I just came back from a 1000 mile trip for my 45th year high school reunion. I had to stop and buy a couple of tablespoons of DOT4 Brake Fluid. It is leaking on the back side and dripping on the mid pipe.
Is the cylinder rebuildable? I only have 5000 miles but it is out of warranty.
Any thoughts?

I've never heard of these going bad. Seems unlikely anything would be wrong at 5000 miles. Did you check the banjo bolt on the CS cylinder...and the bleed valve?

Only other thing I can think of was the plastic gasket was installed backward and it cracked but I don't think that would cause fluid to leak.

http://www.zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=EB2E6BDC-D56B-84E2-1D17B62DAE7BB066

Before you go too far, also check that it is not just a little oil dripping and spraying back from one of the three breathers that hang down there too. I had/have that problem when the bike has been running at high rpms. I'm told it'll do it if the oil level is a little high too. If it is brake fluid, make sure you flush it from any paint work it might have sprayed on to avoid damaged/stripped paint work. Be assured my intention is only to help you, not second guess you.

* Last updated by: sweetfa65 on 7/22/2014 @ 12:31 AM *

When I left on my trip the Brake fluid reservoir was a midpoint. After 300 miles the reservoir was almost to the low level. I wiped the bottom of the cylinder housing and it's definitely Brake fluid. All bolts were tight. It is a nuisance leak.
Just a side note. I had a 1989 zx10 Ninja. One day I noticed oil stain behind the cylinder bank. The large O-ring that seals the Starter was leaking. It would be easy to nick that O-ring during installation. I assume something like that is happening.
Leaked about 2 Tablespoons so far. Only leaks when used.

Speaking of high speed, I was traveling back Saturday evening westbound I70 west of Hays, KS, just before dark. The traffic was traveling about 82 mph, I was doing about 85 mph. In my mirror was an approaching Blue vehicle, too small for a State Patrol car. I sped to 95 mph, it kept coming. I let it pass. 911 GT3. I kept pace up to 120 mph. I've tested my side Givi luggage to 130 mph, but not the top Givi trunk. It's mounted with SW-Motech Nylon base plate (they used to be made of steel). Well anyway, the 911 held between 105-120 for 25 miles and he finally turned off.
I left home with a Average of 40.7 mpg and returned with 40.2 mpg. What a Bike. And with the luggage on the back (about 100#) the High Beam combo lights the road as well as any car. Kansas sells White Gas (no ethanol) and found some stations with Premium (no ethanol). The average price for Premium was $3.65.
Thanks for your replies.

^^sounds like one hell of a ride! Yeah, 100 lbs extra is almost like nothing.

There is not much to nic when installing a CSc. Just a hard plastic gasket. There must be some sort of seals inside the CS. That could be it if not a simple loose bleed valve or banjo bolt.

Sounds like a cracked cup seal.

Log into a Kawi parts house and look at the schematics. Probably don't need a piston; is the housing cracked from an upset?

If the housing and piston are crack free then a seal is probably all you need. And some DOT4.

Yup...crack most likely.The seal has to be installed(that plastic 'washer'thingy)a particular way....it has a step on it somewhere along the edge.Also...if a guy tries to tighten those bolts up too much...a crack WILL occur....maybe more than one.I would change it at room temp if it were me(and I have before).Cool engine.

Taste it make certain it is brake fluid

40+ with all that load, not bad.

Say, your crotch looks a little wet.
Yeah, before I took the trip I drank quite a bit.
No, I was looking down at the pipe and noticed the spots. My next look was looking up to the next point and...
... Ah, I thought you were going to touch it next.
No, next is this thread going back and forth you are now going to tell me to smell it.
Yeah, my kidney was not in pain until a few miles out I notice the rez was M T.
No, you mean empty. Look, how about you just pick up a...
Yeah, you mean a box of depends on my next trip?
No, I want you to keep talking back and forth, go fill up the rez, take your next trip...
Yeah, but I think I had about enough of this soaking it up on this end is get your ass in the garage and remove the thing.
No, don't listen to turtle, there's gotta be someone that wants to smell and touch my wetrouserstill. Let the bike leak too. I'll buy another box of depends, not a push rod seal, or piston o-ringay-ding-ding, HELLO????

doubleD, if you follow the thread I posted above, I think that will help. Steps 2 AND 3 to remove, steps 58 and 59 to install.

I was looking at the schematic for the clutch. Do I need the oil seal (#92049) for the piston?
Bike-Bandit lists part 92026 as a spacer, is this the plastic part? The Shop manual says to always replace this part. Better get 2.
And 92026A another spacer, do I need this, too?

Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure about the oil seal. Replacing it would be the first thing to try if you're sure the banjo and bleed are torqued properly.

If the plastic spacer is not broken, you can reuse it. I did. Just make sure it is on the right way with the flat side against the motor and the bumps out toward the clutch slave.

You need to look at the part 026, see if you can reuse it. Or, follow book so no question about what parts you can get away with. All I'm after is #92049. I want a clean bore. I do not want to sand it with anything but what I would use across my _____ Yes, that is correct. Do not make score marks off that specific finish being a mirror or you chew up the new seal.

Parts:
1. 92049 Seal
2. A can of Dot-What is the number on the master's cap? That's who calls the ball of the 3 or 4 Dot.
3. A tube of moly and follow the lube locations.
4. A can of brake clean to clean parts.

2. A can of Dot-What is the number on the master's cap? That's who calls the ball of the 3 or 4 Dot.

reminds me, some owners have reported that DOT-5 leaks past the seals. That would be purple in color when fresh. If your sure you did not have DOT-5 in there, X that off the list.

You can see the residue around the spacer. The Banjo bolt is tight. Only DOT4 fluid.
I will get the O-ring seal.
Thanks.

See the piston? See the machined cut around the piston so a seal might fit in that groove? Here's the next thing. Are we looking at a dust seal or the piston seal?

So if you are going to do the work yourself, do not buy a seal just yet. Why? If you took off the slave, notice that seal looks like a dust seal, then no, that outer seal is not going to work and the only way to get that seal is buy a new slave that if you look at the parts page, see that square line around the whole part? That's a one piece unit that comes with the boot in question and for sure the new seal that being the only way to get that seal is to buy the unit-complete.

Pull the slave off, do not buy a special part you can't exchange when you can throw that money to the unit-complete.

Signed,
Not my ass in a sling we ding on that seal and it's an outer dust seal. That may not be the seal you need. I'm off the hook. Why? The slave is still on the bike and you are going to buy a seal (unknown) is now pull the slave off and shoot that boot or there is no boot for outer dust, guess what?

WE listening sorta?

long->short: remove slave, look at seal on the inside. Buy a new slave if the seal looks bad.

The plastic spacer looks fine as far as I can see.

wash the stuff off right away. It will eat the paint. Happened around my bleed valves on the front brake MC.

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/25/2014 @ 3:21 PM *

So you are letting me the piston has an outer rubber cup type seal. It is probably keeping the excess fluid that is beyond the O-ring seal.
OK get ready to catch lots of fluid.

wrong photo above, the Bike.
This photo of the schematic.

http://www.zx14ninjaforum.com/userfiles/doubleD/IMG_4907.JPG

I missed this page in the book. Now I see where it goes. Just making sure. Can we now see that this is the piston seal, not an outside dust cover? No need to tear it down to see no seal you can see, correct?

Well, then I think. What happens if there is one big gouge down the piston and there is the cause of the leak, no new seal is going to close off a groove that deep in the slave's wall finish, might as well pump it out and note the piston and wall so the seal is not a part that you bought but back to wasting that time and money when you really needed a cylinder to stop leak [assume the cause] or the seal just failed via installation at the factory and it's shows up now @ 5k miles and out of warranty.

See the parts vs. unit-complete hand balance you just order the seal, do not inspect things out?

* Last updated by: Hub on 7/25/2014 @ 5:30 PM *

I hate to say the obvious here...BUT...the spacer is NOT fine...it's leakingLOL!!!!Do they come from the factory with...."residue optional" in the service manual?LOL!!!!!I think our op is gonna find a cracked spacer...probably at one of the mount holes on it.They are quite brittle and crack VERY easily with too much torque.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/25/2014 @ 6:18 PM *

The spacer isn't meant to seal any fluid in. It just ...spaces. I believe the cylinder will leak if the piston pops out too far but that would seem impossible with the slave installed to the bike.

Take it off. Have a look.

Based on the schematic and the photo of the wet joint I'm inclined to agree with the cracked bore diagnosis.

Based on a cut front axle seal the first time I took the front wheel off... Based on the first time I serviced the steering bearings and saw a cut dust upper crown seal ripped... Based on the short miles on the OP's bike out of warranty, I base his leaking and my cut seals to the assembler at the factory of origin. Cracks are severe leaks and do not weep out slow.

Remember, that is hydraulic out the hole, into the chamber, pushing the seal out, pushing the walls out, pushing the piston out. You just brought in another X to Y. An X is the barrel with crack. The Y is the pressure. The Z either leaks out the crank or pushes the piston.

OP says, I do not have clutch lever when I pull in, says, look at the drainage happening on the ground, or is there a peppering of oil out the cut seal, flap over, wrinkled rubber areas, but a crack at the slave body? Make sense we are on the same X to Y page, why there is no puddle due to a housing crack?

"The spacer isn't meant to seal any fluid in"...all I can say is...I had one just like the OP's...same deal...residual.No dripping...just very minor seepage.Removed spacer....spacer was cracked at the lower mount hole.Replaced spacer.Problem gone.Gotta remember...residue up top like his...doesn't mean it's not cracked somewhere else along that surface.Lots of wind blowing around in different directions....causes some odd leak patterns sometimes.That spacer gets VERY HOT and cools off countless times.Yes...it can crack and allow a seep to develop.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/26/2014 @ 12:22 AM *