Problem with engine oil filter flange!

Last Sunday, I started up (for the first time), the KZ 1000J3 project I'm working on. After about 5 seconds, I got a huge mess of engine oil as the oil filter flange's o-ring blew out. I re-installed the same o-ring, thinking I installed it incorrectly. Same oil mess.

I took a new o-ring and re-did the installation. Once again, same oil mess caused by an o-ring blow out.

Those two o-rings are jobber's (as in they came in the box with jobber oil filter). So, I called local Kawasaki dealer to order OEM o-ring (# 671B2590). Received them today and did the installation again. Engine started, no oil loss and then; "crack"!! and immediate oil loss.

Look under the engine and the oil filter flange broke in two!!! Prior to this KZ, I rode Kawasakis during more than 35 years with the same setup and never did have this problem! Took some pictures (below), trying to get some help / info / comments from you guys.

Looks that are no porosity in both flange's halves so no weak point. Laying the halves against a straight edge, I see a slight dish shape so the previous owner maybe over torqued it (I always use a torque wrench).

I think the flange is the cause or (unlikely), the oil pressure is so high that it deformed the flange…

Someone ever got this problem?

Many thanks!

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That is a very rare failure on that part, never seen it before. I believe the issue was not the O rings fault but a original bad casting failure due to internal casting porosity. Porosity can be on the micro spectrum (can only been seen under a microscope) and can cause cracking as shown if it is in the majority of the cross section where there are stress risers (sub optimal design issue) I see some dark spots on the third picture that look like porosity to me, it is hard to tell due to the picture quality. You also have some bash marks on both sides where the cracking occurred, that may have set off the crack to happen because that area was weakened by the existing porosity.

I use to work in the Magnesium casting industry and have seen a lot of this type of failure and it is due to poor casting techniques and bad fill/venting on the mold cavity. Not all parts would have this fault, it might be caused by a variety of machine settings during a production run. The only way to eliminate bad parts is by testing or X-ray.  You just happened to get a bad part that did not fail until it had some age on it.

This could also have been exasperated by corrosion, both internal and external at a microscopic level.

You need to recognize that the casting in question is 40 years old. Die cast technology is much better and material selection is much better these days.

I would look for a good used replacement, welding that part then machining to be flat is more money than a used part.
 

I just found the cause!!
A plug is installed in the small housing under the carbs!
This is the remaining of a Lockhart oil cooler.

 

Glad you found the problem. Funny thing someone else had the very same problem on facebook.

Never seen a plug like this in the oil pressure switch housing. Looks like some stupid mechanic try to rise the oil pressure and block the oil port to the cam bearings. This plug looks like a rubber well nut for the wind screen. 

 

I guess at some point it ran an external oil feed to the head and cooler. Take the positives from it Claude, your oil pump is a monster and the rest of the seals must be good or it would be like a lawn sprinkler 

wrote:

Glad you found the problem. Funny thing someone else had the very same problem on facebook.

Not the same username but by the avatar, I suspect that you're the guy that  posted the answer on Facebook!
Once again, a thousand thanks to you!!
Today, I received the new filter cover (ordered yesterday!!) and I should be able to finish this part of my project. Quite some more remains to do but I'm happy to end that task.
Thanks again!!

wrote:

Never seen a plug like this in the oil pressure switch housing. Looks like some stupid mechanic try to rise the oil pressure and block the oil port to the cam bearings. This plug looks like a rubber well nut for the wind screen. 


 

Scirocco, this plug looks to be part of the aftermarket oil cooler (Lockhart) that was installed on this bike when I bought it. It is said to block this passage to redirect the oil flow through the galley plug on the RH side of the engine where one of the oil cooler line need to be installed.

Strangely enough, among my spare parts, I do have another "oil housing" that have the same rubber plug in the same hole. It also comes off a bike that had an aftermarket oil cooler on it.

wrote:

I guess at some point it ran an external oil feed to the head and cooler. Take the positives from it Claude, your oil pump is a monster and the rest of the seals must be good or it would be like a lawn sprinkler 

LOL!! Honestly, a lot of oil splashed around in my three attempts to start the engine, before I've been guided to the cause. I'm quite happy there was not a sprinkler above all that mess!!

Also, I think the plug avoided any oil circulation so the seals possibly have not been "tested". But yes, I do think the oil pump works "OK"...