check the air box, rubber ducts/clamps between the air box and the head, etc.

Something that is as simple as adjusting valves on this quad, you should be doing it. Taking off fenders and other stuff take more time and difficult than the actual valve adjustment.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Something that is as simple as adjusting valves on this quad, you should be doing it. Taking off fenders and other stuff take more time and difficult than the actual valve adjustment. </end quote></div>

I got it serviced at the dealer because there is warrinty remaining on the quad. I bought it about 10 months ago, it was a left over but it was new in the crate

never thought about something as simple as the air intake system, i will make sure they check that out and i will ask them about the valves (they 're only going to give me the numbers from the book anyways)

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: KneeBone650

I got it serviced at the dealer because there is warrinty remaining on the quad. I bought it about 10 months ago, it was a left over but it was new in the crate

(they 're only going to give me the numbers from the book anyways)</end quote></div>

It's quite unusual that dealer is covering the valve adjustment by warranty because that is one of the periodic maintenance items that owners are responsible for. Well, it sounds like a good dealer. But then you say they will just give you whatever it's on the manual for the valve setting if you would ask. And the quad started to run bad after they serviced it, so may be not. Anyway it's a good idea to let them know that though.

 

Not quite a good dealer.. they would try to find any reason not to do warranty work, so if they found out that i adjusted my own valves and i had engine trouble sometime down the road, related or not, then they would try to say that the motor is giving me trouble because of the valve adjustment that I did.

so, by bringing the quad in for mechanical service, they can never say that it was my fault that the quad is acting up. so far the dealer has had to do an estimated additional 16-24 hours of labor after screwing up the first 2 hours of labor which i paid them for, for adjusting the valves, everything else is out of their pocket. this is the second time i have brought the quad back for this problem since the adjustment. I dropped it off at 9AM tuesday morning and as of 4pm wednesday it was still on the lift and im not expecting to get it back until sometime late thursday or early friday.

I do change my own fluids and filters and plugs, ect. and when the warranty runs out i will be doing all of the maintenance myself. and if there is anything i can't do myself, then there are at least a dozen other small engine mechanics within 30 minutes from my house, and if i want to drive for an hour there are another dozen in the capitol city who can do it, 2 of which are kawasaki dealers other than the one who did the work this time.
( long story short... i will never bring it back to this same dealer ever again)

 

ok, so it wasn't the valves or the air intake system.. They scrapped the whole bike and checked everything and found that the carbs were full of dirt, so they hauled them apart, cleaned them up and reset all the needle valves and stuff and now it works better than it did when it was brand new. I guess the carbs weren't set dead on from the factory and they were never checked. 3 days labor and they charged me for 3 hours, lol.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: KneeBone650

I guess the carbs weren't set dead on from the factory and they were never checked. </end quote></div>

The carbs have to come off in order to do the valve adj on your quad when you took your quad in for that job. The dealer had to remove and re-seat it on the engine head after the valve adj job. Why couldn't they find it before? So, they just put the carbs incorrectly just like the factory did when they had to remove and reinstall the carbs? I highly doubt what this dealer is telling you.