2003 Cali Lifters Recall

[GunnerSmith]

Hi Folks. I'm looking at buying a nice shape 2003 MG Cali Titanium and having some trouble confirming if the hydraulic lifters recall kit was installed. Pics of under the head cover attached. The adjusters looked snapped off properly but the spring covers aren't the dead give-away silver ones. What's there may be the original or the third kit copper-gold ones. I also checked the VIN with Moto Guzzi and they said the fork clamp recall was recorded but not the lifter recall work. It's a niche issue with conflicting info online so hopefully you folks can help as it's a beautiful bike with nice features for me to do some light touring. Thanks.

[Tom H]

I believe the rockers are original, not recall. The valve hats S/B bright aluminum color, not steel.

Do a search here for more pictures to look at.

Tom

[GunnerSmith]

I believe the rockers are original, not recall. The valve hats S/B bright aluminum color, not steel.

Do a search here for more pictures to look at.

Tom

Yeah, I did search it quite a bit but was still having trouble knowing for sure if the hats weren't silver so thanks for taking a look and chiming in.

[GunnerSmith]

Nope.  That's pre-recall.  I have no more kits.

Darn, I really like the bike too. It has 16k miles where it could be fine or a time and money vampire to roll the dice on buying it to get a look inside the engine. About how deep in my pocket would I have to dig to deal with the lifter recall later assuming I could find a kit and tools?

[GunnerSmith]

The tools should come with the kit.  If they don't I might have them still in my stash.  There were a couple of versions of the recall kit.  The first version didn't fix the problem as well as the second one did.  So if you can find a kit, you'd need to know which one it is.  I can't tell you how to do that.  Also, as time went by, sellers realized that they could get two prices for one recall kit if they sold the tools separately.  So they put a premium on the parts, and then doubled that with the tools.  The original, complete kit was under $125.  I bought three and used them all.   Later, tool-less kits went as high as $500, and another several hundred for the tools.  Between the original failure, the first failed recall, dishonest dealerships claiming the recall happened when it didn't, Guzzi's abysmal response to all of that, the confusion over kit versions, and the profiteering on the kits over time, the hydro became really unpopular. 

A couple of years ago I bought a 2004 hydro with 200 miles on it for $1000.  It was a showroom bike, but without that last recall kit I had, it was just a decoration.  By the time I'd gone through it and refreshed everything I was in the project about $5k.  But after I restored it, it was one of the sweetest EVT's you'll ever see.  I stuffed another "done" hydro in a Convert, and later into a trike project.  The trike rolled at 1600#, loaded.  The hydro pushed it along nicely, with a torque converter and no forward gearing.  So once sorted, the engine is worthy.  Unsorted, the bike is junk.

The bike should not be run without the recall in place, period.  Dave R estimated the failure rate at BETTER than 100%, since with the first failed recall, many died twice.  Some consumed themselves within the first 5k miles.  At 16k, it's going to be a mess.  Unfortunately, there's no practical way to convert a hydro to solid tappets -- the engine block is unique to the hydro.  The most affordable solution is to replace the entire engine.

The fix involved pulling the cam and lifters and redoing the valve train -- cups, shims, and springs.  I replaced the oil pump too. The swarf going through it made the vanes look like toothbrushes.  Guzzi refused to address that part of the damage.  With the tool kit it can be done in situ.  But it's an involved procedure.

Nice and thanks for the gory details. Yeah I found the kit install pdf and it was enough to make it a labor of love. The seller is an original owner, a legit nice older guy and believe him when he told me he didn't know if the recall was done. He's the one who took the head off to get me pics and I wanted to look into it so he knew about their bike whether I bought it or not. He did bring it in for recall work but the receipt codes were vague and wonder if this was negligence on the dealer's part. Anyway, can you tell me the recall kit part code in case one pops up for sale online?

[Wayne Orwig]

The adjusters looked snapped off properly

I see no adjusters like the recall kit has.

No recall done there I'm certain.

[GunnerSmith]

Thank you for sharing your expertise everyone. I gave this post link to the owner to break the news. Gotta say Moto Guzzi's are definitely on my radar now. I'm really digging the specs, styling and uniqueness. Any advice on more bullet-proof sporty light touring models I should keep an eye out for? I've been riding and wrenching bikes since I was a kid so no worries if it's a project that's all sorted if you do X, Y and Z work... sans the engine eating itself alive like this though.

[dxhall]

Rodekyll, what ever happened to the convert trike?

[GunnerSmith]

Ebay has a good selection of used engines right now.  They all look less expensive than refitting a hydro.  Find one with the right sensors, add your injection stuff, and don't look back.

Oh hey thanks for the heads up. What year/model 1100's drop in?

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=moto+guzzi+engine&_sacat=171108&_sop=15

[Tom H]

These for instance:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264760574363?hash=item3da4f5c19b:g:so8AAOSw-qZe4jxt

https://www.ebay.com/itm/190705107474?epid=2232218409&hash=item2c66e90212:g:jUoAAOSwR6RZ58H1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133207245485?hash=item1f03c542ad:g:HR4AAOSwd1tdqdVL

Tom

[dxhall]

Have you thought about a reversing setup like those on Goldwing trikes?  I thought I read that they reverse by running the starter motor backwards with the bike in gear.

[guzzisteve]

The updated part #  887349--  Still available, everytime they make a batch it doubles in price. They don't order hundreds but 10 or 15 in each run. MADE in USA. Not for the faint at heart--------------

https://www.af1racing.com/Timing-System-Update-Kit-887349-ex-GU03049872

[GunnerSmith]

Linking the post which continued this convo with more great info and pics about the lifter recall in case someone else stumbles into this like I did and finds this post in search.

https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=111442.0

[barrypenn]

I have a recall kit, complete with cam, but not the tool jigs. Unmolested. Would consider selling it for a fair price or trade for some good Guzzi nuggets for pre-F.I. 1100/1000.

[OldMojo]

The updated part #  887349--  Still available, everytime they make a batch it doubles in price. They don't order hundreds but 10 or 15 in each run. MADE in USA. Not for the faint at heart--------------

https://www.af1racing.com/Timing-System-Update-Kit-887349-ex-GU03049872

I would question their application listing. Unless I'm mistaken, this is strictly for '03 and up hydros.

'97-00 California Touring? There was no such thing.

[OldMojo]

2002 and older aren't hydro motors.

[OldMojo]

My 2002 non-hydro should get together with yours, and maybe between the two of them they can recall what the heck was going on back then 

[Tom H]

Per Harpers, 2002:
https://www.harpermoto.com/parts-lookup/2000-2009-moto-guzzis/california-ev-ev-touring-pi-1100-2002/

Look at timing system. They also list my EVT going to 2005.

Tom

[bigbikerrick]

its a darn shame, the recall kits are so expensive,and hard to get. I loved my 2003 Aluminum "hydro" when I had it, it was a sweet motor that Guzzi should have continued developing. Now, I think hydro bikes will be a bit of an "albatross" that folks may want to avoid. The cost of the recall kit itself, is sometimes more than the value of the whole bike. No bueno!
Rick.