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1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 25 Sep 2014 09:08 #648762

  • barquirt
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OK.
I re-torqued all bolts last night. Fired it up this a.m. before i left for work. It didn't leak from the spots it had the day before. That seems too simple. So we will see. I'll check torque values again tonight and run it.
Got a big plume of smoke when i fired it up this time for a few seconds. Not sure what that was about.
Also noticed the carb boots are "spitting" where they seat against the cylinder. My bike did not have gaskets on the carb boots but I may need some it seems.

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1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 25 Sep 2014 09:15 #648764

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No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration
1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)

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1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 29 Sep 2014 17:35 #649147

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:S
UPDATE: I re-torqued all cylinder head bolts per the manual. Fired up, ran, idled, etc. with minimal oil anywhere. Let it cool. Checked. All bolts tight. Ran it again today for a good 10 minutes while dialing in the carbs better and again it started to mist, then weep oil at the back of the right-side cylinder from the head gasket. ???? So I shut it off, let it cool a good while, then got out the torque wrench and went through the head bolts. Amazed to find bolts #6 #7 #8 were out of spec by a good 1/4 turn to the "click" on the torque wrench. Am i gonna need to be checking the head every post ride? This is a Kawasaki, not some old British twin. Or do i need to give it a rebuild with some type of sealant added to the head gasket?
Advice appreciated.

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1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 29 Sep 2014 20:31 #649162

  • bluezbike
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I don't think sealant on the head gasket is a good idea.............torquing the head bolts worked so that must be the solution. If you are getting oil again perhaps as you surmise the nuts are unwinding (as in those ubiquitous British twins) Maybe re-torque all bolts then paint on a small dab as a register on the nuts and see if they unwind again. Just an idea that might work :) It might mean that you need new nuts and/or washers.
79 KZ 1000 LTD
77 KZ 1000 B1 LTD (awaiting electrical resurrection)

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Last edit: by bluezbike.

Re:1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 30 Sep 2014 07:44 #649180

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I'm having the exact same issue.... been adding oil after every ride. Its been of a hassle and started making me not wanna ride as often. Could I put locktight on my head bolts to keep it from backing out. Any thoughts?

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Re:1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 07 Oct 2014 13:45 #649989

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I'm having the same issues on my KZ400 and it's only got 8k miles as well. I'll try running it later and seeing if the bolts need tightening more.
1982 Honda XL125S
1972 Yamaha TX750 (CB750 engine)
1976 Kawasaki KZ400

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1974 KZ400: can it be made to not leak oil??? 11 Oct 2014 17:02 #650397

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:(
Had to wait a week. Weather got cold out. But I ran the bike today (10/11/14) for a little bit. Fired right up as always, idled nice, revved ... and LEAKED. This time from the valve inspection cover gaskets and at the base of the cylinders. WHAT??? I feel like I'm starting to run in a circle. Run bike, spot leaks, check bolts. Run bike, spot NEW leak, check bolts.

I am VERY suspect of two issues now.

1) The O-rings I used for the two rear oil passages on the bike that sit inside the oval area of the head gasket were not the perfect oval shape of the OE gasket. I used Viton O-rings there as i didn't get new OE O-rings with my gaskets. Wondering if I pinched an O-ring and oi l is getting past.

2) I need to take apart and check everything from cylinder O-rings up.

The only area I have yet to see any leak from is the valve cover gasket. And I applied a thin layer of Permatex MotoSeal 1 gray gasket maker.

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