Oil leaking at the cam cover - KZ1000

Humidity warps heads?

Whats it made of, yellow pine? lol

Kidkawie wrote: Humidity warps heads?

Whats it made of, yellow pine? lol

hahahahha
seriously its the mating surfaces, sand em with a 3/4 by 3/4 square stock, (approx 5 inches long) of wood with 100 to 150 grit, u will see when the surfaces are even, trust me, prep the gasket with gaskacintch and ur good, gotta watch those pesky cam cap areas though,

I heard leaking cam caps are a common problem with the kz1000. I had a small leak in that area which wasnt rectified by tweaking (and sealing) the end valve cover bolts..I suppose I will have to reseal the caps which now are leaking noticeably...prep and careful application of gasket compound along with correct torquing technique and setup time have done me well in the past..so wish me luck..(its a fairly high pressure system as well so will keep a close eye on oil levels)..mahalo

You have touched on every possible cause except one. The h cover is cracked and chrome covers it up but does not seal it. It is a very small crack I assure you. Use one gasket and coat each side with a fine bead, about 1/8 inch max. let the gasket maker set up for 45 min begore putting on the head. Put the h cover on next making sure not to move it around. Drop in squarely un the gasket you just put on. put the bults in finger tight at first, then use the socket.Promis you wont have anymore leak. If you do find a crack, you can solder it up from the inside only. Good luck.

Kidkawie wrote: Humidity warps heads?

Whats it made of, yellow pine? lol

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I was on vacation in Alaska for a week and haven't worked on the KZ yet. I have the copper coat spray and will try Wireman's method soon.

This oil leak is bugging the heck out of me. I've got all these bikes I work on and just this one KZ1000 has this persistent oil leak. It should be a simple fix but it hasn't been so far.

In the last couple of weeks I bought a 1982 GPZ550 and a 1976 KH400. The KH400 is amazing, it's almost in brand new condition, with less than 200 miles on it. I bought it in Alaska and it's going to sit there in storage for another year until I go back and put it in a crate for shipping to Hawaii.

The GPZ I bought for a friend and he decided he doesn't want it. I'm just going to fix it up and sell it, maybe make a few bucks.

Also make sure the crankcase breather is not somehow restricted.
You can do a Low Pressure Check, Using a Regulated Air Supply at 4psi. Connect to the crankcase breather nipple, and spray some soapy water over the area. If there is a crack/ pin hole etc in the cover/ head it will show you with bubbles.

Ok I tried the Wireman method using the copper spray on both sides of the gasket. With much anticipation I went on a ride and came home with seepage around the gasket (still). Not bad, but my other KZ is oil tight.

When the cam cover was off I checked the head with a straight edge and it appeared to be flat.

Still to try:

- Low pressure check mentioned by Motor Head. I checked the breather to make sure it wasn't clogged.

- Check the torque on the head bolts (not cam cover, but the head).

- Cam cover - since I have tried using two covers with the same result, I don't think it's cracked, I could be wrong, can look at them a little more thoroughly.

- Sanding the mating surface on the head, mentioned by Johnny Bravo - I think I would have to take the head off to make sure the metal particles get cleaned out before I run the motor after doing it. Might be saved as the last resort.

If it is the surface on the head, you can do a quick easy cheap repair. A bit of thin plastic, like a Zip Lock Bag, just 1 side and some JB weld. Smear a little JB over the area that is Low, and place the plastic over it, then install Valve cover with No Gasket. It will make a nice smooth filling, which then can be finished with a Flat Stone, or Fine File. Works pretty good once cured up, and smoothed. Then you can go back to sealing normally with a gasket.

Motor Head that's an excellent idea! I just don't know when I'll figure out exactly what's causing the leak. The head's mating surface is smooth, no obvious issues from a visual inspection.

What I see is seepage over the top part of the cam cover gasket. Maybe I should try that other cam cover again.

Thanks for the support, I hope to get this taken care of once and for all.

If you want to check the fit between the two surfaces, use some Bluing, or a marking grease. Apply a bit on the two surfaces and install without a gasket. Then when you remove, you will see the contact area. If there is Indeed a Low spot, you'll see it.

With the mating surfaces on both cover and head clean and dry and free of any old gasket remnant (basically in as-new condition) and the new gasket installed dry, should operate leak-free in the gasket area.

(I use the gasket available at Z1 Enterprises.)

Good Fortune!