Camshaft is eating itself! It's official.

I wrote a month ago that I'd found the r/h inlet tappets at 0.020" when checking the tappet gaps prior to loading one of Beetle's maps onto my 6,000 mile 2009 GRiSO. In the hope that a Gorilla had not done the job correctly, I reset the tappets at 0.006" inlet and 0.008" exhaust and thought that I'd monitor what happened next.
Well I'm very unhappy to say that the inlets previously found at 0.020" have opened up by 0.005" in the last 600 miles.........so it looks pretty certain that the camshaft is eating itself

To say I'm pissed is very accurate. I bought the bike last September from a main dealer and paid top whack. I haven't informed them yet of  what I've found, so what to do next? I don't have the service history book (it wasn't supplied), but even if my GRiSO is fully up to date on servicing, it's an 09 model so would it be covered by the M/Guzzi implied warranty for this fault at this age?

Or, would the dealer be more likely to act favourably towards me not knowing I've been in at the tappets, so would I be better re-opening the gaps and delivering the bike to them "for investigation?" I think that whatever happens I'm probably in for a good shafting. I've only covered 2,000 miles on this bike (as I have another 2 bikes to ride).

I could look at repairing it myself, but I'm so busy until October that this will be the soonest that I could start......so as it's not wise to ride it now, this bike is effectively off the road until next year if I take this route.

Constructive comments welcome.                

p.s. Even my Alfa Romeo broke a rear spring whilst stationary in the drive three nights ago collapsing the back of the car.

how many miles on it?
you bought it from a guzzi dealer, then chances are they did the earlier services. You don't need a book, services should be registred in the guzzi computer by a dealer, or bills from the service. In that case you pay labour, 4-500 euro.
I would put the valves back, and goto the dealer and complain about noisy valves. See what first reaction is, you could sugest that you read that it could be the cams, someone without knowledge  wrote that on the web.:-)

For a a car, better have Volvo, not italian.

I personally wouldn't quibble about an owner who had adjusted their own valves. If they'd fitted a sensor fooler of some sort or one of the other nasty kludge so available to fix the fuelling they'd get the bum's rush but something as simple as checking the valves?

Anyway, it's a known problem, especially in your climate. The biggest problem seems to be that dealers seem unwilling to go in to bat for their customers! I have to say I do find this very odd???

Your biggest problem is the lack of service history. Over here it's still done the old fashioned way. You fill in the service book. Having said that I have no book for mine but I do have everything I've done to it noted down. I'm hoping the factory will honour the warranty at 88,750 kms.

Yeah, it's a pain. I was surprised mine let go but when I opened the engine up it was full of Mayo, something I haven't seen before. It was probably the recent cold snap.

Pete

OK, I've had a think about it overnight (I woke up thinking about it), and I think I'll take Pete's route and just tell the main dealer that "I found the r/h inlet tappet at 0.020" 1,500 miles after purchase and re-set it and it's re-opened another 0.005" in the last 600 miles," and ask the question what can you do about it? Then see what happens. Probably nothing, but I suppose I do believe in honesty despite what I said earlier.

I do have receipts for maintenance;

1.Oil + filter, shaft drive oil and new plugs.....1037 miles 01/07/2010
2.re-map, valves clearances, tps reset..............2137 miles 09/05/2012
3.Oil + filter, valve clearances, TPS re-set..........4387 miles 21/03/2013
4 Gearbox and final drive oil changed (by me)..........7520 miles 23/06/2015

The above won't count as a full service history I assume?

It might be cheaper buying a modern roller tappet engine from a breaker if I could find one, and fitting that? Also I may be able to get rid of the "he-man" clutch at the same time
What  I will not do  is sell it to somebody privately as a none fault machine.

Bike has to be book serviced on mileage OR time.

Best of luck. At the end of the day it's the factory's call.

Pete

Mine is an 09 and went bang before i bought it last year, it was fixed by Guzzi including new crank and cases, so time doesn't seem to be a problem, mine had only done 2000 miles though.

I bought mine from a non guzzi dealer and one of the services had been done by them, they are a triumph/yamaha dealer and that did'nt seem to cause a problem, the local guzzi dealer twiggers in loughborough picked up the work.

I would go and tell them what has happened and see. Good luck.