81 KZ1100 A1 strange oil leak

I rebuilt the top end a little over a year ago and about 5500mi. I have to add about 1qt of oil every 400mi. I have a little seepage at the cam end plugs but on the txt front stud hole/oil galley there is oil. Not at the head or the base of the cyl just the middle. Is it possible that I have a crack here? Just a really odd place for a crack.

pics would help. With that much loss you have a problem. Gasket failure maybe. Did you retorque the head after rebuild and running for about 500 miles? That much loss points to a bad seal such as oring in head, oil pan orings or some other major spot. Does it smoke such as burning oil past the rings? My 0.02$ R

rrsmsw9999 wrote: pics would help. With that much loss you have a problem. Gasket failure maybe. Did you retorque the head after rebuild and running for about 500 miles? That much loss points to a bad seal such as oring in head, oil pan orings or some other major spot. Does it smoke such as burning oil past the rings? My 0.02$ R

I just washed it again trying to get a better location. I'll try and take some pictures when I get home from work tomorrow. I have retorqued the head bolts twice. It smokes a little on start up but it's not noticeable after a few seconds.

1qt every 400 miles??!
Unless you have a 3"-4" puddle under the bike every time you shut it off and park, you have bad valve guide seals and or bad oil control rings on the pistons.

No puddles. I replaced the valve seals and rings last year. It's possible that I got substandard parts or messed up something on reassembly. I'm used to slightly bigger parts in a diesel lol

I read that somewhat excessive oil use was typical with 1100 engines, but don't recall what was/is considered acceptable. :S

Anybody know?

So I may have found a larger leak but I'm still confused as to how oil is getting in the middle of the right front oil passage of the jug.

That is a head gasket leak but it isn't giving up nearly enough oil to be the problem. My 83 KZ1100L has a fairly bad oil leak on the left side where the shifter shaft enters the engine case. You have to take off the front chain sprocket cover to see it. In a rare poor choice by Ma Kaw on these engines, there isn't a bearing on that shaft where it goes through the case. Just a seal. Mine will bleed the crankcase dry in a month just sitting.

daveo wrote: I read that somewhat excessive oil use was typical with 1100 engines, but don't recall what was/is considered acceptable. :S

Anybody know?

I was using about a quart every 1000 miles on my '81 KZ1000 CSR when I got it with 30 000 miles. It went to a quart every 300 miles after some serious drag strip abuse, which is when I decided to pull it apart for a re-build (plus, a 1/2" chunk of clutch fiber plate came out with the oil change after several hard launches at 8 000 and shifting at 11 000 rpm.... :evil: ). I can't say that is the bike's fault....but have to give Kawasaki a lot if credit for building "bulletproof".....

(And, I have to add, it didn't go any quicker than when I was launching at 6 000 and shifting at 8 500...) :silly:

Back in 1984, a buddy that had an '82 KZ1000R (owned from new) was adding a quart every 1000 miles too (again, right from new), which is about what my current near stock '83 GPz1100 is going thru now - about 35 000 miles on it. I have a magazine test that had the '83 GPz1100 and 750 tested in the same issue, and again using a quart every 1000 miles - they use the term "glutton"....

Steel valve guides. They corrected it on the 1000's. I guess the decided it was OK on later 1100's.
Steve