Tachometer cable leaking oil

I recently bought a 82 KZ550 LTD and it is leaking oil through were the tachometer cable enters the engine. Is there an easy fix for this problem? If not I have the internal parts to replace the seals. Never change this before, do you have to take the top of the engine apart to do this. Nothing in my Clymer manual or the shop manual about replacing the mech.

On the 81 650 the manual says to remove the allen bolt & holder stops, then pull it out --- it's probably easier to pull it out while the cable is still attached.

I got mine to stop leaking by making a small gasket that goes between the end of the cable piece and the rim of the head ring. Hard to explain, but if you look at how the cable mates to the head, you can see that. The gasket fits inside the knurled nut on the cable end.

That's a very common problem, and it is very easy to fix. According to Kawasaki.com the necessary parts (see diagram below) are all still available from Kawasaki. They are not expensive. Prices in red on diagram are from Partzilla.com. Ed

So does the whole assembly pull out?

Yes. You should soak the screw marked #120 with Kroil for a couple days before trying to remove it. THat puppy can be bonded to the cylinder head. Be sure to use a JIS bit on it or you will strip the cross head. See "TOOLS" in the link below for details on the screwdriver bits - it is NOT a Phillips screw and using a Phillips screwdriver bit will wreck it! Ed
kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/589649-...r-savannah-ga#594587

650ed wrote: Yes. You should soak the screw marked #120 with Kroil for a couple days before trying to remove it. THat puppy can be bonded to the cylinder head. Be sure to use a JIS bit on it or you will strip the cross head. See "TOOLS" in the link below for details on the screwdriver bits - it is NOT a Phillips screw and using a Phillips screwdriver bit will wreck it! Ed
kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/589649-...r-savannah-ga#594587

"120" in Kawasaki nuts and bolts tells me it is a allen head type bolt.

"220" would make it a screw head type fastener.

120P0620 would be a 6X20 allen head.

Dr. Gamma wrote:

650ed wrote: Yes. You should soak the screw marked #120 with Kroil for a couple days before trying to remove it. THat puppy can be bonded to the cylinder head. Be sure to use a JIS bit on it or you will strip the cross head. See "TOOLS" in the link below for details on the screwdriver bits - it is NOT a Phillips screw and using a Phillips screwdriver bit will wreck it! Ed
kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/589649-...r-savannah-ga#594587

"120" in Kawasaki nuts and bolts tells me it is a allen head type bolt.

"220" would make it a screw head type fastener.

120P0620 would be a 6X20 allen head.

I understand what you're saying and don't disagree. Somewhere along the line Kawasaki changed things, but I'm not sure when. As you say, 220 should denote the crosshead (JIS) type screw and 120 should denote the socket (allen) type. Hopefully his bolt is an allen type as it will be easier to remove, but sometimes the part numbers are not entirely accurate.

The part marked "120" in the diagram above is part number 120P0614 on Kawasaki.com. This is the exact same part number as that shown on for the KZ650-C1 and KZ650-C2 in my Kawasaki KZ650-C Parts Catalog printed September 30, 1977 where it is marked "BOLT, socket 6x14", but mine is not an allen type.

I am the original owner of my bike and have always done all my own maintenance, so I know the screw in my bike is original. Despite the "120" in that part number and the "0614", mine is a 6mm x 10mm cross head (JIS) screw (see image below). However, in my January 31, 1977 KZ650-C1 Exclusive Parts List and in my June 25, 1976 Kawasaki KZ650-B1 Parts Catalogue that same part is marked "220B0610 SCREW, pan head 6x10." Furthermore, the later catalogue shows 2 tachometer holders (stopper plates) being secured by the screw (probably why it shows 14mm length instead of 10mm) whereas the older catalogues show a 10mm bolt and a single holder (stopper plate) that is different than either of the later ones. Mine has the single stopper plate.

Hopefully by the time his 1981 KZ650 was made Kawasaki had the part numbers in the diagrams match the parts on the bikes. Ed

If I remember right Kawasaki had a service bulletin back in those days about switching to the newer style two piece tach drive holder if you had a bike that leaked oil from there. They even had a kit that you could buy that contained all three parts of the new style tach drive holder. Most people back then just changed over to the new style holder when the tach drive seal or o-ring started leaking. Back in the 80's all those parts were something that I always stocked in the dealerships I worked in. Those parts fit about every four cylinder bike that Kawasaki made that had a cable driven tach. Even the fancy KZ1000S1 road racer used those very same parts!!! By the way, the computer in my brain still tells me that the tach drive o*ring is a changed part number. It has not been a "670" part number for years. I think its 92055-1149 now.

Your bike still has the original style tach drive holder and panhead screw..

Over the years Kawasaki has left out many of the discontinued parts on certain model bikes on their computer parts diagrams. Here is one for you. For the 1979 KZ1000A3A, Kawasaki only shows the Luminous Navy Blue fuel tank on their computer parts diagram. They do not even show or mention the Luminous Dark Red fuel tank anymore. Some people will say there was only one color available for the '79 KZ1000A3A because thats the only color Kawasaki shows on their computer parts diagram. But if you still have the printed parts book or the mircofishe from back then. It will list both color fuel tanks.

You are like me, I still have the printed parts catalog for most of the early Kawasaki motorcycles I have owned. I trust them a lot more than those fancy computer parts diagrams.

Pics of parts taken out of the bike are at the end of this thread, these pics are of my '77 1000 but I think yours is the same basic thing.

kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/591053-tach-seal-leak

Anyone that has had this apart and still has a JIS screw in place is living foolishly..IMHO.... :whistle:

ezrider714 wrote: Anyone that has had this apart and still has a JIS screw in place is living foolishly..IMHO.... :whistle:

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but frankly I don't agree with it. Phillips screws are intentionally designed to "cam out" for production line purposes (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam_out ), so many folks run into problems with the JIS screws becasue they try to loosen or tighten them using a Phillips screwdriver bit. Unlike Phillips screws, JIS screws will not cam out when the proper bit is used. I torque mine down to the specified torque range using a torque screwdriver and a proper bit without ever deforming them. They work great - MUCH better than Phillips screws. If your screwdriver bit doesn't fit as well as the one in the image below you're using the wrong tool.

If a person has struggled with the JIS screws using a Phillips bit and ended up rounded out the cross head I'm sure using a socket screw would seem a lot better. Of course, if that same person used a Torx bit in the allen socket they probably would hate the socket screws. Bottom line is that using the right tool for any job makes the job much easier. Ed