TOPIC:

Well, I've owned this bike for about 14 years now. Just spent a lot of time, money and effort (blood, sweat, and tears) over the winter and first half of this summer prepping and finally got 'er painted and looking nice. Bike ran excellent when I began prep work last year, however, after taking it out for a short ride, noticed oil leaking from front side of the engine between the head and block. Soooo, ARGH!!!! looks like I 'll have a huge project for this winter. Pretty sure I'll need to replace the base gasket as well. What gasket kit will I need to do this? Anything additional? Please advise. Thanks a million!!

May only be the O ring around the cam chain tunnel. I got tired of it so I use a one piece head gasket. Good time to install new valve guide seals, inspect the valves and seats. Not such a big deal.
Steve

Thanks Steve!!! I've spent the entire day being bummed out about it, and needed a lil confidence wind in my sail to get right with it. But, now that I've had it torn down once (replaced shift fork) it should all go somewhat easier (Hopefully!)

So, I guess I'm gonna need a gasket kit and some special O rings now. If possible, can you recommend a good head gasket and good base gasket to use? Also, I should be able to replace base gasket without splitting the cases, correct? Is it recommended to use new head bolts, too? Please let me know whenever time permits. Please and thank you!!! Robin

If not already done, would do two stone cold head torques separated by a heat cycle.
Won't cure a blown head gasket.
Before tearing down, would do a leak down test to confirm possible blown head gasket and/or valve sealing issues, which leak down testing helps determine problem areas to address incident to tear down.

Leakdown Test
A leakdown test injects air pressure through the spark plug hole to pressurize the combustion chamber, and then determining where the compressed air escapes from the combustion chamber.

Can perform a poor man's leakdown test by introducing compressed air into a spark plug hole and listening to where it escapes from the combustion clamber. This may be done at TDC or any other cam positions where both valves are fully closed. Top dead center (TDC) is when the piston is at its highest position. An easy way to tell TDC is by alignment of the T mark with the case mark when viewed through the timing window.

May introduce a spurt of compressed air by using a rubber cone-tip blow gun (rubber air nozzle) held into the spark plug hole. And of course keep holding it in position to keep air from coming back out the spark plug hole while listening for escaping air at other places. The air compressor should not be running while listening because the noise will likely drown out any sound of escaping air.

May alternatively use a portable compressed air tank.

Air heard escaping from exhaust port indicates exhaust valve not fully closing (perhaps too tight clearance or damaged valve or valve seat).

Air heard escaping from carb intake indicates intake valve not fully closing (perhaps too tight clearance or damaged valve or valve seat).

Air heard escaping from crankcase breather indicates loss of compression past rings into crankcase (perhaps worn piston rings or cylinders).

Air heard escaping from head gasket area indicates indicates loss of compression past head gasket (perhaps due to a blown head gasket).

A leaking valve may sometimes be resolved by adjusting the clearance to within specs.

A leaking head gasket may sometimes be resolved by torquing the head fasteners when the engine is stone cold (such as after sitting overnight).

Good Fortune!

Thanks Patton!!! I will try the two stone cold head torques separated by a heat cycle. Just to clarify, upon a more thorough inspection, I'd noticed that the source of the oil leak is in the front center, between cylinder and head.

Although I believe that the quote below was regarding a KZ 650, ..would this also be relevant to the KZ 1100?? Please advise.

MDZ1rider wrote: If your leak is in the front center, you may also want to check the tach cable drive. The seal is a common source of leaks. Being right above the cylinder/head mating surface, it's easily mistaken for a head gasket leak. Much easier fix than a new head gasket.

Thanks again!!!

Happened twice in 18 years before I replaced the cylinder studs. Get APE and be happy.

RLBuddi wrote: Thanks Patton!!! I will try the two stone cold head torques separated by a heat cycle. Just to clarify, upon a more thorough inspection, I'd noticed that the source of the oil leak is in the front center, between cylinder and head.

Although I believe that the quote below was regarding a KZ 650, ..would this also be relevant to the KZ 1100?? Please advise.

MDZ1rider wrote: If your leak is in the front center, you may also want to check the tach cable drive. The seal is a common source of leaks. Being right above the cylinder/head mating surface, it's easily mistaken for a head gasket leak. Much easier fix than a new head gasket.

Thanks again!!!

A leaking tach cable drive can appear much like a leaking head gasket because the escaping oil migrated about the fins. Oil can escape from underneath the valve cover "around" the tach drive and can also escape from underneath the valve cover "through" the tach drive. Preventing leakage around or through the tach drive is usually a relatively easy repair. And we can help you through the procedure.

Here's a test to help identify source of the leak.

Clean the engine especially well around the valve cover gasket area and the head gasket area and the exhaust cam areas.
Allow to dry very dry.
Coat the areas with white foot powder spray until it looks like freshly fallen snow.
Get down close with a flashlight to aid viewing, and then start the engine to see where oil first starts to seep through the powder coating.

An o'ring or sometimes two o'rings fit around the tach drive to prevent oil from escaping around the tach drive from underneath the valve cover.

A small replaceable seal fits inside the tach drive housing . The tach drive shaft fits through the seal. The seal prevents oil from escaping along the shaft past the seal. The shaft is driven by a gear on one end that meshes with teeth in the exhaust cam shaft.

Removing and replacing the tach drive requires only removal of the valve cover -- not the engine head.

There are some good on-site threads and pictures about removing and replacing the tach drive, and also about replacing the oil seal inside the tach drive housing. The seal may have "fossilized into a chunk of carbon" that needs to be carefully and painstakingly picked out with a dental tool from inside the tach drive housing. This is best done -- at least for me -- on the work bench with a strong light and some magnification.

Good Fortune!

RLBuddi wrote: Thanks Patton!!! I will try the two stone cold head torques separated by a heat cycle. Just to clarify, upon a more thorough inspection, I'd noticed that the source of the oil leak is in the front center, between cylinder and head.

Although I believe that the quote below was regarding a KZ 650, ..would this also be relevant to the KZ 1100?? Please advise.

MDZ1rider wrote: If your leak is in the front center, you may also want to check the tach cable drive. The seal is a common source of leaks. Being right above the cylinder/head mating surface, it's easily mistaken for a head gasket leak. Much easier fix than a new head gasket.

The quotation only applies to models with a mechanical tachometer. I am pretty sure yours is electric, so there is no drive mechanism to leak.

Thanks again!!!

I don't think anything seals better than OEM gaskets and o-rings on clean/straight decks. And I would not pull a head without replacing the age-old base gasket. I hate leaks!!!!!

Yes, I do agree wholeheartedly about replacing the base gasket too. It'd started leaking ever so slightly (left side front corner of cylinder block and crankcase a few years ago after changing to Mobile synthetic oil (...was prior to any knowledge regarding the proper kind of oil for these bikes)

A few questions indeed:

1) Do I use any Yamabond on the base gasket?
2) Yamabond on valve cover gasket?
3) Can piston rings be just squeezed with fingers and then slid up into cylinder block ?? Just curious cuz I don't have any ring compression tools. Thanks!

Please advise!! Thanks a million!!!!!!
Robin

Two burning questions for you gurus in the knowledge dept:

IF I should deem the need to insert some kind of helical or some other sort of threaded insert in order to repair stripped/damaged camshaft cap bolt threads, ...what exactly/specific size of helical should be used for this???

In addition to an Upper End gasket install, ...do I also need to purchase 4 special D shaped O-rings (I have received my Upper End Gasket Kit by Vesrah part # VR-447/847 from Z1 Enterprises)?? I thought I'd read it somewhere on this site, it was something about needing to obtain 4 special D-shaped O-rings when doing a head gasket install. Is this D-shaped O-ring thing specific to the 1982 KZ1100 Spectre D1, ...or did I perhaps read this about some other models application??? Please advise.

Thanks!!!
Robin