EX500, randomly while warming up noticed pipes were red hot, killed it n heard BANG

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leitlang said:
I'll check float height and stuff, but would the rip in a diaphragm explain the leakage and fuel in the oil? Basically will the replacement do the trick or will I need to keep going thru other parts to find the problem? I'd rather find out before doing this and putting everything back on
thanks again i gotta keep saying it cause you guys keep helping
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Inspect/clean the carbs completely, check the float heights, replace the diaphragm. Do not take shortcuts. You will thank yourself later.
 
Okay, I ordered the gaskets still waiting though, i just wanted to know if these problems were separate or all caused by the carb issues?
 
leitlang said:
Okay, I ordered the gaskets still waiting though, i just wanted to know if these problems were separate or all caused by the carb issues?
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If you are referring to the gas in the crankcase and the glowing headers/backfiring.

My suggestion is to clean/adjust those carbs, and then see how it runs.

However, after that I would suggest checking you valve clearances, since your bike has 50,000km and you don't seem to know the maintenance history of the bike.

FYI...Exhaust valves being out of spec can make you bike idle horribly and cause those headers to heat up.

Before tackling the valve adjustment yourself, I suggest you do a lot of reading about the procedures, and ensure you have all the tools you require. It is not that hard on an EX500 as long as you are fairly handy with tools. patient, and can follow directions.

EX-500.com has a wealth of information.

http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?title=Valve_clearance_adjustment
 
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OK so got the new gaskets and spring in, checked float height and they seem within spec (17mm+-2).. Should I just proceed with rebuilding? What does that say about the fuel-in-oil problem?
Cheers, the factorypro link was clear and simple
 
You are following the carb maintenance instructions from the ex-500 wiki, correct?
http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?title=Carburetor_Maintenance

Some things to verify also:
-Check the float valve for any nicks or dents. Replace if necessary.
- Clean the float valves well.
- Check the operation of the floats, float needles (make sure they seat properly and are not obstructed by any debris). Replace if necessary.
- Check to ensure the floats are not leaking (fuel inside the float itself). Replace if necessary.
- Inspect the o-rings. Replace if necessary.


If any of the parts need replacing, you can get carb rebuild kits here...

KAWASAKI EN EX 500 ZR 550 ZLZX 600 ZR ZX750 ZX 900 ZG1000 NINJA CARB REPAIR KITS ( 4 x KITS )
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAWASAKI-EN-EX-500-ZR-550-ZLZX-600-ZR-ZX750-ZX-900-ZG1000-NINJA-CARB-REPAIR-KITS-/390358785324?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ae3325d2c

Note: That kit comes with 4 rebuild kits, you would only need 2. However that price is better that most places selling 2. You can either keep a space set handy or sell the other set.
 
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Done with the carbs, thanks for that
Put it all back together but got oil leaking out of the left side of the engine still
posted it on ex500.com too incidentally and with a pic (dunno if this'll work but: http://www.ex-500.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=37473.0;attach=36769), someone replied "looks like the valve cover gasket is the cause of the leak"
I wanted to know if you concur, and if it's something I can do myself
If it isn't, this forum has the advantage of being toronto based so I can get help from someone better able than myself if need be
 
OK... first things first, did you follow the instructions supplied for disassembly/cleaning/reassembly of the carbs? How is it running now that the carbs have been cleaned, compared to before? Can the bike idle without the choke on?

For the leak. I would say that is a leak related to the valve cover gasket. Is this a new leak? Was this leaking before you started working on the bike? Did you remove the valve cover? Is it leaking from the side only or also in the front? If you have removed the valve cover you may have damaged the gasket or there is dirt on the gasket/surface.
The advise given on EX-500.com is good. "Remove the cover inspect the gasket, clean the gasket and surface area if the gasket is good and try again. You can use a little rtv around the half moons only."

If you will be inspecting the valve cover gasket, you may as well prepare to do the valve inspection adjustment as well, since you will have the cover off. http://www.ex-500.com/wiki/index.php?title=Valve_clearance_adjustment

Also, In the thread below you mentioned you put 2 litres of oil. Is that after you drained the oil and changed the filter? As per the manual you should use 3.4L of oil. Please use the manual when doing maintenance! Check then double check!

If you have any questions, or are in doubt about anything, ask away.

Your post on ex-500.com, as a reference...
http://www.ex-500.com/index.php/topic,37473.msg565330.html#msg565330

OK so here's the updated story
I got er all done put everything back together, got it running on full choke, noticed a bit of smoke coming up from the engine and when it didn't stop I turned it off
there's oil leaking from the left side of the engine.. I assume that's a real problem? I'm getting pretty damn tired of this **** but I want to finish the job
I'm attaching a picture to better show what I mean
One more thing the oil window's like a quarter full after a solid 2 liters I think it's not much more than it's sposed to take but that and the fact that it's leaking oil could mean something
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ex500leitlangleakgtam.jpg
 
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I did follow the instructions mostly, tho not for the pilot screw part- It didn't seem right, left one of the ?butterfly valves maybe?(those circles that pivot forward to create an opening)open partly and when you push down on the spring thing that opens them it kept them uneven so I adjusted the screw til they were both even.. I can't say anything about the running I only ran it for like 3 minutes took a lot to start and only ran with choke to start and when I turned it off like a minute in it died immediately but I didn't think it meaningful cause I'd only just gotten it going figured fuel needed to get around first but what do i know
Yes it was leaking before I started. Didn't notice it before but just checked the front and it's got the same residue so it must've been leaking front and left side
As for the valve clearance adjustment, is it necessary? I don't want to risk more issues and costs if not.. I'm doing all this work to make the bike in proper working order so I can sell it in good faith..
The oil- I didn't remove the filter again this time so it should take less oil but I no longer have a manual so I'd just go til the window's half full
And this is the first time I've touched the cover, though I suspect it's been done in the past- the groove in the gasket had some kind of sealant all the way around, but the half moon thing might be relevant, when I first noticed the leak it seemed to have been heaviest around the left one
 
Also, if it's relevant, there was gunk pretty much everywhere; around the hoses i removed from the cover , around the spark plug areas and the rubbers that go on em.. it goes on
 
leitlang said:
I can't say anything about the running I only ran it for like 3 minutes took a lot to start and only ran with choke to start and when I turned it off like a minute in it died immediately but I didn't think it meaningful cause I'd only just gotten it going figured fuel needed to get around first but what do i know
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Yes, since there would have been no fuel in the carbs, it would be hard to start first time. Try to let it run for a couple of minutes with the choke on, slowly turn it off over the next minute or two. If you have a camera or phone that can do video, post up a video of it starting and running.

leitlang said:
Yes it was leaking before I started. Didn't notice it before but just checked the front and it's got the same residue so it must've been leaking front and left side
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Wipe off the residue as much as possible to see if it is still leaking. If so, you will want to inspect and clean or replace the valve cover gasket.

leitlang said:
As for the valve clearance adjustment, is it necessary? I don't want to risk more issues and costs if not.. I'm doing all this work to make the bike in proper working order so I can sell it in good faith..
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You don't have to do anything. However, If you have the cover off, you have basically, done most of the hard work related to the valve inspection/adjustment. If the valves are out of spec, this will definitely cause the bike to run poorly (hard to start, erratic idling)

leitlang said:
The oil- I didn't remove the filter again this time so it should take less oil but I no longer have a manual so I'd just go til the window's half full
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If you drain the oil but leave the filter, use 2.75 litres

leitlang said:
And this is the first time I've touched the cover, though I suspect it's been done in the past- the groove in the gasket had some kind of sealant all the way around, but the half moon thing might be relevant, when I first noticed the leak it seemed to have been heaviest around the left one
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So you took the cover off? Did you clean it and reinstall it? Or is it still open? Can you taken some pictures so we can see the condition? There should not be any sealant used on the gasket except perhaps on the half moons.

leitlang said:
Also, if it's relevant, there was gunk pretty much everywhere; around the hoses i removed from the cover , around the spark plug areas and the rubbers that go on em.. it goes on
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Was it green gunky stuff? Did you happen to drain the coolant prior to removing the coolant hoses? Take some pictures of the stuff you see.
 
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