engine leaking oil

so i have a 1982 kz550c thatd been sitting in some guys barn after he dumped it years ago and i got it running and looking half way decent when i realized after i cleaned it and changed the oil that its leaking pretty heavy from the mid front end. i already had plans to get a gasket kit and replace all the seals this winter when i break down the engine to paint but its leaking pretty bad. i was reading and it sounds like there is a couple compounds out there that will at-least slow the leak. the specific one im looking at is called AT-205 RE-SEAL. what do you guys think of this for a temporary solution? worth the 10 bucks?

NO... sorry.

Be a bit more specific where it is leaking from, there are only so many oil seals and gaskets on that. Retighten fasteners, it is suprising how things slacken off over the years, like retourquing the cylinder head etc.

That oil leak stopper probably has something in it that causes the oil seals to swell: fork oil has it too. I'd try to solve the root cause, as you plan to do soon or tolerate it. I had a slight oil leak from the clutch pushrod oil seal on my 550, about a wine glass full a year for the last decade.

Do get out you genuineKawasaki factory service manual and tighten all the relevant fasteners to the proper setting. That may slow the leak significantly, but there's no real substituteforfresh seals and gaskets
I would be very reluctantto useany additive unlessiknewfor certain that it would not adversely affect the clutch or cause other problems.

I apologize for the afflicted spacing in the text above. This Android virtual keyboard sux.

The oil/coolant additives can work, and I'ves used coolant leak addititves (chemi-weld) with success in the past. But I would never use it on a 'good' engine - it can cause problems down the track. The issue I see here is with the wet clutch - what's the additive going to do with the clutch? It may have some sort of fibre that is designed to clog small gaps at high pressure (chemi-weld does this). Bottom line is, I don't know what it would do - but I wouldn't risk it either. Just wait for the correct gaskets, use a good sealant and make sure everything is clean when you assemble it again.

Almost every "vintage" 4 cyl Kaw I've owned, worked on or rebuilt, had an oil leak (in various degrees of leakage or seepage), right between the two center cylinders and right between the head and the block... where the chain runs with the exhaust cam.
It's just a weak design (IMHO).
The only way to really fix it is to pull the head and use new gaskets and O'ring if there is one.

yeah ill probably just keep feeding it oil until the winter. its a 4 cylinder. ill take some pictures and post them later hopefully that will help

I tried everything I could think of. Squirted silicon in there with a calking gun, still it would find its way around the left side and get my pants leg and foot. I could never figure out Why the left side? :blink:
Steve

i had it up on the center stand today while i was doing some paint work too it and i noticed the oil lvl was about a cm over the max fill line even after leaking and dripping (my fault) im guessing my dad was trying to be funny and filled it up and im hoping once a drain a bit from it everything will be good again

I'd tell Dad Keep your paws off my bike.
Steve

Are you sure about one of you over filling it? Take off the filler cap and give the crankcase a good sniff. If you smell gasoline, you have other problems that need immediate attention.
If one or more of the carberator needle valves are not fully seating and if the petcock is not fully stopping the flow of fuel when yhe engine is off, you may have gasoline in the crankcase. This is common on bikes that have been neglected and if not corrected, can lead to very expensive repairs.

Are you sure the oil isn't leaking from damage the PO caused when he dumped it years ago????
Or is it definitely leaking from a gasketed surface?
I have almost 64,000 miles on my personal 650SR and have never changed a gasket except the cam cover gasket, due to the rubber half moons on the ends shrinking as they harden up as they age then begin to leak . I change the entire gasket as I never reuse a gasket that has been flattened with the proper torque and run thru countless heat cycles. The price of the gasket is not worth the hassle of redoing work if there is a problem when it's back together :ohmy: