Seized engine kz440

The oil light didn't come on, it was 100 percent my fault for not checking sight glass before ride.

Where would I begin? I think replacing the motor might be in my skillset i don think rebuilding it would be. I got it to turn over and almost run briefly, Sounds like rings are toast and maybe valves? 

That's very true. the engine I'm looking at is from a reputable seller on Ebay. only testyed for compression and maybe starter. kind of a coin toss I suppose.

ill most likely keep it as a reminder of my idiocy lol

i'm not seeing direct instructions for replacing the entire engine. I believe the manual I have is a service manual. Is there a more specific shop manual?

There’s not much to an engine R&R.  Basically unbolt or disconnect everything connected to the engine (chain, clutch cable, exhaust, carbs w/air-box), remove old engine, bolt in “new” reverse the process.   With a 440’s engine size, you should be able to remove the engine relatively easily due to it’s smallish size.  Only advice is to make sure it’s supported well underneath before removing the last few attachment points.

Later, Doug

KZfreely wrote:

ill most likely keep it as a reminder of my idiocy lol
 

Hint: if you want to reply to a specific person's post, e.g. to ask or answer a question, use the quote feature. 

When you just use reply, we have no idea who you're talking to.  

For those of us too old or too lazy, a mirror helps.

 

KZfreely wrote:

The oil light didn't come on, it was 100 percent my fault for not checking sight glass before ride.
 

the oil light does not come on. It doesn’t tell you when you are out of oil, only when oil pressure is low. Somehow there remains enough oil in the sump to keep oil pressure up enough to not light up. In a supreme act of stupidity I once drained the oil in my kz440 before storing it for an extended period of time. I was intending to fill it when I took it out of storage. When the time came, I had forgotten and did not check oil, I just drove it … until it stopped. Strangely though the engine did not seize, it got so hot from no oil
to cool it that the alternator died and stopped charging the battery. As the battery slowly died the starter wax the first thing that failed on my, but my starter is very flaky and often fails and I just use the kickstarter I installed years before. Then days later I noticed my headlight (LED) flickering. Finally there was not enough battery power to fire the spark plugs and I pushed it home a couple of miles. I had been driving it back and forth to work for about 2 weeks with no oil in the crankcase

i filled it with oil, charged the battery (or got a new one - I don’t remember) found a used alternator rotor on eBay, charged the battery and fired it up. It is still running now 6 or 7 years and at least 10,000km later. These engines are almost indestructible. Unfortunately @KZfreely wasn’t as lucky as me

but in a previous stupid incident of not tightening my can chain after re-assembling the top end, I did manage to destroy this engine (crank bearings seized with camchainnguide fragments). So, yes I did have to pull the engine, disassemble, clean and replace bearings (and cam chain guide). And while I had it apart is when I installed the kicker). At any rate I can assure KZfreely that the engine removal re-insertion was the easy part, as others have said , just unbolt, and remove. I did use the service manual and I did not find it missing information on engine removal. I am not sure why KZfreely can’t find the info. Is it the Kawasaki manual you have or an aftermarket (climber or Haynes). I have the Kawasaki manual, probably available on this forum somewhere (I downloaded mine years ago from kz400.com -don’t look for it as it is no more).

kz400.com is still there, though there are lots of warnings elsewhere about not using the forums (something malware-related).

Right here on KZR--
kzrider.com/filebase-alias/summary/12-kz...ksm-kz440-a1-thru-d1

Nerdy wrote:

kz400.com is still there, though there are lots of warnings elsewhere about not using the forums (something malware-related).

Cool, I didn’t know that. And It seems the manual is still at  kz400.com/Workshop%20manual%20bilder/Kaw...Service%20Manual.pdf

but the forum is gone. And that’s what was best about kz400.com was the forum.