95' zx9r coolant leak at exhaust!?

[h8_rice]

Hey can anyone tell me why coolant would be leaking from around where the exhaust bolts on?
I have only just noticed it today, not LEAKING as in pouring but slow drip. (I'm hoping nothing funky happens when its at running temp.) Looked like one of the drips on the hose was oil too. I looked everywhere and cant find anything else leaking so it just seems strange that there would be coolant leaking out of here. the first pic is where I am mainly talking about, the second pic has a more visible leak where that bar goes accross.(could be why theres stuff on the exhaust flanges below)
95' ZX9R,




Also, pulled it all apart to change the plugs, Only to find allm 300 of the damn spark plug sockets I have wont fit down the holes!! I'm talkin by millimetres! Am I supposed to have some genuine Kawasaki plug removal tool !?

[Cwidova]

generally coolant in the exthaust points to a head gasket being faulty......i don't know much about the 9r's but it could also be that there is a coolant jacket behind the bolts and the bolts alsofunction as a plug and they are a tiny bit loose???? as for the spark plug socket are you able to maybe mill or grind the wall of the socket down to suit????failing that tube sockets are generally thinner than regular ones i have found.....hope this helps

[Kwak addict]

The leak will be coming from the coolant outlet tube above the headers & running down to the header flange, it has 2 round inlets behind it that push into machined holes that are at the top of the front of the head, there are O rings that seal the 2 outlet tubes in these holes, I'd be willing to bet that 1 of the O rings has failed or the steel tube has corroded.

[h8_rice]

hmmm I shall investigate this further. The bike hasn't been over heating though so I would not have noticed till it was too late knowing my luck.

As for the socket, the local bike mech was supposed to drop round and lend me one. but I'll go pick it up monday. I havn't got anything to mill a normal one down. I remember binning all the tube sockets I had too. damn! Put that on the shopping list.

I'll get stuck into it tomorrow and see if I can find the actual source of the leak.

thanks for the help.