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Hi I have been building up a zxr 400 ready for spring/summer. Its just about ready for mot, but when i start it up, there is a little trickle of oil coming out of a small hole just underneath the 2nd exhaust outlet. I have been told that if any water gets down the spark plugs the water draines out of these holes. I have taken bike apart and there is no oil down the spark plug hole, i have siliconed the rocker cover gasket, but the oil is still trickling, any ideas what else it could be?
Cheers mark

Hello mate and welcome to the forum, it should exactly be what you have described with the oil trickling out the hole being a leak from the rocker cover seal. I had the same problem on my ZXR and used hermatite to seal it.

first thing, did you silicone the right rocker cover gasket?

It may well be that theres oil still inside the hole and slowly making its way out when the engine warms up. Give it a few miles and see if it clears up, there shouldnt be any other way for the oil to get there other than from where the spark plug is, unless anyone here knows otherwise?

Got any pictures of your lovely bike??

Hi again, i have siliconed the top gasket and the 4 circular gaskets both sides, i will start the bike up tomorrow and let it run for a while and see if it stops, hope it dose as it is starting to annoy me, espcially as i am ready to take it for an mot.
I will try and get some photos on the forum, it has light matallic purple frame, wheels, and screen, with blue plastics, and private plate 400 KAW. it looks cool.

is it a hole or a bolt hole? where the oils trickling out??

It is not a bolt, its a hole that is under the 3rd exhaust port. I started the bike up again today for about 45 minuets, and still it trickles out. The gasket sealer that i used was a non drying sealant, i might take the rocker cover off again and try a semi drying sealant and if that works.

Id use hermatite personally, i know for certain that works. It didnt look like there was oil in the plug holes where mine had been leaking but i knew it had been by the oil that was all over the front of the motor.

Only other way for it to come out would be a split in the block somewhere letting it in, doubt that would happen tho.

It could be that the rubber gaskets are shot especially if you bike is "of a certain age"
All the silicone or hermatite in the world won't make up for that.
Also being a rubber gasket it can be damaged if the bolts have been over tightened. Use the proper touque settings
And it is very easy to have the rubber gasket slightly out of position and damage it when fitting the cover.
I think also the small round rubber gaskets on each spark plug hole are sided that is to say they only fit properly a praticluar way round

are we talking about the 3rd exhaust port under the headers? or have i got the wrong end of the stick here?? cos aint there some oil drain holes there??

masterofinsanity wrote:are we talking about the 3rd exhaust port under the headers? or have i got the wrong end of the stick here?? cos aint there some oil drain holes there??

You thinking about the two coolant drain plugs?

So far as I can figure we are talking about the little drain holes for the spark plug recesses there is one for each spark plug.

It is easy to think that oil in this area is a blown head gasket when all it really is is a leaky rocker cover gasket

As cargo said. Just the little holes that let oil/water drain through from the spark plugs to somewhere safe, they are underneath the exhaust headers.

You cant rerally see them here but this is the mess it will make with leaky seals.

I think i have sussed it, i have taken off the rocker cover, cleaned off all the old silicon, then i stuck a cotton bud down the 3rd trumpet thing, there was oil at the spark plug but not around the trumpet. I pulled on the trumpet which came off and had a rubber o ring at the bottom of it, this is where the oil had been leaking through, i havent replaced the o ring just put i bit of gasket sealer around it pushed it back in and gasket sealed the rest of the rocker cover gasket, started the bike up and the leak has stopped, sorted. Cheers for every ones help.

this is one to remember, someone else is bound to encounter it sometime

yeah i think i may have the same problem, or the rocker cover gasket is leaking...

its bloody annoying when the bike is on its stand, oil runs down the engine mount on the frame, then down the bobbin, and then runs down the fairing! argh.. i'll sort it when i can be bothered

i think i have the same problem can somebody please talk me though what i need to do to sort it as it getting quite anoying please