Touringman
Cruisin' Guzzisti
This thread could be considered an extension of several others here...Todd if you want to merge this one into the related threads, please feel free to do so.
I am in the process of doing the 6000 mile service on my Cali14, while using the opportunity to install Todd's electronic engine management magic while I'm at it, oh and I killed the "moaning whale" while I had everything apart. Below are some thoughts on a hot Sunday in the garage.
OIL CHANGE : Pretty straight forward, the drain plug is a 17mm and located on the back of the pan near the center. The filter is another matter. If you are using the "guzzi parts counter" filter you WILL need the special tool to get the filter out of the hole it sits in. Look at it this way, whatever you spend on the tool, it's cheaper than the dealer's labor rate per hour...
4 liters of Motul 7100 10w-60 4T now in the crankcase.
KILLING THE MOANING WHALE: There is already a thread here on how to do with pictures, just a note, the hose is just 1/4 inch fuel line available at any parts store. The port in the manifold would be a great place to install a vacuum gauge is you were so inclined. I wasn't, I plugged it.
VALVE ADJUSTMENT: Ummm...what valve adjustment? All I had to do was check the valves, ALL 8 of them were exactly in spec. I even loosened a couple of them on purpose just to make sure I wasn't screwing something up. Nope. All 8 dead on .006 intake & .008 exhaust.
SPARK PLUGS: Here's where I got a bit concerned... The LMAR8F-9 plug fits nothing but the Cali14. NGK apparently built this for Guzzi. The plug is a 10mm/1.0 pitch thread. Just what the bike needs fine steel threads, screwing into an aluminum head. When I removed mine, there was some light resistance, squeaking and drag while unscrewing them. Needless to say I used some anti seize on the threads on the reinstall. Cross thread this thing and that new head ain't gonna be cheap. I gaped mine at .035. They came out of the box at .030 - .033. Remember, setting the plug gap is the responsibility of the installer, NOT the manufacturer.
SPARK PLUG TIP: DO NOT use your 14mm socket and wrench to try and install or unscrew the plug once you have it loose. This plug is TINY and you can't "feel" what you are doing. Get a piece of 3/8 fuel line about six inches long. Slip it over the insulator and use that to start the plug in the hole by hand. That way if it starts to cross thread you can stop BEFORE you have to install a new head. Once the plug is snugged in the hole use the wrench to torque it down.
THOUGHTS ON ENGINE KNOCK: When I pulled the upper plug out of the engine, I was surprised by how white the tip was. This engine gets HOT! The other thing that was curious was the "line" on the plug that showed how much of the plug actually sticks into the combustion chamber vs. how much is still in the head. There are 3-4 rows of threads exposed in the chamber. Pre ignition or "knock" is caused by combustion beginning spontaneously somewhere in the combustion chamber other than the spark plug. Say for example...a white hot exposed thread on the spark plug...or carbon buildup on one edge of the piston. This super heated "spot" ignites the incoming air fuel mix. A couple of milliseconds later, the spark plug fires and ignites another unburned part of the air fuel mix. The two different resulting flame fronts collide in the chamber causing the characteristic rattling noise we call spark knock. This issue is made worse by the super lean part throttle air fuel ratio. No doubt why Guzzi recommends super premium fuel. (super premium RESISTS the tendency to pre ignite as it burns slower and is more difficult to ignite.) Todd's fueling fix for the Cali1400 should eliminate the knock a lot of folks hear in these engines. Correcting the air fuel ratio to optimum will cool the cylinders and halt most all of the pre ignition. A nice by product of Todd's work on this setup.
Just some thoughts. YMMV.
Kirk
I am in the process of doing the 6000 mile service on my Cali14, while using the opportunity to install Todd's electronic engine management magic while I'm at it, oh and I killed the "moaning whale" while I had everything apart. Below are some thoughts on a hot Sunday in the garage.
OIL CHANGE : Pretty straight forward, the drain plug is a 17mm and located on the back of the pan near the center. The filter is another matter. If you are using the "guzzi parts counter" filter you WILL need the special tool to get the filter out of the hole it sits in. Look at it this way, whatever you spend on the tool, it's cheaper than the dealer's labor rate per hour...
4 liters of Motul 7100 10w-60 4T now in the crankcase.
KILLING THE MOANING WHALE: There is already a thread here on how to do with pictures, just a note, the hose is just 1/4 inch fuel line available at any parts store. The port in the manifold would be a great place to install a vacuum gauge is you were so inclined. I wasn't, I plugged it.
VALVE ADJUSTMENT: Ummm...what valve adjustment? All I had to do was check the valves, ALL 8 of them were exactly in spec. I even loosened a couple of them on purpose just to make sure I wasn't screwing something up. Nope. All 8 dead on .006 intake & .008 exhaust.
SPARK PLUGS: Here's where I got a bit concerned... The LMAR8F-9 plug fits nothing but the Cali14. NGK apparently built this for Guzzi. The plug is a 10mm/1.0 pitch thread. Just what the bike needs fine steel threads, screwing into an aluminum head. When I removed mine, there was some light resistance, squeaking and drag while unscrewing them. Needless to say I used some anti seize on the threads on the reinstall. Cross thread this thing and that new head ain't gonna be cheap. I gaped mine at .035. They came out of the box at .030 - .033. Remember, setting the plug gap is the responsibility of the installer, NOT the manufacturer.
SPARK PLUG TIP: DO NOT use your 14mm socket and wrench to try and install or unscrew the plug once you have it loose. This plug is TINY and you can't "feel" what you are doing. Get a piece of 3/8 fuel line about six inches long. Slip it over the insulator and use that to start the plug in the hole by hand. That way if it starts to cross thread you can stop BEFORE you have to install a new head. Once the plug is snugged in the hole use the wrench to torque it down.
THOUGHTS ON ENGINE KNOCK: When I pulled the upper plug out of the engine, I was surprised by how white the tip was. This engine gets HOT! The other thing that was curious was the "line" on the plug that showed how much of the plug actually sticks into the combustion chamber vs. how much is still in the head. There are 3-4 rows of threads exposed in the chamber. Pre ignition or "knock" is caused by combustion beginning spontaneously somewhere in the combustion chamber other than the spark plug. Say for example...a white hot exposed thread on the spark plug...or carbon buildup on one edge of the piston. This super heated "spot" ignites the incoming air fuel mix. A couple of milliseconds later, the spark plug fires and ignites another unburned part of the air fuel mix. The two different resulting flame fronts collide in the chamber causing the characteristic rattling noise we call spark knock. This issue is made worse by the super lean part throttle air fuel ratio. No doubt why Guzzi recommends super premium fuel. (super premium RESISTS the tendency to pre ignite as it burns slower and is more difficult to ignite.) Todd's fueling fix for the Cali1400 should eliminate the knock a lot of folks hear in these engines. Correcting the air fuel ratio to optimum will cool the cylinders and halt most all of the pre ignition. A nice by product of Todd's work on this setup.
Just some thoughts. YMMV.
Kirk
