Lost performance after rainstorm

Hi everyone,
I have the strangest problem with my Z1. I just finished restoring/customizing a Z1 Classic that had been running great. However, during a rainstorm I noticed the bike begin to sputter and not run right at all. I had been experiencing an oil leak (slight) from the #1 cyl just under the Cam cover.

When I got it home it didn't appear that #1 cyl was working at all and when I restarted it and began to rev the motor, oil started to push up through the cam cover caps over the #1 cyl (even through the screws holding the cam cover cap down). Do I have water in the engine? Can someone tell me what has happened???

Help!

More info needed...

Are you running pod filters?
Are you still running EFI or carbs?
What else has been done with the bike?

only thing I can think of for poor running is does it have pods if they get wet it chocks the engine GL

Wet ignition for the bad cylinder, leaky valve cover could be a number of things.

Had the same problem with one of my bikes.Had a chopped down front fender and was throwing water up at the coils whenever it was wet.Took off the tank sealed up all the connectors under and installed a unmodifed front fender that kept the water out,Never happened again.And ive rode through some pretty bad rainstorms since.Ill add that Im runnig pods and if its really comming down I just pull my knees in to offer the carbs some protection from wind and rain.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the responses! The bike has been converted to carbs and does have pods. When I checked the #1 cyl when I got home it was much cooler than the other 3. When I restarted the engine to see if I could see or hear anything weird, the #1 header pipe again was much cooler than the rest. As I began to rev the engine, I noticed much more oil than the usual tiny leak begin to pour pout of the top an sides of the cam cover and the cam cover caps.

Did I lose compression in #1? Obviously it seems to have some directly to do with the rain. I know that I need to replace the gasket for the cam/valve cover so I am going to start there. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Dave

Like Money pit said, engine could have Hydro-locked, damaging a piston. Pistons are meant to compress fuel & air, not water. Make sure to do a compression test.

Check your oil too. if number 1 wasnt firing, the fuel may have bypassed the rings into the crankcase, hense more oil, more oil pressure, thus more oil leakage. GL

Well.. thanks again for all of this great info guys. I let the bike dry off and started it and everything seems fine now. Looks like it was a wet ignition so far. Looks like Terry and Jeffasaki's info is correct (for now). Will recheck in the morning.

Thanks again everyone! You guys are grrrreat!

My Z1 thanks you!

I love the bike, very nicely done, and the color scheme is fantastic. Very pretty girl.

So your pods dried out, and whatever water was in your bowls evaporated. Awesome, aren't pods fun in the rain, grin.

Might be time for new spark plug leads.

Thanks Capt.! It might interest you that the paint is actually black with gold pearl but the pearl is very lightly done so it looks like metalflake.
As for the engine prob in the rain, I have confirmed that the ignition was getting wet and that's why the engine started running like a cow with a flatulence problem.
It's running great now.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Dave