TOPIC:

I can't seem to get this to stop leaking. I've made a new gasket and it leaked. Then I did a gasket with RTV. Still leaking. Now i assume that if I do have blowby in the engine that it would cause high crank case pressure and cause a leak correct?

BUT, if that is not the case, why can I not get this to stop leaking? Any special tricks yall have? It's just this side, too.

Ummmmmmmm, you made your own gasket? Why not buy a gasket, that is intended for your engine?

the top end on some kz400 models was known to leak oil. Take a look at www.kz400.com Technical tips and scroll down almost to the bottom

www.kz400.com/TechnicaltipsFrameset.html

Next time you have your cam cover off & all gasket material cleaned off, place it on a flat piece of glass to see if it is warped
Pete

& when you say its leaking from the side, do you mean the cam end plugs ??
also most people put their paper gaskets on, dry & others use Copper gasket sealer
www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=CZAUvLsbrU_3...om/product/80697-PTX
also after installing new gasket, after running the bike about 20 min. re-torque the bolts in the proper sequence
hope you have a Kawasaki FSM & are tightening to proper torque & sequence
Pete

pete greek1 wrote: & when you say its leaking from the side, do you mean the cam end plugs ??
also most people put their paper gaskets on, dry & others use Copper gasket sealer
www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=CZAUvLsbrU_3...om/product/80697-PTX
also after installing new gasket, after running the bike about 20 min. re-torque the bolts in the proper sequence
hope you have a Kawasaki FSM & are tightening to proper torque & sequence
Pete

pete, there's one Philips screw that holds it on. Not much of a torque sequence. I'll try copper sealer and check for warpage. Also, I don't have access to the stock gasket so I had to make one.

Nolando wrote: pete, there's one Philips screw that holds it on. Not much of a torque sequence. I'll try copper sealer and check for warpage. Also, I don't have access to the stock gasket so I had to make one.

No there isn't!!

There are NO Phillips screws on your KZ. They look like Phillips, but they are not, and if you continue trying to use Phillips screwdriver on them you will deform them and get very frustrated.

The cross-head screws on the KZ bikes are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) and they use a different screwdriver bit. Here's the full info including how to easily make a correct JIS bit before you ruin your screws. Ed

Do not even try to use Phillips screwdrivers on the Kawasaki cross head screws. Despite their appearance they are not Phillips screws. They are Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screws. The tips of Phillips screwdrivers are too long & pointed to allow the 4 blades of the screwdriver to properly engage the screws, so when you apply force the screw head slots will deform and look like crap. The fact is that Phillips screws were deliberately designed to have the screwdriver bit "cam out." This was done to prevent production line assembly from over-tightening, stripping, or breaking the screws. JIS screws do not have this problem. A proper fitting JIS bit can tighten a JIS screw to and beyond the torque spec without camming out. Here's the good news - you can easily modify standard Phillips screwdriver tips to fit the JIS screws.

I have ground down the tips of DeWalt #2 and DeWalt #3 Phillips to make them fit JIS screws. The large crosshead screws on the cases take modified #3 bits (or genuine #3 JIS bits). To modify the DeWalt bits you need to grind the very tip a little, then test fit, then grind a little more and test fit, etc. until the bit no longer "rocks" back and forth in the screwhead. Picture 1 below shows how a DeWalt #3 bit fits the case screws of my KZ650 after being ground properly. The #2 DeWalt bits can be modified the same way to fit smaller JIS screws. Pictures 2 and 3 below shows DeWalt #2 and #3 modified bits.

I did find a place that sells authentic JIS bits. They don't list the #3 bit, but if you contact them they can provide the #3 JIS bits even though they are not listed on the website. These folks were very easy to work with, and the authentic bits do work great. Here's their site:

www.rjrcooltools.com/shop_item_detail.cfm?subcat_ID=89

Pictures 4 & 5 below show a comparison between my home made modified bits with the authentic JIS bits.

PICTURE 1

PICTURE 2

PICTURE 3

PICTURE 4

PICTURE 5

I may be terribly confused, but the last time I looked at a KZ 400, there were about a dozen 6 & 8 mm hex head bolts holding the cam cover on.

I'm with you Texaskz, I'm not familiar with a kz 400, But how could 1 screw tighten the whole circumference of a cam cover ???
Pete

Refer to picture I posted in first post. I did not realize about the driver bit. However it is already very deformed from PO using a Philips.

I think we're talking apples and oranges, so help us understand about this 1 screw that holds the cam cover on.

Below is a diagram from Kawasaki.com of the KZ400-D cylinder head and cover. There are 4 of the screws marked #1 that hold the breather cover on, and there are 8 cylinder head nuts marked #19 that go through the cylinder head cover. Which number is the screw you're talking about? Ed

I am talking about gasket 16 Is leaking from cover 15 held on by screw 14.