My kat's not purring

[newkatbie]

I have a few questions that I am not too sure should concern me.

I have a katana 600 post. I just bought it used with about 17k on it. When I start the bike, it makes a pinging sound that I think is the valves. It is coming from the left most side at the top of the engine. It is only on one side, so I don't think that is normal. The noise is faint and definately not a knocking sound. It seems to only be audible at around 1-2k. After I rev it, I can't hear it. Is this something I should worry about?

I also smelled the oil and it smells a bit abnormal. It has a sweet smell to it. There is no metal in the oil, no gas smell. It looks like it is close to new. It just has a kind of sweet smell. There are no streaks of coolant ( I don't know why an oil cooled engine would). Is there something that a shady seller could put in it to quiet the engine or something that would have that smell?

The last problem is the idle. It seems o idle a little high after being warmed up. It goes to 3k. I was playing with the idle adjustment, so I don't now if that was me. When I turn the adjustment slightly, it goes back to 1100.

The reason I am so concerned is that the guy I bought the bike from seemed shady. I want to have a mechanic look at it, but I would rather have an idea of what it might be before going in. The bike rev to the redline. It has no loss of power. It shifts perfectly. Other than the pinging, there is no other noise. The exhaust sounds great. I did spray some water on the exhaust headers and the one on the left most side evaporated slightly slower than the others. This was a fraction of a second difference. My dad heard the sound and thought it might be a connecting rod, but it is coming from the very top of the engine and he has not rode a bike since the 80's. How can I get a diagram of the entire engine? I think would help me if i take it apart.

[kevin2502000]

These oil boilers do sound a little on the rattley side normally. What you think sounds loud might sound normal to me. Anyone have a bike close by you can listen too? Other than that you could check the valve clearance, that makes upper engine noises when they are out of tolerance.

[katman05]

The valves may need adjusting. Does the previous owner have the maintenence record of when the valves were adjusted last? You can download the service manual here http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=56167

[newkatbie]

I wanted to update this. I made a mistake when I checked the headers to see if they were all even. I sprayed water too close to the point where they meet.

I just rechecked them and the one on the left is a lot cooler than the others. This is definitely not a normal sound. I just made a vid with my phone but it won't play on my computer, so I will figure this out and post it.

Also, I just put seafoam in it and the revs really increased. Before I had the adjustment all the way clockwise to have it rev at 1100. Now I have to turn it almost half way to get to rev the same. This means that my adjustment was all the way high before. Is this a vacume leak?

To make it easier:
pinging noise from left most side of upper engine
colder exhaust header on left most side (almost touch it with hands)
idle adjustment turned all the way clockwise to idle
no smoke in exhaust
no oil leaks

Kevin, I don't anyone who has a kat that I can listen to. The sound is only from one engine. It does not sound like a normal valvetrain sound from kats i heard idle on youtube.

@Katman, the previous owner did not have any service records. He just told me that he cleaned the carbs himself. He seemed really shady ( he told me he would get off work at 5pm so I could see the bike, but when I called back at 5:15, he said he had warmed it up already. When I saw him and said i would have to pick it up the next day, he said he was on vacation all this week so it would be fine.) I bought the bike because the price was good and the parts would be cheap. I know he sold me a messed up bike. I just have to figure out how messed up.

I will post a vid as soon as I can get it to work. I am going to check the plugs for spark. I will edit this after that.
Thanks for the replies!

[Trackerrrr]

Cool header pipe indicates a misfiring plug or clogged idle circuit. Each coil fires two plugs (1-4 outer cylinders and 2-3 inner cylinders) so if leftmost pipe is cool then rightmost pipe would be cool if coil is kaput. My guess is either a bad plug, bad plug connection (wire tower loose on plug or not tightened onto wire), or clogged idle circuit.

[Kreylyn]

Since you know nothing of the history, and honestly do not trust the PO at all... I would suggest the following.

Do a full tune up on the bike. Replace plugs, air filter, oil, oil filter, check all the plug wires are properly attatched.

Clean the carbs (don't rush this, take a few days... take your time... make sure they are clean. Inspect all parts for repair/replacement needs. Make sure all the rubber is soft and pliable.

Adjust the valves

Sync the newly cleaned carbs with the OEM airbox and new filter installed.

Krey

[newkatbie]

I found the problem. The cylinder is not firing and this is the sound as well. I took out the spark plug and it had oil or some gun on it. I cleaned it with some gas and put it back in. All cylinders started running. The sound was gone and it sounded good. I drove around the block and sprayed water on it again. This time the same cylider was not firing. There is no oil burning. What's going on? Why is my plug getting oily stuff on it? How bad is this to fix?

@Krey: I don't know how to do anything with carbs because I have never had anything with carbs before. I looked at the dirctions on this forum, but I am scared to tae it apart. I will have my mechanic take it apart in front of so i can see what to do. I have looked at all the other stuff like airfilter, wires, tank, etc. Thanks for the suggestion.

[kevin2502000]

Replace all 4 spark plugs for starters so you have a clean slate to work on.

[newkatbie]

I put in new spark plugs. The left cylinder works when the engine is cold, but dies when it warms up. This means it is getting fuel and spark at the beginning. It must also have compression at first. I read that compression decreases when the engine warms up. Could I have a compression issue?

The idle won't go above 1100 with adjustment turned all the way. Please tell me this is anything but a piston ring. It will cost at least $90 per piston plus the cost of all the gaskets. I went to the bike shop near my house and the total in parts for a top end rebuild is $800. With labor, this is more than the value of the bike.
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Ok, a little research and now I am sure it the result of not enough fuel or too much oxygen. The deposits on the plug tell the story. How hard is it to take apart carbs (I read barb 101, but not enough pics of carbs)? Does anyone live near Baltimore that could help me? I am going to ask my brother's friend because he works on cars and ss bikes. In the mean time, are there any good pics of a full carb removal or do they make manuals, like the ones for cars, for these bikes? If so, where can I get one? I really want to start riding since it is so nice out. If I could get it all going before the middle of May, I could take it on a trip to VA! For my contribution, if I can take apart the carbs and put them back togather again, I will take pics of every step and post them for others. Who thought owning a bike would cause more stress than it would relieve?