Author Topic: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...  (Read 4147 times)

Offline motonerd14

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Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« on: September 09, 2017, 07:57:30 PM »
Hi folks. My 2012 is up to just under 64k miles now and the cam position sensor o-ring has started to leak again, coating the front of the engine with oil. I bought the extended warranty at the time of purchase and have been doing some consulting work for a Kawasaki dealer for most of this year. I didn't notice it until I got home today and the service manager is on vacation right now. I can check with him on Saturday when I'm there again but was curious if it's even worth asking if this won't be covered. Have any of you folks that have the extended warranty gotten this replaced by Momma Kaw more than once? The last time it was replaced was at just a little over 17k miles back in 2013. Warranty is good until 2019.

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have on this.

Offline maxtog

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2017, 09:17:25 PM »
There is no mileage limit on the warranty.  Yes, it is covered; no matter how many times.  It is too bad they don't replace it with a slightly tighter one, however.

If you have not renewed your warranty to a total of 9 years, now is the time:  http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=225.0
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline motonerd14

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2017, 01:05:42 AM »
There is no mileage limit on the warranty.  Yes, it is covered; no matter how many times.  It is too bad they don't replace it with a slightly tighter one, however.

If you have not renewed your warranty to a total of 9 years, now is the time:  http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=225.0

Thank you. I'll get this done at the same time as the TPMS and a few other things (new rear shock, fork rebuild, etc.)

IIRC, this won't make a mess or dangerous situation will it? The last time this happened was 4 years ago and I just remember a puff of smoke from time to time. There also seems to be a leak on one of the plug well seals so can have that sorted too if needed.

Funny thing about these bikes: our dealership services the CHP pursuit C14 and our lead tech for these has said that they all leak eventually. It's the way the heat cycles from the exhaust warp the plastic of the sensor over time, eventually causing the seal to fail. Minor annoyance but needs to be sorted on their dime before the warranty expires.

In spite of this (very) minor annoyance, still the best machine I've ever owned.

Offline maxtog

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2017, 05:59:24 AM »
IIRC, this won't make a mess or dangerous situation will it?

Nope, it is just annoying/messy.

Quote
Funny thing about these bikes: our dealership services the CHP pursuit C14 and our lead tech for these has said that they all leak eventually. It's the way the heat cycles from the exhaust warp the plastic of the sensor over time, eventually causing the seal to fail. Minor annoyance but needs to be sorted on their dime before the warranty expires.

Yep- it is a well-known issue caused by a $0.01 rubber o-ring that Kawasaki could have fixed "permanently" at any time by simply using a better fitting and quality ring.  I would love to know how many thousands of dollars of warranty claims are caused by that little thing over the years.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=21395
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=13866
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=20881
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=16507
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=22157
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=17296
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=22294
http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=15278

Quote
In spite of this (very) minor annoyance, still the best machine I've ever owned.

Me too.  And we hear it over and over again.  The Concours is an amazing secret.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline motonerd14

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2017, 10:49:25 PM »
Quick update: Spoke with our Service Manager today and he said he's seen this with 3 of the CHP bikes that are all on their 3rd o-ring, all were covered, as is mine. Glad I got that warranty!

Offline BMahar

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2017, 10:55:05 AM »
  I renewed the extended warranty, on my 2011 Concours,  last week, Sept 5th, through Ultimate Cycle's Pete Daniels, and it is now $393.  Worth every dollar.
  Thanks to MOB who made this possible for our group.
  Brent
2011 Concours ABS, Black

Offline motonerd14

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2017, 09:43:42 PM »
I work in a Kawasaki dealership on Saturdays as a sales consultant and helper around the service and parts department. Let me talk to my sales manager on Tuesday when he's back from his weekend and see what kind of deal I can get for us. I know he's always open to more business so if we can get enough folks to renew around the same time, he might be able to beat that price. No promises, but worth a try.  ;D

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2017, 07:35:40 AM »
We already have a deal going.   If you can get a better one let us know.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=225.0
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Offline MAN OF BLUES

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2017, 05:44:35 PM »
I work in a Kawasaki dealership on Saturdays as a sales consultant and helper around the service and parts department. Let me talk to my sales manager on Tuesday when he's back from his weekend and see what kind of deal I can get for us. I know he's always open to more business so if we can get enough folks to renew around the same time, he might be able to beat that price. No promises, but worth a try.  ;D


Good luck with that... most dealers will never get close to the price Ultimate has been giving us for many years...

also

They will only replace your O-ring with the factory one, which WILL leak again, in very short order...
whoever told you the sensor "heat cycles from the exhaust warp the plastic of the sensor over time, eventually causing the seal to fail."
is a moron... and doesn't know squat about the OEM seal being too thin for the designed application...
The oversized ring I was distributing for years, 2 for $1, fit tightly, and so far I have never heard of one leaking... and I sent hundreds out since I began selling them...
Murph's now sells these, I turned the rings over to him for sourcing, as I simply didn't want to deal with it after years of sending them.

As the Tech Editor for COG in my past, I sent numerous requests to them, talked to corporate tech, and explained this error on their part of using the o ring they did... never got them to blink...

get the MOB O Ring from Murph's, install it, and forget about it forever...

46 YEARS OF KAW.....  47 years of DEVO..

Offline jwh20

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #9 on: September 20, 2017, 12:22:13 PM »
Quote
They will only replace your O-ring with the factory one, which WILL leak again, in very short order...
whoever told you the sensor "heat cycles from the exhaust warp the plastic of the sensor over time, eventually causing the seal to fail."
is a moron... and doesn't know squat about the OEM seal being too thin for the designed application...

The proof that MOB is 100% correct is that once the OEM o-ring is replaced with the thicker one now sold (very inexpensively) by Murph's Kits, the sensor does not ever leak again.  If this problem was due to warping of the sensor, the fix would not work as it's only the slightest bit thicker.

I've heard that newer C14's, and it must be newer than 2012 since mine had the problem too, don't seem to leak but it seems to be due to Kawasaki boring the sensor hole smaller vs. using a larger o-ring.  I've not actually measured one but it does make sense.

Offline motonerd14

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2017, 09:39:00 PM »
Let's just say that I'll be installing the o-ring from Murph than to ever let another dealer touch this bike again. I'd eat cost of parts before I'd let someone else work on it. This is far more complex than most cars in a tighter package. I tried to give them a chance but their screw-up is confirmation of a bias that I and many others on here have held for a long time: Never trust a child to work on a MAN'S bike.

Offline gPink

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2017, 06:16:50 AM »
What was their screwup? Did they not do the work with factory approved parts covered under warranty?

Offline motonerd14

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Re: Extended warranty question - Cam position o-ring leaking again...
« Reply #12 on: November 11, 2017, 12:00:37 PM »
They fired one of their best mechanics and replaced him with a 19 year old kid who thinks that SAE and Metric fasteners are the same...