different oil leak

I've got an 83 KZ 750 that is showing an oil leak underneath. I'm very new to this and bikes in general.
It looks like it is dripping from the oil filter area (I think). Is this common in Kaws of that year etc.? What is the best fix?

750 twin or 750 4 cycl?

it's probably just an old O ring. sometimes people change the filter and not the O rings. they flatten out. Napa sells oil filters that come with both O rings. there is one on the filter bolt, and one for the cover.

Post edited by: lifeliberty, at: 2006/04/13 17:05

I'll be checking it out this weekend. Thanks, LL

Oil can work its way from any location on your engine to the drain plug and drip. The drain plug is the lowest point on the engine. Wash the engine and spray it lightly with powder aerosol deodorant. You will quickly see where the oil is leaking from. There are about a dozen spots on a KZ engine that have a potential for leaking.

If it is actually leaking around the filter, you have 3 possibilitys, either the large oring that seals the filter housing to the pan, the small oring that seals the oil filter bolt to the housing, or one of 3 orings that seal the pan oil gallerys to the engine cases. There are about 20 more orings on a KZ750 engine elswhere that could potentially leak too. Gotta love that Japanese rubber.

I have established a connection with an o-ring retailer here in the Pacific NW. I am sending him some new and old seal to measure and suggest replacement o-rings. I just got my VITON seals yesterday for my head on my 1981 J Model.

Viton has thermal resistance to 400 F and nitrile (normal) o-rings are rated to 250 F. I am looking forward to testing them out. At the expense of a perhaps a new head gasket!

Changed the filter and O-Rings on the Kayzee. Still leaks. It is coming from a higher source. I still need to investigate it some more. A good dose of Berryman CC on the area helped to clean it up a bit. I want to try the powdered deoderant gig. These posts are very helpful. I also read some others on all the stop leak crap on the market. If I can't get it fixed b/c of time or money, then it will be a drip pan on my garage and some extra oil each week.

The good news is is that it started and randecent after a new battery change. Now the idle issues.