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Drip drip...what to do now?

  • Thread starter Thread starter claygs750e
  • Start date Start date
C

claygs750e

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So I'm at the end of a year long build where I took it down to the frame and rebuilt the entire bike EXCEPT taking apart the engine since I know my limits at this point. So while I'm still dealing with some carb issue I am at a point that the engine will run, when I noticed a droplet of oil on the ground. I let it run for maybe ten minutes and 1 droplet or 2 leaked out. I hear a slight "knock" sound every now and then and it picked up when I pulled on the throttle. What should I do? Since I'm at the end of the build and it's summer and haven't even ridden the bike would it we ok to ride and then rip it apart in the winter? I've attached the pics where the leak is coming from and the arrow is the highest point I see oil. Ugh!






BEFORE


AFTER

http://s1119.photobucket.com/user/claypics12831/media/after.jpg.html
 
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It's high enough that it may very well be the valve/cam cover gasket. Super easy fix, and cheap.

Looks like you have clean oil, so it may be hard to see where it's coming out, but take a good look at the gasket along the front and back of the exhaust side - hopefully it's that simple.
 
I think in the 16 valve head the center 2 front head bolts have rubber o rings on them that could possibly leak externally.
Regardless......clean the engine top especially.....go for a 20 minute ride and come home and remove the gas tank.....
Get a good light and start looking.
 
nice job on the cafe racer to over the top just needs few finishing touches like seat pad !
where did you get the seat ?

ozman
 
Hit it with some engine degreaser and let that sit for about 10 minutes..then power wash it to get a clean engine to start the search with. If you dont have a power washer, trailer it to the car wash, shoot the degreaser and power spray it there. I say trailer because you dont want to hit the degreaser on a really hot engine.
 
The engine has been completely cleaned and painted over the last year and this is the first time it's been started. I can see where the oil is coming from as far as the pictures show, but I can't see back any further to tell where it starts from.
 
Could also be coming from where the tach cable connect to front of engine, easy fix, just need to remove and replace o-rings. terrylee
 
get a light and look up under the cam cover along the can chain tunnel sides..thats a common spot.
 
My guess after seeing the photo is the O-rings on the two front center head nuts.
 
So I've looked everywhere for this leak and the only thing that I can see it leak from is the picture that I previously attached. I was going to put off fixing this, but the oil happens to leak down and right on the pipes so it causes quite a bit of smoke. It seems like the oil is coming from the area with the red arrow on the picture. Could I have a hole in the casting?
 
That would be very odd but I 'guess' it's possible. If it actually is that, which I doubt, JB weld could be your friend.
 
claygs750e said:
So I've looked everywhere for this leak and the only thing that I can see it leak from is the picture that I previously attached. I was going to put off fixing this, but the oil happens to leak down and right on the pipes so it causes quite a bit of smoke. It seems like the oil is coming from the area with the red arrow on the picture. Could I have a hole in the casting?
Click to expand...

Have a good look for a leak at the carb side of the engine, maybe the source of the leak is on that side, and the oil runs through the open channels of the cooling fins to the front.

A possible source for the leak is the valve cover gasket in the area of the cam chain tunnel, on the carb side of the engine.
 
I've looked on all sides of the engine and this is the only wet area I can see. The engine is freshly painted so it's pretty easy to see where oil is at since everything looks new-ish. If I do find there is a small hole in the casting I don't have any experience with JB weld. Would I just dab some in that back corner where the silver has worn off? That's where it seems like it's wet the most. The other side of that fin seems ok Also, when using the JB weld does tha back area need to be completely dry?
 
Directly above that spot is a valve cover bolt, yes? Was it helicoiled by any chance?

One small trick is to spray the head with foot powder after it is has been washed and completely dried. Once you start the engine, it will slow the oil down enough that you'll see the first instance of oil making it's way out of the engine.

The bike is looking good. I feel your pain in not being able to ride. If you are hearing knocking, I'd look into it. You've put too much time and energy into it already to have something disastrous happen on your first real run.
 
Not sure what you mean by helicoiled? Yes it is frustrating because I'm still in the process of carb syncing too and now I have the oil dripping on the pipes causing a lot of smoke so at least I'm down to 2 problems. :)
 
Helicoiling...to drill out a thread and add an insert, where a previously broken bolt was before.

helicoil.jpg


It's possible that a PO drilled out that valve cover bolt and cracked the head in that spot.

I haven't worked that much with JB Weld, but I can say that the times that I have, I found the working area needed to be clean and dry to get a proper bond. Others may have a different experience.
 
All the bolts on the front and rear end of the engine look fine and look to be stock bolts.
 
You can't tell if there's a heli coil by looking at the bolt. The helicoil is installed down in the head to serve as threads.
 
Oh, I see. Yea..not sure about that. I don't see any leaks around any bolts or anywhere for that matter except where the picures indicate. Not sure what to do.
 
You're not going to fix it with JB Weld.

There's no way to tell you exactly how to fix it because you still haven't pinpointed the source of the leak. Without this information, it's just a series of guesses. We've seen a lot of leaks around here... :D

Clean the engine THOROUGHLY.

Dry the engine THOROUGHLY.

Visit Wally World and buy a can of the cheapest athlete's foot/jock itch powder you can find.

Coat the engine in the suspect area with a nice coat of powder.

Get in position to watch. Have someone start the bike.

You'll probably see the seep start in just a few seconds.

Do this outside -- the powder stinks.

Exhibit "A" (also why Vesrah gasket kits suck -- the cheap imitation o-ring inside this area literally fell apart when subjected to heat and oil).

Just to illustrate the astonishing mobility of oil, the only evidence of this leak was a very slow drip from the very bottom of the stator cover. The oil was able to make its way along the seam between the case and the stator cover invisibly, then accumulate and drip off the bottom. Most people would have replaced the stator gasket about 11 times before looking elsewhere... I grabbed the plain label crotch rot powder and pinpointed the actual problem. Man, I wish it had been only a stator cover gasket.
DSCI0214_zpse272ebd8.jpg
 
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