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2011 Oil leak

salmonhead

salmonhead

Tricycle
Went on the first real ride on my new ride. Lake Tahoe to Tioga Pass to Sanora pass back to Tahoe. Needless to say, AWESOME.

Anyway, I went out the next morning and there was a small puddle of oil  :-\

Took it to the dealer and they said "There is a pinhole in the casting on the front of the case."  :'( Kawasaki is going to send a new engine case and the dealer is going to take the engine apart and put it back together with the new case.
Now, I guess my issue/concern is, this bike has just under 2000 miles with a rebuilt engine. I might have issues with this.

Anybody else ever heard of something like this. Just askin'.
 
Hey Salmonhead, I think I might know you brutha... Do you also have an ST??

I think I was just talking with you last week up at Motosport about the pinhole, and also met you on a run last year when I was on my Gixxer?? I have the black 09 Connie...

Sucks about your Connie bro...  :(
 
Yeah it's me. I was just looking at your bike. Looks Sweet.  Looks like it's going to be at least 2 weeks to get the work done. Bummer.
 
salmonhead said:
Yeah it's me. I was just looking at your bike. Looks Sweet.  Looks like it's going to be at least 2 weeks to get the work done. Bummer.
Click to expand...

That stinks man...  :(

Well let me know when you get her back so we can hook up for a ride, now we know how to find each other at least. Small world, I just joined this forum yesterday, and just saw you earlier this week after what a year?? That's crazy...
 
This is the first I've heard of needing a new engine for the oil leak. Most were something less drastic, like the valve cover gasket. That really sucks!  :mad:
 
Cap'n Bob said:
This is the first I've heard of needing a new engine for the oil leak. Most were something less drastic, like the valve cover gasket. That really sucks!  :mad:
Click to expand...

Sounds like they are just replacing a case with a bad casting, not the whole engine.  I'm a little surprised they didn't just send a crate motor for the dealer to swap, as it seems that would have been less money then having the dealer disassemble the whole engine to swap a defective case.  Maybe not though given the minimal amount they pay the dealers for warranty work.
 
One would think that a crate motor would be the answer, but there isn't one to be had. I am now at the mercy of the dealer  :mad:

 
salmonhead said:
One would think that a crate motor would be the answer, but there isn't one to be had. I am now at the mercy of the dealer  :mad:
Click to expand...

Let me know if they give you the runaround bro, I'm pretty tight with the owner there and have known him for a long time, I'm willing to give him a call for you if you need...
 
Update : 2 weeks and we are still waiting on the engine case. Looks like it
will be closer to a month now.  So much for riding hard this summer. At least I still have my ST. :'(
 
eek.gif
 
Slybones said:
Pinhole in the case, How about J-B weld? Put a small glob over top the pinhole and let dry.
Click to expand...

JB weld worked on my '94 GL1500 for 85,000 miles before it started to leak again.

It had a pinhole in the casting that started leaking at about 11,000.  And no warranty. :'(
 
If it were me, I think I'd rather have it TIG welded, if it is in a place where that can be done.

Though I'd probably push Kawasaki pretty hard to try to get them to replace the entire engine.
 
Salmonhead, why don't you send me your contact info and the location of the dealership where the bike is, and I'll see if I can contact Kawasaki about your bike.
 
If I rode that far and had a "little puddle" I'd find myself a little dish and pretend it's a Triumph and this is 1967 and I feel good!  I sure as hell wouldn't let some just anybody split the case on a new engine.  Ride that damn thing and see what it does.  Break it in with straight mineral oil and that pinhole just might get clogged on the inside.

I'd say, show me... and then I'd think about it real hard... I might take some JB WELD after it or I might take a center punch and tap lightly around said pinhole to see if that mauls it shut.

I'd have to have a crack not a pinhole to make a big deal out of it and then the engine would come out of the bike and get sent to the FACTORY.  You own it and you should get to approve the approach.

Again, I would tear that engine down as a last resort.  If I couldn't live with the leak or fix it myself then I'd demand a new engine in writing on my attorney's letterhead.  I don't like this story!
 
If I paid that much $ for a brand new bike (no, I didn't) and it was covered under warranty I'd have it fixed, to say just deal with it is absurd IMO...  :32:
 
"... there's an axe stuck in the ceiling! Surely one day it will fall and kill our children!... "

The solution then was to reach up and pull the axe out of the ceiling.

Just saying, the bike runs and sounds like you want to ride it so ride on awhile.  Document the leak which you've done and watch the leak.  It will either get better, get worse, stay the same or disappear.  I doubt it will leave you sitting along the road.

Your engine is "factory" which means every threaded fastener in it has been torqued to specification ONCE.  That's what you want.  That's what you bought.  Yes, "deal with" the weather, the war, the economy, food gone bad in the refrigerator and the LEAK.  It's yours and you have to deal with it but you don't have to deal with it today or even next month by tearing down a new engine.  When they put it back together it will leak or do worse.  It will be worse just by the fact that it's rebuilt, it's sitting between your knees and you can't stop thinking about it.
 
But in my case the oil was blown off the front of the motor and all over the left side of my bike and foot.  Honda did offer to replace the case but I would have had to eat the labor.  The JB weld worked for 4 years and then I just traded for a new GL1800. 
 
If the bike was out of warranty JB Weld would have been the fix. I'm pretty handy with a wrench. I've had my ST1100 down to the frame a couple of times. This is the Factories responsibility and THEY are going to make it right... :mad:
 
Ii just got off the phone with Kawasaki. There are no new engines to be had since they are all hand built in Japan for installation into motorcycles at the factory. Replacing the engine cases is their standard repair method for cases that have leaks due to casting porosity problems. Their take on it was that if the engine is rebuilt by a qualified technician, that it is every bit as good as one built at the factory.

I wish I had better news. The only other thing they suggested to me was that you call Kawasaki Consumer Affairs. If you do decide to go ahead and let them rebuild it, I would suggest you make some calls and try to find out who is the most experienced Kawasaki Technician in the area so you could get the work done by someone who will do it right the first time. This could mean taking the bike to a different dealership if they don't have any qualified techs at the dealership that currently has it. If you need help locating a good technician in your area, let me know, and I'll see if I can rattle the bushes some.
 
C1xRider said:
Cap'n Bob said:
This is the first I've heard of needing a new engine for the oil leak. Most were something less drastic, like the valve cover gasket. That really sucks!  :mad:
Click to expand...

Sounds like they are just replacing a case with a bad casting, not the whole engine.  I'm a little surprised they didn't just send a crate motor for the dealer to swap, as it seems that would have been less money then having the dealer disassemble the whole engine to swap a defective case.  Maybe not though given the minimal amount they pay the dealers for warranty work.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge Kawasaki has never offered "crate engines", only parts as Fred has mentioned. This is the reason that one of the outfitters supplying C-10 Concours police motorcycles to Egypt had to buy 30 new complete motorcycles only to remove the engines and pickle them to be used as spares as part of the supply contract.

Man, I would have to be convinced that this operation is absolutely necessary to feel comfortable in having them proceed with this major of a repair task. The casting would have to be structurally compromised before I would have this done (just my opinion). If it is indeed a pinhole and nothing else I would not do warranty work and just externally seal it and call it a day.

JMHO

Dan

Dan
 
Damn Bergman... starting to think my computer types in Swahili.

Confirm location of "pinhole"

Determine it is not a crack with crack detector (dye penetrate) and stop there if it is/ warranty work due

Determine if location is adjacent to internal moving parts or is it at a void where oil is held

If JB or cyanacrylate is used wash area with dish soap then apply aluminum brightener then alodine then adhesive loosely compressed with a bit of masking tape to be removed later.

I flew an R985 (450 hp) on my Twin Beech 18 over 600 hours after #8 piston disintegrated (from over boost on takeoff) resulting in an undocumented oil leak in the nose case which somebody I know stopped with a hot tire patch.  Okay?

It's summer.  Kids are playing baseball.  Boys and girls are riding their motorcycles.  Somebody drops dead every 13 seconds.

Collect the drips so you can quantify.

By the way, come to think about it, Pratt & Whitney and many others attached engine data plates to nose cases with four soft steel or bronze drive rivets or screws if you will.  Occasionally one came out or loosened and guess what?  It leaked oil.  Maybe it's in a place where you could shallow drill it and hammer in a drive screw.
 
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