TOPIC:

Well, crap. Leak from base gasket. Not good.



KZ1300 Kawasaki base gasket leak from dcarver220b on Vimeo.

Hated to do it, but used Barrs stop leak, 1/2 bottle. Poured it right into my $1,000 custom made aluminum radiator.

The leak has appeared to be sealed. First run at 30 minutes with varying rpm. Allowed to cool then repeated.

The next day, another 30 minute run using the tranny as engine 'load'.

The leak is essentially gone. Only saw one small droplet and it dried immediately.

Not optimum. Hate to use stop leak.

The plan is to run it, get some miles on the engine, then see if Ray is interested in one more rodeo...

If its a coolant leak from the base gasket it must be coming from the drain hole for the water pump, which means only replacing the mechanical seal.
I would never use any leak stopper for fear of blocking up the radiator.

Petez13 wrote: If its a coolant leak from the base gasket it must be coming from the drain hole for the water pump, which means only replacing the mechanical seal.
I would never use any leak stopper for fear of blocking up the radiator.

I tend to agree with Pete. the only place for a coolant leak at the base gasket would be IF one of the cylinder barrel orings was leaking AND the leak found its way out of the base gasket and not into the crankcase. Highly unlikely. The leak is also right at the water pump and I suspect the water pump seal has a minor leak and is dribbling down the cylinder block.

Yeah, I guarantee you that's a leak from the impeller weep hole. The PO of my bike made the same mistake and decided to "fix" it by slathering the entire front of the engine in... something. (It was green and rock-hard. That's all I know.) The hole is right up under where you're leaking coolant from, and pretty much impossible to see when the engine is assembled.

Replacing the mechanical seal is really not that bad. You'll probably need an impact to take out a couple of JIS/Phillips screws, but everything pulls out from the front, and is pretty straightforward. I've done mince once, but I have to get back in there pretty soon to replace the oil seal as well.... But that can be later.

I sure hope the collective is correct!

So, some questions, as I've not seen it up close and personal...

If the water pp is leaking, is their a path from the pp internals, through the block, and out at the location shown in video?

I ask because the water pp gasket is dry, the hoses are dry.

The first sign of coolant is right at the block/crankcase interface.

I'm staring to think you guys are saying there is a small route, passage, from the water pp to the 'outside' and this is where the video shows the leak?

I agree it's unlikely water is leaking past the cylinder o-rings and outside. I am NOT seeing any milky oil after over 1.5 hours of running.

Man, I sure hope it's just a water pp seal.

This bike has been a restoration project since 1980. And I bought it in 1979!

dcarver220b wrote: I sure hope the collective is correct!

It is!
Bill