Bad I figured I might as well since it's apart. All new rings as well. I only have the one pic my wife took of the bearing.

* Last updated by: heathun on 12/9/2009 @ 12:49 PM *

Wow heat, I'm sorry to read the news. I hope it all works out.

She'll be back on the road in a week.

See if you can spin the piston rings. I've seen a det piston where the dome collapsed on the rings. You can see the [tight] ring gap; as if the piston ring is squeezed in the cylinder, but never sprung out of the piston's groove.

I'm checking those out tommorrow Hub

get me some more pics of the rod bearings .. i can see damage but i can't see at that distants what i'm looking at ..line them up #1 to the left to #4 if they haven't been mixed up by now ..

http://www.mtceng.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=162&Itemid=60

while your at it.. and these come with rings

http://www.theboombopshop.com/CP-Pistons-08-Kawasaki-NINJA-ZX14-p/m4036.htm

i like these Orient Express sells these also

http://www.mtceng.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=162&Itemid=60

http://www.theboombopshop.com/CP-Pistons-08-Kawasaki-NINJA-ZX14-p/m4036.htm

The CP forged pistons are nice.

Bad I'll see if I can line them up tommorrow for a better close up.

Everythings in and she's going back together. Here's a few pics.

This kinda makes my gut hurt.

New crank.

In pieces cleaned up and ready to go back together.

The other three rod bearings looked like this on the top, so there was some detonation happening at some point.

Not a good sign, I see that rotary cleaning the material off the head and cylinder. That surface should never be touched with anything but a new straight edge razor to take off the gasket material. Now there are swirl pockets and that surface is not flat but waved. Your head gasket leaks down the road... Scary shit.

Didn't use the grinder on the head. Scrapped it clean and used fine sand paper to remove any left over debri.

i'm not buying the detonation on the bearings .. that looks like low oil pressure problem .. better look at that oil pump and along with it mounting flanges ..

i of all people know detonation on a zx14 ..the pistons will show signs if it ever happen.. it will eat into the intake valve cup on the piston ..and the pistons will be pitted like a sand blaster had hit them

how about a look at the pistons tops and the bottom of the head if it hasn't been cleaned yet

I hope to God I never see Percy's insides spread all over the table like that.. {shiver}

I hope Cybil is back among the living soon.. ps: have the mechanic do a bolt count before reassembly (sorta like a sponge count when zipping a patient back up). lots of pain could be avoided.

* Last updated by: ZX14Bobo on 12/18/2009 @ 2:24 PM *

This is the only guy I'll let touch my bike. Known him for years and he's top notch, she'll be done right.

Sponge Count Square Pants..... I mean, baddyboy... Show us the old parts if you still have the pistons.

Say it's low oil pressure. How did the top end live so well. Would not the quicker path be out that loose bearings? Top end gets hot because not enough pressured oil is up top to draw away the heat. Where is the water temp rise?
What about detonation? Would detonation hammer the piston dome, lock the rings so they could not move in the groove? We have that going on, heathun? That hard a hammering to take out the bearing is going to strike first is at the dome I would think.
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That surface is more you wipe that gasket tack off with brake clean. No razor, no sandpaper, no buzz saw blade. That was the prep on first assembly, was a mirror finish to the head and cylinder surface. I know the more you tell me, the more I'd assemble it a different way than someone else.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the 14 lost at least one rod in either of the 4 banks? Stories about #1 going thru the case. #3 always letting loose. Are we here with #4 rod? Anyone remember #2 going away? That does not sound like an oil problem if one goes out, the other 3 are fine along with the top end.

* Last updated by: Hub on 12/18/2009 @ 3:47 PM *

Yea Hub, it wasn't an oiling issue. Cylinders looked perfect, piston top looked good too. The rings were fine I just wanted to replace them while they were out. The only real issue was the #4 bearing and after inspecting the other 3 you could see some slight damage. The oil pump and screen looked great with nothing blocking it. During all this the engine temp never went above what it normally runs (between 2 and 3 bars) no oil usage (in fact when we drained the oil it looked good).

i can tell you i've got more detonated pistons than your bike can have in 3 lifetimes with twice the HP.. and never did i have bearing damage in fact it was always put back together with the same bearings .. and 1 them motors has 38,000 miles and 200 passes .. and its running strong today after 1 piston replacement from lack of fuel to 1 cylinder . but same bearings rod bolts and nuts ..it made 20 passes last nite alone mostly hot laps on 10lbs of boost ..i guess i'm just lucky ..

its like 1 engine i work on with a cam tensioner problem i replaced the CCT twice with CCT that didn't rattle on start-up from tested running bikes ...still rattled.. ..then the guy wreck the bike and i purchased the motor so then i replaced the head (fresh head with heavy springs with a new valve seat job) along with all guides. still rattled.. took the oil pan off ..cleaned everything and inspected replaced oil relief valve.. and check oil pressure.. still rattled . then the motor pop a head gasket due to to much boost.. while i had head off i hit the oil passages with air while cleaning the cylinder surface.. a metal shaving pop up and landed on top of a piston .. strange .. were that come from .. so i hit more air into the passage and a pig tail of shaving came out ..well i have an old set of cases on the floor from a motor that threw #3 rod.. i then blew air into them passages to see how the oil flows to the CCT ..WELL it flows thru #4 cylinders main bearing and up the cases into the head and into the CCT .. which was partly block and cause the CCT to rattle for a long time after start up .. cause after i put everything together it didn't rattle no more for 2 minutes every-time you started the bike ..

* Last updated by: Badzx14r on 12/19/2009 @ 10:18 AM *

Hey Bad..........I read in the repair manual that if you need to replace rod bearings that the rod bolts need to be replaced. They are stretch to yield torque type and I guess you never had a problem with the rod bolts reusing them?

yes it says to replace every time ..but i never had a problem with breaking rods with reused bolts or nuts .. but i only do it to my own stuff ..

MY biggest problem is piston melt from heat on sharp points on piston cups.. it so thin there that it takes nothing to blow thru a stock piston .. so i'm filing down the points and i'm ceramic coating and Teflon skirting the piston on my next motor and see how that works total cost $200.00.. i just don't see no stock compression aftermarket pistons that i think it worth the money to buy and use to fix the problem ..

i've tried 9.5 to 1 pistons they have more ring to deck but they kill the motor until you get on boost

* Last updated by: Badzx14r on 12/19/2009 @ 11:15 AM *

Back on the road. Picked her up tuesday and put a little over 100 hundred break in miles on her.

Glad you got her up and running safe again. Any changes in brake in procedure this time around?

Nope, I'll be easy on her the first 600. Change the oil and then start getting in her a little more. She's had several heat cycles and a few miles. I believe in riding them like they are going tobe ridden after a few miles.