Thanks for the clarification Alge8r.

Yes, thanks for SUPER FAST response turn around and for taking the time to respond on the new thread we have going.

I don't suppose 6 OEM head cover bolts will cost a lot more than what I paid for the ProBolts (that I have sitting here to my left, very nice, thank you) so I will order some before I redo my head cover. I'll measure them to check if they are shorter.

---

Rook, you say there's a new thread on how to fix the cover leak?
Mine looks fixed by using a washer under bolts 1 and 2. From what I've read so far it looks like the proper fix is the new thicker gasket, new o-rings and sealant? I think I'd like to continue using the washer under the bolt in addition to the new gasket and o-rings unless it's been proven there's no need for the washers.

* Last updated by: KAK on 1/10/2013 @ 2:03 PM *

Rook, you say there's a new thread on how to fix the cover leak?

Yes LOL

you're reading it!

From what I've read so far it looks like the proper fix is the new thicker gasket, new o-rings and sealant?

...and perhaps new head cover bolts (we have an unconfirmed report that the bolts are now made a bit shorter). I have the SM specced engine sealant. It was $60 for a tube about the size of a extra large family sized toothpaste. It is supposed to be used on the surfaces that the half circle humps in the gasket rest in. It is also for use on the sensor cover so it gets used after timing or valve clearance checking.

I think I'd like to continue using the washer under the bolt in addition to the new gasket and o-rings unless it's been proven there's no need for the washers.

I will be taking the washers out. The new parts should take over the job of increasing squeeze on the gasket. If it leaks after the new parts, the washers would go back in at that time. I'd like to know if the new parts do the job without any homespun cures.

* Last updated by: Rook on 1/10/2013 @ 7:51 PM *

---

I still have about 3,000 miles to go before it's time to check the valves. I hope by the time I have it checked there's a 100% fix.
The washer under bolt 1 and 2 sure did it for me. I don't know what to think about these alleged shorter bolts. If the gasket has been verified to be thicker and the o-rings "changed", why would they make shorter bolts? Seems to me if shorter bolts was the cause and the fix, then you wouldn't need to change anything about the gasket or o-rings. If I was Kawasaki, I'd just make the bolts shorter...period. I've never examined all the parts in question but what I've read here is the bolts are too long and bottom out before adequate torque can be applied to the gasket. If that's so, then why would anyone go beyond shortening the bolts?
All I did was install the washers (which has the same effect as shortening the bolts). I haven't examined the o-rings to see how they could be part of the problem. Too short or ? How do the original o-rings and the "new" o-rings compare?

If there are shorter bolts available, they aren't listed on any parts fiche. There may be a shorter bolt of the same type which is specced for a different machine, but all year part numbers and length descriptions for the ZX-14 are exactly the same.

If anyone has a pic and a part# for the shorter bolts, post up.

---

Okay...IMO...there IS no shorter bolt....washers or grinding is all you have...the
new' gasket...that doesn't solve your deal here.I tried...it didn't work...and I'm fairly careful about getting things right.Grind the bolts....that's what you need....lightly...and don't bottom them out.You will need to disregard the torque specs on this once you make your decision.Snug...but not bottomed...it WILL stop your seep.If you find it's still seeping...go easy and retighten.You will get some residual oil slipping past the gasket...give it a few rides...then decide.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/12/2013 @ 12:02 PM *

If the gasket has been verified to be thicker and the o-rings "changed", why would they make shorter bolts? Seems to me if shorter bolts was the cause and the fix, then you wouldn't need to change anything about the gasket or o-rings.

I think the same. Alg8tr is working on getting the info from his mech who is on vac right now. So far, no new part # for bolts were found. The shorter bolts might have just been an offhand comment made after surmising what parts wpould need to be replaced to fix the leak.

I haven't examined the o-rings to see how they could be part of the problem. Too short or ? How do the original o-rings and the "new" o-rings compare?

The updated Oring washers on the top of the head cover are now thicker. Same effect as the washer fix.

.Grind the bolts....that's what you need....lightly...and don't bottom them out.You will need to disregard the torque specs on this once you make your decision.

IDK if I can agree with you on this Grn. It may well work but I would still NOT torque any more than the specced torque value. If the bolts never bottom, p[rolly they will never need to be as tight as spec. But how do we know how snug is snug enough??? That is why we have torque specs. I would tighten to spec and no more. If the threads strip you have a bigger problem and a lot harder to fix.

The bolts perhaps are supposed to bottom. If they bottom, they are locking against the bottom of the bolt hole. This along with a certain value of torque may be what was determined by Kaw to be the best way to keep the bolts from coming loose.

---

Mine appears to have had some washers added to some of the bolts, but zero leakage. No idea of the gasket was used repeatedly, I have the '11 gasket and updated o-rings coming.

---

It's really a pretty simple fix.Yes...the gasket WAS upgraded...that didn't really stop the other from being a part of the problem.I washered mine at about 10K...something like that.She never seeped again....UNTIL...my mechanic(he knows his stuff)went with my decision to replace that gasket.Again..it seeped...I had to washer it.And it stopped completely.Was still dry at 51K when I sold her.I'd have to suggest that replacing the o-rings and such may not be needed...though it's being prudent.You can buy a lot of SS 10MM washers for what ya pay for the ring kits and such;)Mind you...it's ONLY the left outboard two bolts doing this(frnt,back)...NOT the complete set of bolts.

I would just LOVE to see pics of these 'new' shortened bolts.I know....skeptical again....but hey....Danno's looked em up...same part number...yet that gasket is NOT the same part number...even if it 'looks' the same.

In my opinion...removing the whole shebang and 'breaking' that factory seal 'could' be a real drag....if'n ya only needed 4 washers and a retighten...know what I mean?Instead of 'two' fixes...you might end up with SEVERAL new needs.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/14/2013 @ 1:35 AM *

the length of the the thread has nothing to do with the leak, these bolts are shoulder bolts, it's the shoulder that tightens on the head hence the washer fix, it's the same effect as machining the thickness of a washer of the shoulder of the bolt. so grinding the thread of the bolt will make no difference to the torque or compression of the gasket, unless by machining the shoulder it makes the thread bottom out.
B-A

Well...there ya go....I didn't realize that....I thought the thread depth was causing it.Your description sounds spot on!;)I think you're the first one that actually recognized this...OKAY GUYS...there ya are.

OMG...I just thought of something...what if...they changed the tower design..and now you'll need to get a 'new' part for that....anyone check on the part numbers for that part that has the towers in it?I'm not goin there....someone...anyone...go first.That COULD explain why the bolts haven't been 'changed'....in the parts fiche.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/14/2013 @ 1:57 AM *

grinding the thread of the bolt will make no difference to the torque or compression of the gasket

Not true if the end of the screw bottoms before the shoulder bottoms.

anyone check on the part numbers for that part that has the towers in it?

what do you mean by towers? Are you talking about the camshaft caps? Those are supposed to last the life of the engine. They are machined individually so the bolt holes fit each engine perfectly. I guess I would try changing them only if I had to.

* Last updated by: Rook on 1/14/2013 @ 7:00 AM *

---

No..the bolt towers where the cover bolts go.Unless I'm thinking this wrong..the 'shoulders' sit on the tower top inside there...and the bolt threads on down inside the tower.Isn't that like the piece that the o-rings and all go on?There's threaded towers in there?(not actually where the o-rings are at...but around there somewhere..separate).

What would be interesting would be to take a known seeper...do nothing to repair it....and start parking it leaned the other way.I suspect it's that one corner of the gasket that has a slightly 'weakened' spot somewhere along there.That whole front edge may be 'not quite' okay after repeated heat cycles...???? IDK.Unfortunately,the splashing oil is hitting the whole surface under there...so it's hard to tell exactly where a weak spot might be.When she's parked,it's gonna naturally flow to that corner.Still...it shouldn't be seeping from anywhere.

You add the windflow against that engine front....you can't really pinpoint a particular spot.I couldn't.EXCEPT...the right side wasn't seeping...parked on her sidestand anyway.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/14/2013 @ 10:02 AM *

There's threaded towers in there?(not actually where the o-rings are at...but around there somewhere..separate).

Here is where the head cover bolts thread in, the hole between the two black screws on the end of each camshaft cap.

Yep, the shoulder does not touch inside, it seats against a flat edge in each bolt hole in the head cover.

..the right side wasn't seeping...parked on her sidestand anyway.

Yes, I recall someone claiming he fixed his leak by parking the bike on a rear stand. I know mine leaked over winter storage even though it was parked on stands straight up and down. At least I think it leaked....may have been the oil that had ran out on the engine just flowed down over the weeks of storage---but I doubt that. Prolly leaked.

---

All 6 bolts had washers added. The O-ring washers were mashed flat and stuck to the cover. Had to grab each one with a pliers and twist to get them off. No apparent leakage at either the outer edge or into the plug wells. All 4 stick coils were dry and there was no oil on the plug threads. All 4 plugs look fairly clean.

---

Sheesh Rook...that aint a friggin crack on that cam cover part is it?LOL!!!!the right side one in that upper pic?Just inboard of the o-ring deal?

YOU DID...you cracked that f#%^er didn't ya?!!!!Right behind that black bolt...that...DOES NOT have red paint on itLOLOL!!!!!!I don't the 'washer trick' is gonna do ya much good in there Rookster!

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/14/2013 @ 6:06 PM *

Sheesh Rook...that aint a friggin crack on that cam cover part is it?LOL!!!!the right side one in that upper pic?Just inboard of the o-ring deal?

Nope, I think what you are looking at is the edge of a cast ....doohicky. IDKWTF that is. Just don't make me dig into my photo library too deep....you know I have evidence of everything in there!

---

Okay...I see the red paint now in that bolt head...LOL!

"IDKWTF that is"...faggetaboutit...it aint nothin!Gettin any seepage lately? What if...they ALL were cracked right there!All the ones that seeped....you know...not every 14 has this deal;)

I see it now..it aint a gap..it's a shadow of an edge of something casted UP from the flat part.....swheww...had me worried there for a second there Rookster;)

I know...you told me just above...sorry...I kinda skipped right through that

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/14/2013 @ 8:58 PM *

Sitting on the side stand had nothing to do with my bike leaking. It has always been parked on the centerstand after the first 700 miles, when I bought it. ALWAYS. It didn't leak till I had it a 4.5 years.

* Last updated by: alg8er on 1/14/2013 @ 11:19 PM *

---

from zxforums;
"As many are aware there is an issue common to many 14's with the valve cover leaking. I recently had my valve adjustment done and during the procedure, with the help of Mike at Vista Kawasaki here in Dayton Ohio, I had the chance I needed to figure out what the real problem is. It is one of 2 things or a combo of both 1) the outer gasket is only about half the thickness of the gap it is supposed to seal, 2) the spark plug pass thru openings are cast unevenly and or, to long causing the valve cover to sit on the center gaskets way before the outer edge of the valve cover makes contact with the outer gasket.

I remedied the problem using the following fix if any one is interested in how to fix it correctly (so far ).

I had the gasket replaced a year ago under warranty but it still leaked so while the bike was apart I took the Gasket out and replaced the valve cover to find the gap to be almost 3mm and the gasket to be closer to 1 maybe 1.5mm. The cover is fairly flexible but would have to be deformed to be bent enough to put any real pressure on the gasket to seal it properly hence the leak.

The bolts used to hold down the cover have a shoulder on them that bottoms out on the block to prevent the cover from being overtightened and the gasket crushed (which isn't really a problem considering the gap they left) the gasket could have been thicker this would have solved the whole issue but as we all know getting Kawi to admit and rectify is another story all together.

Anyway many people will suggest adding washers to the bolts to raise the shoulder and allow the bolt to push the cover down further to seal against the gasket. There are a few problems with this suggestion 1) the cover is held up not only around the outside edge but also under each of the four spark plug pass thru locations which have individual gaskets under them which will be crushed or damaged with the extra pressure, 2) the cover will be deformed by pushing it down further than it was designed to and will flex at the center around the spark plug pass thru's instead of going down as a whole unit evenly causing uneven pressure around the edge on the gasket. 3) the cover will no longer be parallel to the block at the gasket due to the flexing and could result in the edge of the valve cover cutting the gasket if to much torque is applied, you even run the risk of cracking the cover as it is a cast part and will not bend much without cracking.

I put the valve cover on a CNC mill and faced off 30 thousandths of an inch (just under 1mm) also removed the same amount of material off the shoulders of the 6 bolts and the small tubular spacers that run next to the spark plug pass thru's for the smog valves. This allows the cover to sit down further and be tightened to where the bolt shoulders bottom out at the same time the outer gasket is compressed and the 4 spark plug pass thru gaskets are compressed also at the same time.

When I we took measurement across the 4 spark plug pass thru gasket surfaces they were off from one end to the other by almost .020" the result of a poor casting I'm sure. you can see in the photo where we milled off the material to let the cover sit down where it needs to be for the gasket they supply. A complex fix for a simple thicker gasket problem but since they don't have one this is the only real way to fix it."

So now the question is, if you replace the gasket with a thicker one, will it now leak at the spark plug gaskets?

---

Rook next time you have the cover off try sticking your depth gauge down the hole, and check the thread against it, also the thickness of the gasket doe not alter the torque to any great degree because I believe it the shoulder against the head that makes contact, looking at your photo the holes in the camshaft bearing covers have a tower on top the is where the shoulder of the bolt makes contact.
B-A

* Last updated by: battleaxe on 1/15/2013 @ 1:08 AM *

OMG!!!! Thanks for the article above. ...but NFW I am going to mess with my engine like that. Sorry, that's for guys who work in a machine shop. I can't go that far. It's new parts and/or washers for me or I'll just let the bitch leak. It is quite under control now but not perfectly dry.

I do not understand his explanation of the gasket being half the thickness of the gap it fills. Oil would pour out if that were so. This guy seems to know his stuff but has it taken all this time to figure this out? I'm not convinced on just one guy's (albeit knowledgeable guy) testimony. If more owners did this fix and were happy, this guy should start taking orders.

Battleaxe, I'll have a more careful look at all the things I can soon. I'll be checking my valve clearances again in early summer. I NEVER overtorque aluminum threads. Undertorque often even with steel but never go over with aluminum. I striped my head cover bolt threads in the blockof my lil ole Yammi 100 back in grade school. Dad fixed that up with red locktight. .

* Last updated by: Rook on 1/15/2013 @ 8:41 AM *

---

Yes...Alg8r's solution is pretty extreme...But if it works...woo hoo!!!!!

One thing however..if Kawasaki acknowledged a situation...and 'resolved' it with a new gasket design(which they did...kinda)...then why aren't you guys that have these seeping covers getting new gaskets?(i know..some are)THE MOST SIMPLE FIX THAT WORKS IS THE WASHERS.I don't understand why most are still reluctant to do this???If I can do it...anyone can...and it takes about 20 minutes once ya get goin with it.Only TWO bolts....4 washers.That's all.I bought a new gasket before for my 07..the revised one...it STILL seeped!...don't want to discourage anyone...but the gasket needs to be either somewhat thicker(which they 'did')...or the shoulder bolts need to seat a bit deeper in the thread.(washered).Just the two.Not all of em.EASY.Reliable.You don't crank down on those bolts once ya washer em...only lightly snugged up so the gasket does NOT deform and the o-rings do not get smashed in there.No silicone...no cover removal...no unplugging of connectors.The gasket will 'barely' begin to take on a wavy edge right along the front/side right around that corner and on the longish part going back to the rear where it turns again.SLIGHTLY wavy...it'll be nowhere NEAR torqued like the factory spec.No washers crushing...nada.You stop tightening when you see the wavy deal I'm talking about.You can put a small (very) dab of loctite on that bolt tip...but you don't need to.

This fix is WAY cheaper and more reliable than replacing that big gasket and hoping for the best.It doesn't always work....(the new gasket).The washer thing works every time.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 1/15/2013 @ 9:48 AM *

...well, it helped mine a lot but did not eliminate the leak altogether. Maybe if I went with two washers instead of just one......

I'd be curious toi read a more detailed description of what the above posted article is mentioning. It seems to me the guy is saying the spark plug wells in the head cover need to be shaved down a bit (almost a full mm!!!!) so they do not bottom out on the wells in the head....you know where those fancy figure 8 gaskets are. If this is true, no amount of washers in the world will help. A fatter head cover gasket would.

If you ask me, something sounds weird about this guys description. I mean. ..he def sounds like he knows machining but a full F***ing mm???? C'mon. No way! And if he is right why does the washer fix seem to solve the problem or at least (as in my case) slow the leak down a lot?

Alg8tr, if you can please post a link to the entire thread. I need better descriptionthan what is provided in the few paragraphs posted.

---