Kawasaki 341cc 4 stroke 8.5hp in a 1989 Club Car Gas

[dougand3]

Kawasaki 341cc 4 stroke 8.5hp in a 1989 Club Car Gas DS.
Car has sat for years since son quit driving it.
It wouldn’t start. I have replaced battery, carburetor (Float bowl type), fuel lines and fuel filters. I cleaned sludge out of gas tank. Air filter is somewhat dirty and I’ll get a new one. I made a foam air filter to use as a temp. Pulse line seems to work ok. Diaphragm fuel pump seems to work ok. Oil level is fine - no gas noted.

It runs now but real sluggishly - minimal speed and power. It behaves rich with either gray or black smoke bellowing out muffler. I’ve tried leaning it out with carb screw but can’t get it lean enough and still run. Carb came with setting of 1/2 screw out (CCW) from seated. I’ve tried 1/4 and 1/8 out - still runs same, if it runs.

Changed spark plug - CJ8Y. I see good spark with plug out and grounded.
Plug gets black very quickly.

Where should be I looking?

Exhaust partially clogged?
Valves not seating all the way?
Ring(s)?
I need to get a compression tester and check.

Thanks, Doug

[KE4AVB]

Go by Advance or Autozone and pickup an Actron Compression tester set. Get the one with the 10mm adapter as you will need it for smaller string trimmer especially the newer MTD made Troy-bilt ones. Costs a little more but is a lot better than HF one.

As for Kaw need the engine numbers of course.

[dougand3]

Engine No: KF82D157529 Code: Fz340D-LS03
Borrowed a compression tester. Got 100 PSI repeatedly cold.
Did something different - drove w/o seat in and watched engine. Saw puffs of smoke coming out of where head gasket ought to stop it.



Anybody have specs on this engine? Could head gasket be all that's needed?

[KE4AVB]

Section 35
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-g4TpKUJnh7ZXBxRVJwSzV4dHM/view?usp=sharing

When looking for parts use FZ340D-LS03. Also the first number is KF82D S/N 157529 so you look up that way too just pay attention to the serial number breaks.

[dougand3]

Thanks much, KE4AVB.

[dougand3]

Got the head off and cleaned some. Does all the carbon need to be out of the comustion dome?

Head gasket looks flat with no nicks. There is an inner metal ridge that is on both head and cylinder. It's decidedly thinner at 9:30 and 2:30 o/c. Corresponds to where I saw smoke escape.

What to do here...Have head ridge machined flat? Thicker metal head gasket? Would Motoseal on head gasket do anything or just blow out?

[KE4AVB]

How bad is it? Your are allowed .015" of warp-age on that head. Use a pane of flat glass for this test so know if it is either the head or cylinder or both.

After that you can try shaving it down some. Not that hard to do. Requires a flat surface and large sheet of sand paper. This is one machine shops once shaved auto engine heads. They did with a flat table with moving cloth back grit belt. You need to use two head gaskets depending how you shave off.

I only done one head this way and had shaved nearly .030 off the head and .020 off the cylinder. I didn't get any long term results as I found out engine had been ran without oil and the rod seized during the testing phase. That makes 4 engines this client employees has done this to in the last year.

[dougand3]

Thanks, KE$AVB. I checked all around and the most I got was .010. I'm wondering if this is a simple matter of the 4 head bolts nearest cylinder and valves weren't just loose. I should have paid more attn during head removal but I remember thinking "wow, these come out easy". The 2 lone bolts outside cylinder only were definitely harder to remove. When I re-install later this week, I'll torque carefully per manual specs. I'm thinking of putting light coats of copper gasket spray on head gasket...good idea?

The manual calls for 89 lb-in intially, then go up 35 lb-in each time till 212 lb-in. My torque wrench is in ft-lbs - I calculate 7.5 ft-lbs, then 3 ft-lbs each time till 18 ft-lbs. Sound about right?

[KE4AVB]

Yes. In-lbs / 12 = ft-lbs

BTW HF had the 1/4 dr in-lb (20-200) wrench on sale for $10 recently and every so often. I wish it and the others would do left hand torque too. Also you got pay very attention to low settings as can't feel or heard the click.

[dougand3]

I'll check into HF 1/4" torque wrench. Maybe your client tries to save money....you fix it so well - that it can't need oil! LOL