[Connman]

For those with a minor oil leak down the left side of the engine, one possible solution may be to replace the camshaft sensor O-ring.
I'm 99% sure that with as much oil that is all over, that it's my valve cover gasket that needs replaced. But since this is going to be a $.50 job and super easy to get to, I'll try this first.
*The O-ring part number is 92055 (but I'm just going to Home Depot or Lowes, I'm sure they'll have something similar - I'll probably get one that's a hair fatter just to make sure there's no blow-by)
**This is a pretty elementary procedure, but I don't think there are any pics of it on the site. Figured I'd add some - might make it easier for someone in the future.

1. There is a 10mm bolt right next to the sensor that needs to be removed first. It's just on the inside of the sensor and not visible in the pic.

2. The cam sensor just pulls straight out of the hole. It may help to turn the unit clockwise and counter clockwise while pulling it out. Here's a pic with the sensor out. The O-ring fits into that groove. Here, the O-ring is already off - sitting on my finger.

Slide a new O-ring on, fit the unit back into the hole, bolt it in and you're done.
It's just that easy.

Here's a good pic of the hole the sensor fits into, and the bolt hole you couldn't see in the first pic.
(you can see the sensor hanging in the lower left of the pic, with the brass bushing that the bolt goes through)

 

[Mauser]

A picture says a thousand words so they say, thats a spot on procedure to fix the leak couldn't be any easier.

 

[GO 200]

Thanks for the tutorial pictorial, Connhat!! :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Blitzkrieg]

A trick I taught myself years ago for tracing down the elusive oil leak:

1) Thoroughly clean the area of the leak.
2) Ride the bike long enough to get things hot and get the leak started (but not too long).
3) Park the bike .
4) Put half a hand full of talcum powder in your hand and with you hand very close to the leak area, hit it with a blast of compressed air.

You'll be amazed out how obvious the leak source will be because the source will always have the most oil on and around it.

It almost always will show you exactly where the source of the leak orginates in short order.

Also, I found an O-ring kit somewhere a few years back that has 5 of every size O-rings known to man. It cost like $40 or $50 but has saved me hours of frustration and driving to Lowes. We'll worth the bucks if you own a bike/lawn mower/snow blower/car and work on your own shit.

;-)

 

[Mach VIII]

Hope it works for ya Conman. It didn't do squat for my oil leak, but I know others have had different results. Anyhow, nice job with the pics/tutorial.

 

[ZXLNT]

92055 part number??? Should be more numbers. I couldn't find the O-ring as a separate part number looks like it only comes with the sensor as far as I could tel..

 

[k9rockydog]

Thanks for the tutorial pictorial, Connhat!! :thumbup::thumbup:

DARE ya to say that thirty-three times, fast !!! :crackup:

(added the thirty to make it hard to TYPE fast.. but you will, I'm sure.. I just wanna see it:crackup

 

[k9rockydog]

92055 part number??? Should be more numbers. I couldn't find the O-ring as a separate part number looks like it only comes with the sensor as far as I could tel..

nope. comes by itself. got one from the stealership awhile back, had no mo' leaks when I was done !!:mfclap: :thumbup:

that is until about 2 or 3 oil changes later.. put too much oil in.. 'bout 3 week later.. here came the gasket leak... again !!:banghead:

 

[ZXLNT]

Funny, called my dealer and it said only comes with the sensor 72.00 dollars and looking on the parts fische there is no part number just for the o-ring.. I dont doubt they gave you an O-ring but I bet they matched and didn't pick it as a individual part number for the O-ring itself..

 

[k9rockydog]

Funny, called my dealer and it said only comes with the sensor 72.00 dollars and looking on the parts fische there is no part number just for the o-ring.. I dont doubt they gave you an O-ring but I bet they matched and didn't pick it as a individual part number for the O-ring itself..

mmmm yup.. that could be just called stealership i got it from, and the number given earlier in the thread by Connman WAS right.. the first half, anyway.. full number is 92055-1639

 

[ZXLNT]

mmmm yup.. that could be just called stealership i got it from, and the number given earlier in the thread by Connman WAS right.. the first half, anyway.. full number is 92055-1639

Cool I am gonna see what that part number is from..

 

[DinoDanny]

Hey Connman,
Did this fix the leak?

 

[Connman]

Oh hell no :thumbdown::lol:
It was the valve cover gasket like I hoped it wasn't. Can't win 'em all.
Had to take off the gasket, clean everything really well, put it back together, no more leak :thumbup:

 

[dogeatsdog]

lol i thought this thread was so cool until i got to conmans result, then i laughed my ass off. This is a cool thread and thanks for pics. my 05 has 10k on it and started leaking around 9k. the leak is getting really bad. Im sure my leak is from valve cover right over that sensor. I wish after about 60 years of kawasaki building bikes that they would find a dam way to seal the valve cover correctly. On a kz1000 it was easy to change gasket but i dread doing it on this bike. just like i dread doing plugs on this bike.

 

[DinoDanny]

Any thoughts about the leak being caused by the rubber bolt washers being compressed and not snugging the cover down sufficiently rather than the gasket itself? Anyone tried just adding another steel washer to the bolts and properly torquing them?

 

[dogeatsdog]

do you guys change or reseal the half moons when you do valve cover gasket? i have a lot of oil coming out from left side but been to lazy to see what it is. and what is the purpose of the half moons anyway?

 

[hubz14]

do you guys change or reseal the half moons when you do valve cover gasket?

Change and reseal, Yes. Only at the upper corners under the half moon cap is the glue placed. The half moon squeezes the down to seal via the cam cover. The flat part acts the same sealing effect is the supple memory of the rubber. Once flattened it gets old, cracked, does not spring back to memory so as to create a tight seal on the squeeze. That is why you change to new when the cover starts to leak.

and what is the purpose of the half moons anyway?

When the head is being machined out for valve guide holes, top cover screw holes, a lot of machining is done to the head. The half moon look is a 'line bore' process where the only way to match the cap to cam channel where the cam sits, they bore straight is the axis. So they have to sacrifice the position of the way the cam sits in it's bore line and cap line, which btw makes it a full moon there. Half moon is what your line bore is left with. The gasket's half capping part is that half a bore hole closed off into a D shape to seal it off.

 

[dogeatsdog]

aha! i new it had no purpose lol. I remember when i had a 1978 kz1000 that i had all the toys done to it. polished ported,oversize valves, mtc1361 big block with fins, cams,under bucket shims, crank balanced, gears under cut, 33 mm smooth bores, sidewinder pipe, door in oilpan for wheelies,welded cluctch basket, and so on bla bla bla. the shop that built it was cyclone competion in brooklyn ny. he also put a solid copper head gasket, and aluminum half moons. in the winter i used to light my cigarette off the header.
i still have the block if anyone is interested.

 

[tenbears]

Nice one.

Failure of this sensor immobilised my 12r in Spain back in 2005. It was recovered, transported back to Leicester and finally diagnosed 8 months later. Truly incredible how a 5 minute job can fox both Kawasaki Spain & Kawasaki UK, but there you have it.

 

[Connman]

Had a request to repost pics thanks to Photobucket holding originals hostage, lol.