ER6 low compression

[sickpup]

Evening chaps

ER6 engine with about 60k on it. Was running fine in daily use, not been used for 10-14 days won't start. Fuel pump seems fine, strong spark but compression measures as 120 on left and barely 60 on the right.
Minimum recommended compression is 139psi.

Engine has always been serviced in line with Kawasaki's recommendations using genuine filters and synthetic oil

So before I check the valves and possibly start stripping it tomorrow who wants to suggest an educated cause?

[Taught2BCauti...]

The quickest thing to check would probably be the valve clearances, or the 'teaspoon of oil down the sparkplug hole' trick.
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[garth]

Dunno, if had been left for ages I'd say stuck rings, unlikely after such a short period of time.
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You ain't a has been if you never was

[Robby]

You don't seem to have much luck with Kawasaki parallel twins.

The only possibility that comes to mind - outside of mechanical problems inside the engine - is one of the throttle butterflies not opening. I don't think this would cause such big variances in compression though.

It is also possible that the first few threads of the spark plug hole are knackered on one side and the tester isn't achieving a good seal.

[sickpup]

Had the engoine apart this weekend and its a valve problem. The Right hand cylinder is running consoderably hotter than the left which with the low compression suggests an air leak possibly from a piece of carbon caught under a valve head.

https://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/750RK/Odds%20and%20ends/20150809_210346.jpg

In fact the right hand cylinder is so hot it has burnt away most of the carbon deposits.

Next step will be to pull all the valves and take a look at whats going on under them.

[Pete.]

You going to clean up all that carbon before pulling the valves?
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[sickpup]

[Pete.]

Cool. For cleaning valves I usually turn up a split bush from ally that fits over the stem, then clamp that in the chuck of my lathe. I spin it up and clean them by hand using a scraping tool and a tool rest. It strips the crap off the face and the back of the valve without scratching the metal.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[stevo as b4]

That seems like a lot of carbon deposits for a 60'000m modern engine with EFI and run on todays fuel etc?

I do wonder over 60k would there be a significantly lower amount of deposits if a motor was run on an expensive fuel with all the extra detergents, like BP Ultimate etc?

Oh and as for stuck/sticking rings from long term storage, could this really reduce compression from say 120psi to 60psi??

My old ZX6R may have suffered from sticking rings after I left it 4years in a garage. But with fresh oil and fuel it started without too much bother, but only started smoking a bit after 100miles or so.

[sickpup]

[316lad]

[316lad]

[Robby]

Pup, given your ever increasing track record, have you considered a move away from Kawasaki twins into something you might break less often.

You seem to have rare and expensive problems with them.

[sickpup]

[Pete.]

I wouldn't worry about the running condition going by the colour of the vales, because that's going to change when it's been worked over anyway. I'd be worrying about how deep you're going to have to cut the seats in the head to get rid of all the pitting.

Can the head shop press in new seats?
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[sickpup]

[Robby]

[stevo as b4]

I still can't believe that that's a 60k engine, especially as it's an EFI lump that technically should not overfuel like a badly set up bank of carbs etc.

Do you think the exhaust valves have been held off their seat by all the deposits that has then caused both the low compression and also the burning and pitting of the seats?

Oh and if you really think that the average modern injected four stroke bike engine will look that coked up inside after 60k, if ever I own another, I'll be chucking in bottles of fuel system cleaner, and spraying water down the throttle bodies with the engine running every 10k or so to try and steam clean the chambers.

I don't like to think my old ZX6 could have had fucked valve stem seals after 4years unused in a dry garage? It had 2000mile oil and filter changes, and I was always told that 4stroke engines with lots of clean oil in them, leave the internals coated in a nice film of lube for a very long time even when sat unused.

[sickpup]

[sickpup]

The head is now back and looks a lot better. It's had all the work done including a 0.015mm skim.

https://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/750RK/Odds%20and%20ends/IMG-20150918-WA0015.jpeg

New guides in place.

https://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/750RK/Odds%20and%20ends/IMG-20150918-WA0006.jpeg

Exhaust seats sorted.

https://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/750RK/Odds%20and%20ends/IMG-20150918-WA0013.jpeg

Exhaust valves redressed.

https://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad297/750RK/Odds%20and%20ends/IMG-20150918-WA0010.jpeg

[kramdra]

Oil burner? Ive never seen deposits like that on an engine that doesnt burn a good quantity of oil, and mine had a lot more miles.

[sickpup]

[kramdra]

Normal engines don't look like that, but it does seem a common problem for ER6's.

[sickpup]

[kramdra]

Service manager at kwikfit?