Kawi ZX motor...

[The Buddha]

OK A kawi Zx ninja 900 ... old style motor, gushes water out the crankcase vent when I filled the radiator... OK the radiator took 3 gallons and counting when it started pouring out the vent. Huge thanks here to shadow hawk... who gave up an evening of beer to help me take off my waterpump... and the water pump seems to hold pressure... so anyone else have any idea why water can gush out the vent... almost as fast as I can pour it in....
Cool.
Srinath.

[cernunos]

Don't know about the 900 but my stepson had an '86 ninja 600 did the same thing. Turns out it was just the head gasket. Go figger huh?? Sold it to a guy for 300 bucks, he puts a gasket set in it and a set of rings and goes riding. Maybe you'll be so lucky. Srinath, I love the GS500, the forum and you.

Cernunos

[pantablo]

... Srinath, I love... you.

Cernunos

I love you too Srinath...

[cummuterguy]

Srinath, I love the GS500, the forum and you.

Cernunos

I love you too Srinath...

jeez, guys... get a room or something...lol :kiss:

[The Buddha]

OK head gasket will be letting water in the cylinders too... wont it. These are clean. The bike even ran with water getting in the crankcase... not now, I haven't tried now, but 3 years ago... it ran, but I kept seeing bubbles in the overflow tank. I just thought there was air in the cooling system. Anyway... If I have to I'll rebuild it... I am not selling anything that needs this major work... I can spend the $$$ and rebuild it and learn somehting... or sell it... for a loss (about the same amount optimistcally... usually 3-5 times bigger loss) and learn nothing... Whe its all rebuilt... I probably want to keep it, cos it might be the best of the lot.
Cool.
Srinath.

[octane]

Not necessarily Srinath...depends on where the breach in the gasket is. Head gaskets can do funny things. You might also have an obstruction in a water jacket or a crack in a water jacket somewhere. I'm not real familiar with those motors...sorry I can't be of more assistance.

[The Buddha]

OK also another question.... what holds the cylinder head in place on a GS. On the eli it seems to be a few - 6 bolts. Look in www.buykawasaki.com, under 1985, 900 eliminator... performance street cruisers... or just pick all in that  list. Now with the 9700 miles this bike has... it must have had its head bolts torqued atleast at 1000 miles, and due again at 10K supposedly. I had a katana 600 that was leaking from the head gasket, it was air oil cooled so it just leaked oil... Could mine be a simple re torque... or is it too late. Also on this head, if I unscrew the bolts and take them off, and remove the cam shafts... will the head come out the side instead of having to lift it off.
Cool.
Srinath.

[octane]

Not familiar with those motors Srinath...so I can only give you an educated guess, but in my experience with every combustion engine I've ever worked on - if coolant is coming through the head gasket you need to pull the head. IMO re-torquing it will do nothing more than hide the real problem long enough for you to cook the motor just about the time you're feeling good about it again.

Also, I doubt the head will easily slide out the side - there are probably a pair of set pins on the head/block to line up the pieces. If you're lucky you can lift the head off the pins and get it out the side...not sure how much room you have there though - that's a pretty big motor. Again, just educated guesses though, I have no experience with those bikes. Good luck.

[The Buddha]

I had that oil leaking out of the head issue in a katana... at 10K miles it was supposed to have its head bolts torqued... I did it and it disappeared... This bike might be worse, however the cam chain for this bike is on the left. and on the side stand... it will very very easily get into cam chain tunnel if a head bolt is loose. On a katana cam chain in the center makes it more immune to this. Also the gasket is thinnest in width at that point on this bike. I am going to pull the left side egg shaped cover off and try watering the radiator. I'll know immediately if that's where the cross over is happening. I might still pull the head... but atleast I know... now... I have no clue where???  
Cool.
Srinath.

[The Buddha]

OK head is f&*()ing cracked at one of the plugs... not spark plugs, it has some of those blind plugs that are installed at the casting stage to help them get the sand or other crap out... and that plug is slipt open around its base. So water is getting to the inside of the head where the camshafts are, and flowing out into the cam chain tunnel... into the bottom of the motor. I'll post pics tommorow.
Cool.
Srinath.

[cernunos]

Oh Srinath!!! Grandtastic, you've got an easy fix dontcha...don't sell it for 300 bucks  :lol: How I love the little White Owl and the forum dedicated to her namesake.

Cernunos

[The Buddha]

Well a damn head is $100, ok gaskets are another 100... now that first 100 was un anticipated... but its well worth the $200 of learning... not to mention I am going to go completely overboard and nikasil the cylinders and put new valves and springs and guides and build an oil tight motor.... The learning is well worth it.Of BTW I can aviod learning anyhting... but fitting in a low mile concourse motor... $300 and walk away from it.... but I think I'll take the head and build it to where it will never break.... Yea never is a long time... blah blah blah.
Cool.
Srinath.

[cernunos]

I have a feeling this is going to wind up being one rip-snorting earth-shaking ZX...the kind that makes you change yer underwear a lot... :lol:
Srinath, I'm loving all things GS and the twin forum.

Cernunos

[The Buddha]

Its an eliminator... same motor as the ZX... the 900 ninja's aren't worth the paper they are printed on in reality... there is a couple around here for 800 and 900, which I might spend fixing the damn eli. I also dont want more power. The eli's are known for wearing valves into the head, A concourse motor might not do that if I buy a 90+ model, the eli's also use a bit of oil, at the rings mainly... a nikasil cylinder and new pistons/rings might put an end to that as well. The nikasil will be $100 a hole, + ~25 for the sleeve... pistons and rings about $100 each, 100 for the head, and 250 if I rebuild it. All this is not including any labor... Ok it looks crazy... I might just get the head, new head and base gaskets and put them back too... depends on what it looks like.
Cool.
Srinath.