Brandon rides a 2008 Kawasaki KFX450R in Wisconsin. He started using LookOver this fall, liked it enough to ask for decals, and has been leaving LookOver pamphlets at the checkout windows of the places he rides.
Then he sent us the photo above.
The screens nobody checks
The KFX450R has two oil screens down in the oil pump and pickup area, tucked behind the clutch and flywheel. Getting to them means opening up the side of the motor, so they are easy to put off. Brandon says they are a very important maintenance item that often gets overlooked.
He set up a cleaning interval for those screens in LookOver. So during his fall rebuild, he pulled them. That is what came out.
"If not for the LookOver app and creating a service interval for the screen cleaning I'd have likely cooked it down or worse threw a rod."
Where all that metal came from
Before Brandon owned the quad, someone stripped the oil drain bolt and tapped the hole to a larger size. He figures that is where most of the metal came from. The previous owner's shortcut ended up sitting in his oil screens.
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Why clogged screens are a big deal
In Brandon's words, the screens clog, restrict oil flow, cook the oil and starve the rod bearing. Leave them long enough and the bottom end pays for it.
How it turned out
Because he caught it early, the motor only took minor heat damage. The KFX is getting a Wössner rod and a polished, treated transmission, and it will be back on the trail stronger than before.
Put the hidden jobs on the schedule
Every machine has a job like this. It sits behind a cover, it is easy to forget, and you only remember it after it gets expensive. In LookOver, add it as a reminder on your machine with an interval in hours, miles or time. It shows up when it is due, right next to your oil changes, so you never have to remember it yourself.
