valve cover

i took the valve cover off the 74 Z1 900 today, to check the tensin of the cam chai( i have a manual adjuster so i wanted to make sure the tension is ok. and everything looked like brand new(ie: cams, valves etc) when i put the valve cover back on i touqed everything down to specs. i took it for a ride and she rode good, plenty of power, and that cam chain noise finally went away. put when i got home there was oil seeping out of the valve cover, but only on the right side( cylender 3 & 4) the rubbler gasket looked good so i reused it, does anybody know why it is leaking, and is there away to fix it without ordering a new valve cover gasket? Is there a way to put the valve cover on backwards? im at a standstill, anybody have any ideas im listining. Thanks

new gasket;)

By rubber gasket, I'm assuming you're refering to 4 the black half moon shaped pieces?
Those are the cam plugs, and are notorious for leaking on all of the KZ models at one time or another.

Years of use take their toll on that rubber, and once the seal is broken by removing the valve cover they almost never will seal again.
Basically you will need to install a new gasket and cam plugs (use a little Three-Bond 1211 gasket sealer on them) to stop the leaks.

Check with the good folks at Z1 Enterprises for those parts, as their prices are going to be cheaper than at a Kawi dealership.

Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2007/03/24 23:50

You can get new ones on ebay really cheap. I picked up a half dozen or so a couple years ago. I think they were $5 a piece.

if your leaking from the cam plugs and not the valve cover just pick up some from pingelonline.com they have the double liped billet ones for 25 dollars(cheaper than anyone else). dont forget to seal the cam plugs and the valve cover with some kawibond( or honda or yama bond all the same).

Post edited by: rattler, at: 2007/03/28 03:15

oldkaws4ever wrote:

. . . put when i got home there was oil seeping out of the valve cover, but only on the right side( cylender 3 & 4) the rubbler gasket looked good so i reused it,

I tried to get a picture at bikebandit.com, but didn't get far with them regarding your bike.

It's hard to tell from your post what part is leaking actually. Is it on the end, where the two half moon rubber plugs are located, or somewhere else?

I just had the cover off of my bike, and the replacement is over $60.00 for the gasket itself, and the cam plugs are 7.50 each. Even though my gasket is broken in at least three places and the plugs were leaking, I reused everything anyway, because I wasn't interested in spending over $100.00. And having to wait 4-5 business days while Kiwi hatches my parts.

So what I did was clean everything with a rag soaked with brake cleaner. The surfaces have to be clean, otherwise oil will wick and leak. Pop out the rubber cam half-moons, and clean everything really well.

I used grey RTV form-a gasket. It's the same stuff I use to gasket oil pans on the cars I rebuild. As long as the surfaces it is applied to are free of oil, the stuff flat out works. No leaks, anywhere.

Worth a try.

...over $60.00 for the gasket itself, and the cam plugs are 7.50 each....

Or try Z1E for

valve cover gasket
$8.90

4 cam end plugs

$7.31

i thin i finally fixed it, i used red rtv gasket maker. i rode her over 100 miles and no leaks at all. it was leaking at the valve cover not at the cam plugs.

ok4e, Just a suggestion... the goop you used to fix the bad valve cover is going to eventually flake off and get down into the cam chain well where oil returns to the sump. From there the goop fragments will get up on the screen on the oil pump and obstruct flow or worse, get through and into the oil journals. Try and avoid using goop up around the valve cover. Take the cover back off when you get a chance and install a new gasket making sure you remove all the goop. The goop just is a bad way to fix this problem, imho.

I guess I wasn't as clear in my post as I could have been. Wiredgeorge makes a good idea known. You don't want to use only RTV where a gasket is supposed to be. I reused my gasket, using only the amount of RTV necessary to bridge the broken gaps on my existing gasket and line the galley plugs. A little dab'l do ya.

It's good to know alternatives to having to buy the golden eggs the Kiwi bird lays.

DONT USE RTV ON A BIKE ANYWHERE !
If you want a cam cover gasket to last for many uses ,
rub a VERY thin film of moly wheel bearing grease on both sides .
Just a little dab for the whole gasket ,both sides .
And it wont kill your engine if any gets inside .
EVERYTIME before you install or reinstall it .

It makes the gasket swell just a bit and release great .

On a used one wait a few minutes before tightening things up .

For the end plugs .......
Turn them around on a Z1 ,
Put the flange on the inside ,
just make sure they are NOT touching the ends of the cams .
Make sure with a small screw driver or CCard .