Ok heres the scoop.I bought a brand new 01 Mojave in june 01.I broke it in per Kawasaki's instructions.Then I took It in for it's 10 hour service.I only ride it 1 or 2 times a month.I change the oil and filter every other ride.I've been using "spectro" 10-40 oil.The dealer said that was great oil for my quad.I keep the airfilter clean and well oiled as well as make sure it is seated in the airfilter housing correctly.

It started filling the air box with motor oil.It has always put some oil in the drain tube but nothing like this.It fills the tube and the box enough that it sucks oil into the carb in 10 minutes or less!We drained the box through the tube and got about a cup of oil!

If the oil cap is removed with it running it seems to have a lot of air(blowby)comming out of it.I realize that there is supposed to be some blowby from the piston going up and down but this is excessive.

It sounds like the rings wore out.How could they wear out that fast?It does seem to run ok.But the oil comsumption makes it un-rideable unless I stop to drain the tube/box every 10 minutes and carry oil with me.Any ideas? Is there anything I don't know about?like a plugged vent or something?

 

It sounds like the rings, I kinda know how you feel, mine started smoking on start ups after about 16 months old(valve seals I think). I am dissapointed because I have always heard that the Mojave engine is stone reliable. Granted I ran it pretty hard doing a lot of "friendly" racing in the winter months where I turned some pretty high RPM's in the snow, but it is kinda a slap in the face when I go to start it after it sits for a day or more and it smokes for like a minute until it burns the oil out of the cylinder. Of course I get ragged everytime with comments like "look at that Kawasaki smoke like it's 8 years old" or something to that extent. Oh well, good luck.

 

This really sux! I'm still making payments on the thing too.It cant even have 1000 miles on it.I do ride pretty fast sometimes but not abusive.I have had other problems with it before but not anything major.This is the same quad with the defective gas tank I posted about several months ago.Maybe time to ride red!

 

Gentlemen, this is not a machanicle problem.

I have done extensive research on this problem with the mojave.
This blow by believe it or not is normal not only in the mo but the lakota as well. pull the oil fill plug on either while your running it and it's like a steam train of air you will feel coming out of the fill plug.

This problem comes up with mostly synthetic users. The thinner the oil you use the worse it is.

Problem, location of the crank case breather line between the engine and air box. Exspecialy a problem with poeple who do alot of wheelies.

I have completely corrected 2 of these machines by pulling that hose off and installing a new longer one. What I did was run a longer hose up to the frame under the seat, down towards the back of the sub frame, across and back to the air box. At the air box (about 4" away) I installed a crank case breather filter off a honda XR 100.

I thought that the breather filter would have to be cleaned pretty often, to eliminate eccess crank case pressure but both machine owners have told me it works graet and never gets clogged with oil. They clean it when they change thier oil.

I also asked them to change to a 20W-50 oil. The only difference they found with a heavier oil was it takes a couple more minutes to warm up.

I haope this helps and wish you luck.

One more thing, I have found in the mojave during rebuilds that this problum cakes baked oil on the intake valve stem and head.

 

"2000MOJAVE"
dont worry about the smoke.Mine smokes at start up and whil its running.Not alot but enought to notice,my friends all bug me to but i just say,thats just a little somthing extra for u to tast well u are behind meLOL as far as relible engin,mine has smoked for the last 2 years and it still runs strong.

 

Gaff,I hope you are right but.....It usually puts about 3/4 inch of oil in the drain tube after a day's ride.It is now filling the tube and air box in 10 minutes!I didn't do any wheelies at all yesterday. Why would it change all of a sudden?thx

 

Chris142, That just seems way excessive to me. I have run 10w-40 in the winter months and I have never experienced what you are. The only thing I get in my drain tube is a little bit of oily gas from the carb/airfilter. I guess a compression check would be a good place to start. The thing that pisses me off about mine is that the valve seals have never seemed to be a problem on the Mojave (any one disagree??)and it is the only thing that makes sense on mine. I started running Mobil 1 20w-50 but it didn't help any. I hope it ends up being something stupid for you and not anything major and that you figure it out soon. Good Luck!!

 

I have had to put two sets of vavle seals in mine and it still smokes!

 

hay guys,

I have hierd of cases were the mojave's valve train has had problems on particular quads. These quads were fixxed but had valve train problems again and again.

For the most part the mojave has been rock solid over the years, now it seems you guys are having problems.

It almost sounds like a top end heat problem. I know the mo's water cooled but that doesn't make it immune to top end heat problems.

Going through multiple sets of seals doesn't sound rite. Have any of you tried mixxing your pump gas with C12 to see if you ran cooler or not? Or have any of you noticed any detonation or backfiring?

With premature ring and valve seal problem sure sounds like some eccessive heat.

Any how Try to find a answer thier must be some thing thier that is going on. The mo is certainly a tough engine thats for sure.

I have a few around my house, thier older ones but they sure do run good still.

Hope you all can work this out, good luck.

 

Yup it's officialy dead!I made some calls today.One guy in particular told me to carefully check the rubber boots between the air filter box and the carb.Sure nuff the one between the aircleaner box and the box that the oil collects in was totally dry rotted and had a split.The bike has been eating unfiltered air for who knows how long.(I bought the bike new 9 mths ago)So I begin to tear it down,The bolt that holds the cam gear to the exhaust cam was super tight.So tight that it broke off!It broke off after I stripped the dimple off that drives the cam!Ok I get the piston out,remove the rings then use the piston to center the rings in the bore.The end gaps are ...top ring .034,second ring .028 I stopped at this time since I know it needs rings for sure.I am assuming I will need a cam($200)a gear($36)on top of a bore and new piston.

I have lost all faith in Kawasaki from this and the past problems I have had with this bike.I will not recomend a Kawasaki to anyone that may be looking to buy a new bike.

I'm so upset with it (them) at this point that I'm just about ready to sell/give it away as it sits!What a piece of JUNK!