86 voyager diesel

[biker boy]

Hey all! New here. I currently own 87 zl1000. Im looking at this voyager with 19k mi. and it sounds like a diesel at idle! Give it throttle and its gone. She runs and drives good other than this. I made a crapy video from my phone so I hope this works? Its same noise on both sides of the motor. I was hoping its maybe someone tried adjusting the counter balancers and got them all bogered up? Or what do you all think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0be3KWXCUuc

[doug of so fla]

You need to check under the faux tank on top of the air clener box is the igniter. if the pn# on it does not end in 1248. do not start engine again!! that year XII had the starter, cam, alternator, chain break at about 20,000 mi and it & was a recall done under warranty on a whole lot of them were replaced. If yours was not, chances are about 98% that it sounds like it is about ready to go and may ruin the cases if it does. Not good news, but sure just sounds like that is the problem. I doubt if Kaw will still warranty it they did for about 25yrs.. It is a engine out and split cases and replace with new engineered parts or find a newer XII engine and swap it out.

[biker boy]

I guess i could always ask them? dam good thing i didnt buy it. here it is if anyone else happens to see it!

http://easternshore.craigslist.org/mcy/4484187570.html

[biker boy]

O he did say the igniter was replaced so i dont see what that would have to do with the starter chain replacement?

[doug of so fla]

The igniter could have been replaced but if they did not do the whole internal cam chain tensioner replace at the same time it would have been a worthless fix, the igniter was timing the engine wrong so the chain would snap when the engine kicked back on low battery start up, and some just change the number on the ignitor & try to dump the M/C. Very wel known engine problem with the 86 & some 87 XII's. I and many others went thru this for years with the 86 & 87 XII's. Or it coud have been 119,000 mi and the second one is now wore out. Anytime any engine sounds that bad it is a good thing to walk away from unless you like to do a lot of rebuilding.

[biker boy]

yep. agreed. thks.

[JHD]

I just spoke to Carl Leo about this very subject no more than an hour ago. He states that the 86/87 starter chains and tensioner's are fine and don't need to be replaced unless there is a breakage of either part. He also states that the real culprit is the ignitor. If the ignitor is updated before something catastrophic happens then all should be well. He is the man, and has all the inside scoop when it comes to these repairs.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

I may be off the mark on this but check the oil level also. If the igniter was replaced with a Good one then that's one worry you don't have to entertain. After my first oil change I mistakenly filled my XII with 4 Qts plus a tad till the oil was about half in the sight glass. I got very similar rattle almost sounded like lifters beating the covers. Next oil change I followed Carl's advice and only used EXACTLY 3 qts. 22 oz. of oil in the bike, no more no less.
Apparently extra oil will foam up causing air in the system allowing the lifters to make noise.
Just a thought!

[biker boy]

this noise is in the crank. no mistaking this. blip the throttle and it goes away.

[debron]

Biker Boy, don't let put you off on the Voyager XII. They are great bikes if you love to put the miles behind you!

[biker boy]

he was gonna let it go for 1400 but he would have to give it to me if i need to rebuild the motor. even then idk? i got 3 toys now im wrenching on!

[biker boy]

I may be off the mark on this but check the oil level also. If the igniter was replaced with a Good one then that's one worry you don't have to entertain. After my first oil change I mistakenly filled my XII with 4 Qts plus a tad till the oil was about half in the sight glass. I got very similar rattle almost sounded like lifters beating the covers. Next oil change I followed Carl's advice and only used EXACTLY 3 qts. 22 oz. of oil in the bike, no more no less.
Apparently extra oil will foam up causing air in the system allowing the lifters to make noise.
Just a thought!

question? how many oz. is 3 qts of oil?

[Bill O]

Hey all! New here. I currently own 87 zl1000. Im looking at this voyager with 19k mi. and it sounds like a diesel at idle! Give it throttle and its gone. She runs and drives good other than this. I made a crapy video from my phone so I hope this works? Its same noise on both sides of the motor. I was hoping its maybe some tried adjusting the counter balancers and got them all bogered up? Or what do you all think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0be3KWXCUuc

There is one other thing I believe can cause that noise. If the balancers are out of adjustment from an improper tweeking, it can sound like that. The adjustment is fairly easy to do IAW the service manual.

Any thoughts, Carl?

Bill O

[voyager55]

Don't you remember grade school? 32 ounces in a quart

I may be off the mark on this but check the oil level also. If the igniter was replaced with a Good one then that's one worry you don't have to entertain. After my first oil change I mistakenly filled my XII with 4 Qts plus a tad till the oil was about half in the sight glass. I got very similar rattle almost sounded like lifters beating the covers. Next oil change I followed Carl's advice and only used EXACTLY 3 qts. 22 oz. of oil in the bike, no more no less.
Apparently extra oil will foam up causing air in the system allowing the lifters to make noise.
Just a thought!

question? how many oz. is 3 qts of oil?

[biker boy]

Don't you remember grade school? 32 ounces in a quart

I may be off the mark on this but check the oil level also. If the igniter was replaced with a Good one then that's one worry you don't have to entertain. After my first oil change I mistakenly filled my XII with 4 Qts plus a tad till the oil was about half in the sight glass. I got very similar rattle almost sounded like lifters beating the covers. Next oil change I followed Carl's advice and only used EXACTLY 3 qts. 22 oz. of oil in the bike, no more no less.
Apparently extra oil will foam up causing air in the system allowing the lifters to make noise.
Just a thought!

question? how many oz. is 3 qts of oil?

so it 3 qts and 22 oz? ok got it.

[debron]

so it 3 qts and 22 oz? ok got it.

Buy your oil in a gallon jug, pour off 10 oz into a measuring cup, and you are left with exactly 3qts, 22 oz! (Hint: buy your own measuring cup/device. Don't use your wife's good baking measuring cups!)

[Steve do]

Hey Debron, I picked up on that one before I even thought about using the wife's ( that could lead to an early death). I got an old washer fluid bottle, put the correct amount and marked it. It is sitting on the shelf waiting for the next change.

Steven

[biker boy]

well thks all for your insight and replies but i will pass on this one and wait for the next one to pop up.

[voyager55]

I see You're from Snow Hill MD.
After last winter it Sounds like a city they should have here in Mn!

[JHD]

I just replaced my starter chain tensioner. It made a rattling noise that sounded like a bad case of timing ping. Under load it really made some racket. Just replaced it and no more rattling. Also the carbs not sync'd properly can make a rattle noise. Some rattle noise from hardened alternator isolation dampers. There are a number of things that make noises. I would check the easy stuff first like the alternator dampers and the carb sync. The right amount of oil as discussed above is an easy one also.