I've ordered the valve cover gasket and once it comes in, I'll change it, check the crank case vent tube, check the torque on all of the bolts, and change the oil. I usually refill it to about 3/4 of the way up the view window so it is not too full. It is currently above that, but just below the full line. I just wanted to make sure it was not a common problem before I went crazy tracking down the problem. Thank you very much. I appreciate the feedback. I will report back once the work is done.

 

Just curious...what oil are you running?...brand and viscosity. Probably has nothing to do with your leaks, but I was just curious. My money's on the crankcase pressure being high because of too much oil or crankcase breather blocked.

 

I just purchased a used '09, mine was literally streaming oil out of the cam areas on the cylinder head cover, I read on here that it is pretty common for an '09 from the factory, so I ordered the new gasket, $36.00 can. I installed it with using a bead of "permatex RTV black silicone" on the two cam lobes and torqued the the cover back down at 69-inch pounds and left it over night, I fired it up the next day and no leaks, so hopefully I have resolved the "bad" gasket issue, I didnot have any other leaks anywhere else in or around the oil filler cap or the motor itself, good luck, I am sure you will get it fixed up with a new gasket....cheers Mac.

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'09 KLX250s
Snorkel Removed
1/2" hole in last muffler baffle
DynoJet Kit- Needle, Spring, Jet, Air Screw out 3 turns. Clip is the 3rd groove down with 2 spacers. Running the DJ124 JET.

 

Dang. I wonder if the person who built the engine remembered to install gaskets.

 

This is another area on these bikes that some of us have all kinds of trouble and others have none. I didn't have any oil leaks from new and after checking my valve clearances just put a thin layer of high temp silicone on both sides of the original gasket, torqued it down and still no leaks.
Good luck with your sealing job.

 

I wrote Kawi a letter about mine leaking and included the receipts for the valve cover gasket and repair and they reimbursed me. They know it is a problem. Give it a try. It helps if you tell them you have bought several other Kawi's but are looking to next buy a Yamaha... They'd probably do a recall on them if they hadn't have spent so much on the handle grip recall. (that might have been funny only to me). Good luck.

 

I see and hear some of the issues about the valve cover seal, but the OP's looks like it's bleeding from every hole. It doesn't quite sound like a widespread model condition or a warranty deal. I have an '06 with over 11,000 miles that had all the original gaskets before doing a big bore kit...and still has the original valve cover seal...and it had no leaks at all except for the oil filler cap o-ring, which is common and barely a nuisance. I'm still su****ious that the OP has something else going on with his bike.

 

Sorry about the leaking seals, oh and welcome to the forums. Come on guys lets see if we can get this figured out.

 

Sorry, I've been busy with school. Finally done with my finals so I pulled the bike out today. Changed the oil and filter. Pulled the air filter - it is soaked in gas. Need to go grab another air filter. Spark plug looked fine, but since I have to go back to the store, I'll get another. Is the crankcase vent the tube that comes from the top of the crankcase to the air filter? I'm thinking you guys were probably right about too much oil. It was filled to the top. Finally time to order a service manual I guess so I don't have to ask simple questions.

 

I had a similar incident with my '01 KLR650 when apparently the carb float had stuck and dumped at least 2 quarts of gas into the crankcase. I didn't realize it, and the bike started up just fine. I made it a half mile down the road and the excess oil and gas made its way into the intake tract and fouled the spark plug, leaving a nice smoke trail and an oily exhaust. The only ultimate damage was my clutch...fiber plates affected by the gas...and the spark plug. Surprisingly I had no other issue with the engine because of the incident...not even a leaky gasket.