Water in Plug Wells - Prevention, a possible solution

[RCinNC]

Thanks, 2daMax, and thanks for posting your solution to the problem. I ordered some Viton o-rings today from Grainger, and I have both some dialectric grease and some Bel-Ray waterproof grease to put on the o-ring to improve the seal. I'm not sure which one I'm going to use yet.

That's weird about the lack of a drain hole. It seems like a bad idea, not to have one in a four inch deep recess with a steel spark plug at the bottom and no way for water to escape. I thought I'd seen mentions on the forum on here about cleaning out a drain hole, but I couldn't find any specifics.

 

[2daMax]

When I use the endoscope, I wasn't looking for drain holes . I was trying to get it pass the plug hole to view the piston for carbon deposits....so I could have miss it if the drain hole, if it exists, would sit higher up from the bottom of the well.

Drain holes or not, the flaw of the S10 plug coil stick is that it doesn't fully prevent water from getting in. I had a Versys 650 before the S10 and the plug coils was a real pain to remove and there was no complain of water ingress. The needed pulling force is great due, what i believe to be vacuum suction.

The flaw on the S10 coil, is that the stock O-rings are really not Orings there are more like () rings with a discontinuity that is 180 deg out of phase between the top and bottom rings. It will slow down water from getting in but not prevent. Adding salt to injury, the valve cover is like a pond to collect water and have no drain grooves to flow out the water, so any water collected in the pond will eventually find its way down the wells. Perhaps that correlates to the left most well being very popular with water ingress AND placing the bike on the side stand.

 

[gunner]

I know not everyone does Facebook but on the Facebook Super Tenere USA group page, Paul Pelland posted he had a similar problem and he found that a good fender extender solved the problem.

Here is a link to his Facebook post:

https://tinyurl.com/ybu3j5tm

 

[Checkswrecks]

I know not everyone does Facebook but on the Facebook Super Tenere USA group page, Paul Pelland posted he had a similar problem and he found that a good fender extender solved the problem.

Here is a link to his Facebook post:

https://tinyurl.com/ybu3j5tm

Interesting.
Due to the other problems Fender Extenders have caused, I may just put a vertical extension up from the front of the skidplate to catch the tire spray.

 

[RCinNC]

I'm considering the same thing; fabricating some sort of spray shield to keep the water from getting in there in the first place.

 

[RonH]

Rubber oring is a great idea, but I think another idea would be to get some gasket material and make a paper gasket. I never had problems, but may try this someday. Sure as heck not going to put any fender extender on.

 

[RCinNC]

My O-Rings from Grainger got here today. Hopefully the plugs will get here tomorrow, and I can get the bike back on the road.

 

[2daMax]

I know not everyone does Facebook but on the Facebook Super Tenere USA group page, Paul Pelland posted he had a similar problem and he found that a good fender extender solved the problem.

Here is a link to his Facebook post:

https://tinyurl.com/ybu3j5tm

Does not work 100% to keep off water with the extender but does keep away most of the water flung out from the front tires. I have a home made extender and I found water in my right most well. It cost me almost nothing to make it.

I took a 1L oil bottle, as it has 4 surfaces not including the top and bottom. Cut out 3 surfaces, 1 major and 2 sides. Now it forms like a C profile. Trim off the sides so that it goes from thick to narrow. With a 3M doublesided tape, tape the fender extender to the underside of the fender.

For pictures, scroll down to 2daMax posting. sorry, this was on the Versys. Worked better for the S10 as the fender is narrower and fits the extender better.

http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/170-technical-discussion-v-650/18235-what-best-way-glue-use-front-fender-extender.html

The only oil bottle that work well is similar to the Ace Hardware 1L or 1 Quart bottle.

 

[gunner]

My O-Rings from Grainger got here today.

Is this the item you ordered from Grainger?

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Round-914-Very-Hard-Viton-1WHP3

 

[ace50]

If that's the right size, I wouldn't use a 'Very Hard' one.

 

[The Ferret]

on my 2010 there seals at the top of the coils however water did ingress , probably sucked in when the engine cools. I used dielectric grease. Made life easier later when replacing the plugs and solved some impromptu arcing.

 

[worncog]

If that's the right size, I wouldn't use a 'Very Hard' one.

True dat. You should be using a 70 durometer o-ring for this 'low pressure' application.

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Round-914-Medium-Hard-Viton-1CRY9

 

[RCinNC]

Yep, that's the one I got, though from reading the later posts the hardness might not be ideal. Which makes me ask, what's the downside to using the rings I already have, rather than sending them back and getting the medium hardness ones?

 

[2daMax]

Yep, that's the one I got, though from reading the later posts the hardness might not be ideal. Which makes me ask, what's the downside to using the rings I already have, rather than sending them back and getting the medium hardness ones?

Not sure and hard to predict if this will be lesser in water ingress. The one I am using is 75. O-rings are designed to be compressed 20 to 30% of its thickness, and as it losses its height, it expands sideways, making the internal diameter fit even better. In our application, the coil's "umbrella" which isn't really rigid is compressing the Oring against the valve cover, and I imagine that a softer Oring will compress better and give better sealing.

If it isn't too much trouble, I would rather order the 75 hardness, since getting to the coils for installation is pretty involving.

 

[RCinNC]

For now, it's a moot point. I just finished installing the new plugs without the O-Rings, using some copper anti-seize on the metal part of the plug body for corrosion protection. I also used a bead of dielectric grease around the top of the coil stick to help seal against water. I'm going to start sketching out a spray shield to mount in front of the engine to deflect whatever water gets splashed through the open space onto the cylinder heads.

I'm sending the O-Rings back, and ordering the medium hard ones. They'll just go into the spare parts box, and I'll install them the next time I pull the plugs.

 

[gunner]

I think I will try these, they are a little shorter:

https://tinyurl.com/yb6ewpq5

 

[RCinNC]

Let us know if they work, Gunner. I didn't open the pack of O-Rings I bought, since I plan on sending them back, so I don't know for sure if that size would have fit or not. If yours fit, then I'll order those ones.

 

[BenSuper10]

after a few days of rain the bike was running rough again, was thinking 3/2 out of 4 plugs working. I've noticed this morning when I pulled out all the coils that the water ingress is from the coil itslef. It's coming in at the top of the rubber sleve that sits on the rocker cover. I'll try and seal this aswell & hopfully this will solve my problem

 

[Disturbeh]

after a few days of rain the bike was running rough again, was thinking 3/2 out of 4 plugs working. I've noticed this morning when I pulled out all the coils that the water ingress is from the coil itslef. It's coming in at the top of the rubber sleve that sits on the rocker cover. I'll try and seal this aswell & hopfully this will solve my problem

Did you solve the problem, Ben?

 

[diego.ehmke]

Here in Brazil we are starting to try this:
using an o'ring with 18mm x 1.78mm
and an Self locking cable tie(I have no Idea if it's the english name of this )
The image below ilustrate how to instal



we test with a high pressure washer, and keep it dry.