zx-12 oil coming from under seat?

[XdtesZombie]

Im trying to figure out why I seem to have a small amount of motor oil comming out from under the left side of my seat?It seems to come from around a peice of foam that is just there to snug things together .I took the tail section off to see where its coming from but couldnt figure it out .I ve only had this bike 1 month and dont really know what im looking at under there .There is something that looks like a turn signal flasher and some type of heat sync..is that the ecu? does some kinda breather tube run up there? any help would be great!

[MFolks]

Maybe a breather tube for the crankcase is routed wrong. Did you recently fill the engine with oil and put in too much?
Do you have a factory shop manual? if so sit down and learn where the parts are and what goes where.

Shop manuals can be purchased at Repair Manual Catalog Online - RepairManual.com or here at BTK just ask at the section for BTK. Another source is at onlinefreebooks.net for manuals

[SilverBullet]

No I know exactly what this is Give me a min. It is a problem with the ZX-12's and I had mine fixed by the dealer and Mother Kawa. It is the wire that comes up from the stator. There is a plug at the end prior to going into the rectifier. If you disconect the plug it will be filled with oil.

This is caused by the wires not being sealed properly in the crank case and with the amount of pressure in there causes a capillary action up the wire. Eventually it will heat up and melt of catch the plug on fire.

I bought my 12 and had this happen 2 weeks after buying mine. Took it back and between the dealer, the pictures from ZX-12R.org, and the regional rep, they replaced the stator, and the dearler epoxied the wires in the case prior to installing. I had the bike at 2700 miles and sold it with 22,000 miles. Never had an issue after it was replaced and fixed properly.

They will try and tell you the fix is to epoxy up by the plug but that doesn't stop the oil from creeping up the wires and eventually causing the wires to melt. I'll post up links here in a minute.

I had a 2001 ZX-12 R.

[SilverBullet]

Well I just tried to find the thread with pictures on ZX-12R.org but evidently they went to a new fourm and the posts are there but the pictures are not.

You can read this thread, and then you can put "stator" into the search on the site and read all the countless posts about it.

Stator Connector Melted - Kawasaki World


I don't know where you live but if you were close to Pittsburgh, PA I would help in a heart beat. Especially since it can leak oil onto the back tire. My buddy bought my 12 so I still work on it since he doesn't have the knowledge. Looking back I should have kept that bike as a stable mate when I bought my VN1600. I miss it a lot.

When I get home I will check and see if I still have the pictures of the connectors when I was going though all this and post them up.

What you can do in the mean time is disconnect the plug in the tail, spray it clean with electrical cleaner and let it air dry. Do this each time prior to going for a ride and coming back. It will prevent the oil from leaking out of the plug and into your tail. The whole stator will eventually need to be replaced due to the wires being saturated with oil already.

Again if you go to the dealer tell them what it is and DON'T LET THEM TRY TO GLUE THE WIRES AT THE PLUG IN THE TAIL. It MUST be done in the case due to that is where the oil originates and once it saturates the wire you will have heat and a possible fire issue.

[SilverBullet]

Jackpot!

Found the pictures. You can see the oil pooled up on the edge of the inside of the fairing.








And here is a picture of my 12 when I owned it for good measure...lol

(the clutch cover was actually replaced shortly after this picture due to the little bit of damage up front and I had to change the clutch out so I just replaced everything all at once)

[XdtesZombie]

wow thats great info thanks for all the help.I was totaly confused where it was coming from.So a new stator eh? hope there not to expensive.Well thanks again Im sure you nailed it on the head ,bike need 15,000mile service in next few weeks and Ill get it checked and hopfully fixed then.But are you sure about the possible fire issue Im not sure I undrstand why you think it would catch fire?

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by XdtesZombie

But are you sure about the possible fire issue Im not sure I undrstand why you think it would catch fire?

Yeah because I have seen pictures of it. Fire, melted wires, melted plugs.

Its all there for the reading on Kawasaki World just the pictures are no longer there. Lots of guys had it happen with the 2000 to 2003 ZX-12's. In 2004 they changed the plug connectors and did something different.

Again when you purchase the new stator make sure you Epoxy the wires down below where they enter the case to prevent the oil from seeping up again. It has to be stopped down below because once it works up the wire you will have issues again. Wires overheating, possible leakage again, hard brittle wires....

[XdtesZombie]

ya thanx I just read all about it and discovered there is a recall notice for it here in canada which means they will fix it for free yahoo!

[SilverBullet]

Originally Posted by XdtesZombie

ya thanx I just read all about it and discovered there is a recall notice for it here in canada which means they will fix it for free yahoo!

Yes but please please please. If they try to give you a superglue fix by super gluing the wire ends in the plug in the tail, tell them not to do it and demand a new stator. I printed out the above link when it had all the pictures and took it to the dealership, if I can find it, I might be able to send it to you.

They tried to do the super glue fix and I told them no, and it was un acceptable since the oil was already saturating the wire.

Get a regional rep involved and present the packet.

I'll look for the printed out packet with pictures and I'll mail it to you if I can't scan it. I just hope I save it.