kz1100 Exhaust leaks at every connection

The previous owner of my kz1100a installed a new set of headers just prior to me buying it. It developed valve clatter after a fast 3 hr run recently so I dropped off at the local kawasaki dealer to book it in for the shims to be done and when he looked at the bike he found the exhaust leaking at 2 places at the head and every other connection as well.He says the noise is leaks in the exhaust not valve clatter.
I have pulled the whole system off and fitted new gaskets at every join but the head connection is still leaking and the connector pipe near the oil filter.
Is this a common problem with the stock exhausts ??? Any suggestions ?

thanks

What type of header? If you don't know, then a picture of the pipes and canister/muffler will do. It is possible that:

1. these pipes are the wrong application for your model
2. if they are new pipes, then manufacturing quality control issues may affect fit (more common than you think)
3.sometimes you have to put thicker exhaust gaskets on to ensure proper fit ( www.z1enterprises.com has them for Yamaha's but they work on Kawasakis)

Post edited by: Mcdroid, at: 2007/03/09 04:59

Post edited by: Mcdroid, at: 2007/03/09 05:00

Since you did not do the install yourself I would be looking at the PO's workmanship. Pull it back apart and make sure that he removed the old copper exhaust gaskets before he installed the new ones. That is assuming he installed new ones. Most times when you remove the stock exhaust the old crush gaskets stay behind in the head and you need to dig them out. The PO may not have known they were even in there.

Mcdroid wrote:

What type of header? If you don't know, then a picture of the pipes and canister/muffler will do. It is possible that:

They are stock headers (see pic).Everything looks in cood shape but the contact area where it joins the head seems small compared to my other Kz1100 WHICH RUNS A 4 INTO 1.

If you are running stock pipes we can rule out poor aftermarket quality control. The only thing that could be wrong is poor installation. Pull everything back apart and pay attention to where the exhaust gaskets/copper crush gaskets seat. I'm betting that the old gaskets were not removed prior to installing new ones. You should have only aluminium visable where the gaskets seat, take a screwdriver or a pick of some kind and make sure of this before you re-install the exhaust.

I've found that many of the after market exhaust systems have flanges that are thinner than the stock flanges. As a result the collars bottom out before the gaskets get crushed tightly.

Here goes, Flame on.

When mounting an after market system with thin flanges I first make sure that the old gaskets are intact and still in place and then I put a new gasket over them and tighten em down.

It's always worked for me.

KZCSI

Hold on a sec, guys. He said:

I have pulled the whole system off and fitted new gaskets at every join but the head connection is still leaking and the connector pipe near the oil filter.

So he's not just talking about the head-to-downpipe flange, he's also talking about either where #2 connects with #1, where #3 connects with #4, or the connection in the middle of the crossover pipe. And the only reason I'm interested is that I forsee a similar problem. I'm putting an exhaust off of an '82 KZ1100 on my bike, and when I was disassembling them to clean and paint, I found what appeared to be some sort of gasket material baked around the part of each pipe that inserted into another, and when I cleaned everything up, I've got at least 1/8" of excessive clearance. WT*?? Is there some material that the factory used on these to seal? Something like what they sell for muffler bandages?

[
3.sometimes you have to put thicker exhaust gaskets on to ensure proper fit ( www.z1enterprises.com has them for Yamaha's but they work on Kawasakis)

Thanks GSX1100e gaskets are 5mm thick and have stopped the leaks at the head.

Thanks GSX1100e gaskets are 5mm thick and have stopped the leaks at the head.[/quote]

Sorry they are gs550 gaskets

part number 14181-05020