where is this oil coming from?(pictures)

[yotaman423]

ok so here where im pionting seems to be an oil leak. im not sure if its coming from stator cover seal(does the stator even run in oil?)or would this be the cylinder base gasket leaking? or a barrel gasket whatever that is. anyway bike is 80 GS850 showing almost 44K. its not pouring out but as im riding i can see it leaking. its enough it drips on my boots.do i need to re tourque head bolts or do i have a seal compromised? thanks guys

[crazypaint]

id try retourqueing the bolts back down first

[Nessism]

Most likely a base gasket leak. We can't tell you for sure, it's your job to figure it out.

One good trick to find leaks is to clean the area really well, spray it down with foot spray powder, and then start up the engine and watch the area closely.

Torquing bolts won't get it done once you have a leak. Time to pull the top end and replace all the gaskets...and valve stem seals...and rings.

[yotaman423]

yea thats what i was afraid of. im pretty sure its the base gasket.

[duaneage]

I'm doing mine right now. Expensive but not too tough

[Dogma]

Make sure it's not running down from the cam cover or some other stupid thing first.

[yotaman423]

well i decided to rebuild top end all way down to the base gasket that was leaking. started last wk. got everything apart ready to clean and check. holy cow parts are expensive!!

[7981GS]

Don't forget to seal the cam chain adjuster. It might have been the leak in the first place.

Daniel

[yotaman423]

Don't forget to seal the cam chain adjuster. It might have been the leak in the first place.

Daniel

i rebuilt it per basscliff site last summer

[bwringer]

This is a picture of the old foot powder technique in action:


I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that this is exactly how much Vesrah gaskets suck.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I've got the same pesky little leak. I'm hoping to refresh the top end sometime this winter during a long rainy spell.

You can't fix it from the outside. I've tried just about everything. I've added a little more torque to the bolts.

I've tried the gooey RTV-type stuff...



I've tried marine epoxy...





And even tried the "spray-a-gasket" on top of it all...







But nothing has been able to seal up the leak from the outside. So until I fix it right I use a shop towel or "Pig Pad" and stick it between the fins to soak up the leak for a while.



I have to change Jessie's diaper once a week or so, but it keeps the oil off my boot. My bike is running so well, I hate to tear into it. But I figure when I'm done it's only going to run better, plus there will be no leaks.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[yotaman423]

found out today i may have a cracked cylinder sleeve. thought it was just deposits until i cleaned it up takin it to a shop to have it checked. it showed good compression on all 4 before i tore into it. any body have a cylinder set for sale? 80 GS850

[yotaman423]

ok so sleeve not cracked apparently its a watermark from where it sat at some point. machine shop says it needs to be bored .05 would be ok. problem is that requires $500 dollars worth of new pistons and rings other option is try to find a good used cylinder set on ebay and take a gamble. any ideas would be great thanks

[Dogma]

Whassamatter with leaving the watermark in there? I mean, how big of a mark is it? Is it really 0.025" deep, or is 0.05 over just the nest size piston? You already know compression is good, and it's going to use a little oil anyway. I'm not sure you need to worry about it.

If you really need new cylinders, I'm sure someone around here has a set. Start a new thread in the parts wanted section.

[yotaman423]

i don t think it will hurt anything at all. i found a OEM head gasket on ebay but it says its for 82-83 850 different part number too ant chance it will work on my 80 model?