Addressing Kawasaki 650sx Hood leaks

["Holeshot"_Howie]

Hello everyone,

As part of my ongoing project, "should have used this money for a better project," I'm trying to figure out how to prevent water from seeping into my engine bay. Whenever I fall off my ski or any water enters the engine bay, the performance becomes terrible. To fix this issue, I've installed a block-off plate on the bottom of the motor and added a second layer of rubber sealant on the hood side to meet the hull side. I'll be documenting my progress on this forum and would love to hear your suggestions and expertise.

Thank you!

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Really that's about all you can do, the problem with 650SX hoods is that they warp, I have two here that had massive crack in the inner liner that I had to fix , it's all part of the same issue , when the hood warps it cracks the inner liner usually , consider yourself lucky.

 

["Holeshot"_Howie]

Really that's about all you can do, the problem with 650SX hoods is that they warp, I have two here that had massive crack in the inner liner that I had to fix , it's all part of the same issue , when the hood warps it cracks the inner liner usually , consider yourself lucky.

I would say so considering my dad ran me down on his spark going nose into the side of the hood. Either way I'm going to try to play around with it and see what improvements I can make to the design. Maybe I come up with something were all missing

 

[bird]

In classic Kawasaki fashion, holes on the front of the hood. Plug those up and open up the rear if you can. That's how to stop almost all water intrusion on an SXR. A heat gun will revitalize your hood seal as well.

WHAT AIR FILTERS ARE YOU RUNNING?

 

[WFO Speedracer]

In classic Kawasaki fashion, holes on the front of the hood. Plug those up and open up the rear if you can. That's how to stop almost all water intrusion on an SXR. A heat gun will revitalize your hood seal as well.

WHAT AIR FILTERS ARE YOU RUNNING?

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That is not all there is to it , my fixie 650sx has a Team Butch aftermarket hood, it had rear facing vents, those have been completely glassed over and now the air intake is at the rear with tubes that go to the bottom of the ski, when you take a spill it still takes on a lot of water .

 

["Holeshot"_Howie]

Day One was focused on getting all of the trouble areas de-flexsealed. It has been my practice to cover the inside of the hood thickly in some flex seal to provide some extra seal area. While doing so, a repair I made last year broke off, which seems like another area for leaks. That was another area I decided to sand clear for a complete fibreglass repair. While doing so, I found a lot of significant cracks that would make me think about buying a new hood for the 650sx, but with the person-hours I have in this one, it's worth it to repair. See all the photos of the carnage.

While doing that, I blew air through the intakes to find where they dropped off. For anyone who is curious, I have included a marked-up diagram of the airflow. The strongest flow from any intakes came from the side holes, the first ones in the water. I plan to fill those holes with foam to prevent them from taking in any air. As it exists, there is a foam plug in the front intakes, but I feel that those and the ones on the back are far enough out of the water most times. I can maybe install some sort of filter or screen to keep some of the water out, but the sides are getting plugged

 

["Holeshot"_Howie]

In classic Kawasaki fashion, holes on the front of the hood. Plug those up and open up the rear if you can. That's how to stop almost all water intrusion on an SXR. A heat gun will revitalize your hood seal as well.

WHAT AIR FILTERS ARE YOU RUNNING?

View attachment 445366View attachment 445365

I am running Ocean Pro. Thinking about going to a vortex flame arrestor with a sock on it but I'm open to other suggestions. I do a lot of subs so being as waterproof as possible is the goal for me

 

[kevbo]

There is no way to keep water from pouring in during a sub. The best way to deal with it is a bilge pump. An OEM single carb 750 flame arrestor works best when there is a lot of water in the hull. I clamp an elbow to them and turn it toward the engine.