holy gasket trouble kz rider!

so ive been rebuilding my kz1000 and ive got that classic leak on the alternator side cover. now replaciong that gasket is no problem, however the grommet that the alternator wires go through is proving to be esspecially difficult. any idea how i go about this? it looks like i have to cut the wires?! not a fun time . should i just use some gasket goop sealent?

Mpls ugly wrote:

so ive been rebuilding my kz1000 and ive got that classic leak on the alternator side cover. now replaciong that gasket is no problem, however the grommet that the alternator wires go through is proving to be esspecially difficult. any idea how i go about this? it looks like i have to cut the wires?! not a fun time . should i just use some gasket goop sealent?

goop probably wont hold....i did mine last summer...
trace wires behind clutch pull/sprocket cover and i cut mine....found that there was some slack and room to work in that area.....my grommet came with indents for wire holes...drilled em out with a bit smaller diameter than wires....push wires through grommet and i put male/female connectors on wires and heat shrink tubing....not the pro approach, but it fixed leak.....good luck...keith

Mpls ugly wrote:

so ive been rebuilding my kz1000 and ive got that classic leak on the alternator side cover. now replaciong that gasket is no problem, however the grommet that the alternator wires go through is proving to be esspecially difficult. any idea how i go about this? it looks like i have to cut the wires?! not a fun time . should i just use some gasket goop sealent?

Click here for > New grommet from Z1E

Thorough cleaning of undamaged old grommet, wires, and fitment slot, together with careful application of a quality sealant, should prevent future leakage.

Have always wondered (but not yet experimented with) about using a razor blade to slice brand new grommet whereby wires could be inserted without cutting them, and thereafter relying on compressed fitting of the newly installed grommet to hold the sliced areas tightly back together without allowing leakage. And maybe add some sealant also.

Of course it's easier to spend someone else's money for such experiments. :laugh:

Good Luck!

I was a little ticked off when I did mine when I found out the wires were cloth covered. I expected nice rubber coated wires. So when I tried running them through the nice new grommit the cloth kept bunching up. I did the same thing and put heat shrink on the wires and over the cloth. It has lasted pretty good but I think if I were to do it again I would splice in new wires. One hint is to do a good job first time cause if you hurry or cut corners you will be doing it again. Also it's worth getting a new grommit and not fooling around with an old one. Z1 Enterprises has them.

thanks everyone for the advice! i ended up going to kz enterprises and getting a new grommet , pulling all the covers off and doing it right. i also ditched the cloth and just went with heat shrink tubing. much easier