kenfain

It's too early to throw in the towel just yet! The buggered up guide could probably have the rough spots dressed out. Or just replace the guide. If it's still in the head, then you could probably get the tool to remove it. That tool will also help replace the new one. As long as the head itself didn't get any real damage then nothing has changed, just a setback.

Well...? How's it coming? Any progress?

That tool just looks like a fancy punch. If you've got a punch long enough, I'd gently tap it out with that.

Just looking at the link. I'd say put the clips on, and drop em in. Well lubed. They're the same part number, so they'll be the same height and everything else. They'll drop all the way down till they bottom out on the clip. If not find out why. Sometimes just taking something apart does the trick. When you put it back together, it just works. Don't even know why it worked. It just does! But not always, so there's that. The good news is that this WILL work! The bad news is that I'm hanging it up for tonight. You keep at it, and when it's right you'll know it. Don't be afraid of pulling it back out. The spring probably sits on top of the clip, to hold it all down.

I'm liking the shortest one. But it's hard to tell with this tiny phone picture. You'll want the most of the guide, down inside I'm thinking. Just a bit of guide sticking up.

There's a clip on the valve guide, that keeps it from dropping down too far. Right?

Test fit a valve, see what lines up

It'll definitely cause problems by running it like that. Are they upside down maybe? In the picture, the tall one sticks up a bit. I can't see why they'd be uneven. There's a lot of reasons why they'd be even though. So let's assume they should be even. But shouldn't the main part of the guide be in the head. It would make more sense that way. Typically the guide sticks up just a bit. Like a nub. And the o-rings are down inside.

The clip that you're talking about, it keeps the guide from dropping. So pull the guide back up until the clip can be put on.

Isn't it the clip that you're talking about, the one that keeps it from dropping? I don't understand why one wouldn't have a groove.

The valve guides should be the same. Compare it to the old ones. Are they the same? Are these the same?

The guides don't move, I'm sure you know that. I'd take out the one that's not correct, and see why. From the picture it's hard to tell.

Sorry Travis, I just glanced at the picture. I thought you were talking about the clip on top of the spring. The one That's on the valve stem.

They can't both be at the same place. Try rotating the crank. One is open while the other is closed. It's supposed to work that way.

Nice lift you have there! I'm glad you found that plug, mine is tough to get to with the huge winch mount that's there. But I remember seeing that plug on the front of the diff. Hope I don't need to access it anytime soon. I'd probably come in from the top. Hope that cures the problem you're having. Others have problems caused by driving on hard pack, with the vehicle in 4wd. That's definitely something to avoid. I'll occasionally exercise the front differential, by using a perfectly straight road, and not even a swerve. Put it in 4wd for a block or so. Since mine rarely sees any mud, or hills, I do this to keep the seals from drying out. I've heard others needing serious work to remedy problems caused by leaving it in 4wd on hard pack, or pavement. Don't know if you've got the torque specs, I'm sure they're the same as mine. Looks like 22ft lb.

Gotta be on the front side, at or near the top. Mine is an 05, 3010. And it's clearly visible from the front, when you bend over just enough to see the diff. Maybe yours just doesn't look like that's what it is. Like the trans. drain on my Honda. It just looks like another bolt. Good thing the factory labeled it with tiny letters. Shame they didn't do that in your case. If you think a picture of mine might help, I'd be happy to go out and snap one. But mine is too obvious, there's no way anyone could miss it. So yours is likely different.

Have you looked into getting a shop manual for that model? If it's available, it's money well spent. Whenever I buy equipment, that's the first thing I get.

Was there sealant on that gasket when it was taken apart? If so then I'd say yes, I'd definitely put gasket sealer on that. And knowing me, I'd do it anyway, just to be safe. After all, what's the downside of adding the sealant vs. not?

The ground comment seems to be the most likely. Add a temporary ground if needed, to help diagnose the issue.

Well, back on topic. Soapy water works every time. If it's not working...see above. If it's not working, then you need to change tactics. It WILL work. I've had problems before, try using more pressure for the test. It's not gonna hurt the tire to use 30 lbs. or so for the test. If needed, remove the tire, hose it down. Get it clean. Then soak it down with soapy water. Wait approximately 2 minutes...look for small foam spots. They'll be about the size of a dime, or quarter. There's not always a big bubble to help find the hole. Slow leaks are tough sometimes, but there's no leak that's too small. Don't forget to soap the stem, and the Schrader valve also. Side note... Tire shops don't typically want to fix these type tires. So have them find the leak, if needed, mark the spot, then have them break the bead. You patch the hole! It's the easiest way! But you really need to know before hand what you're dealing with. Good luck!

have you drained the fuel? maybe check for water, or rust in the tank?

Just going by the amount, and type of parts you've replaced. I'd say that a little bit of "slop" could be considered normal. Since a lot of people leave these machines in 4wd a lot of the time, not knowing the consequences. As long as it doesn't get worse, I wouldn't worry.

Could be a head gasket.

Parasitic draw on the battery, is more common these days. It's standard on vehicles that have an onboard computer. But when it goes to this extreme, obviously something is wrong. On cars, the problem sometimes can be found by pulling a fuse out, and test for an amperage draw. Then just repeat the process until the offender is found. Shouldn't the warrant cover this?

A quick check of the part numbers, should help. But it certainly sounds reasonable, since I doubt that Kawasaki, would want to stock different sizes of transmission for each separate model.