gs850g mystery oil leak

[mrmech82]

Hello everyone,

So I have a 1980 gs850g. It has had an oil leak by the stator cover since it was purchase. This whole time I thought it has been this cover, so 3 times now I have replaced the gasket. I am pretty confident now this is not my issue. Where could this oil be coming from? Could it be a head gasket? It runs absolutely great! Doesn't smoke, starts easy. Drives awesome. I am not a "bike" mechanic, but I am a auto mechanic. So most of this stuff does make sense. I have a chilton or haynes manual. Can't remember right now. I am not afraid to tear into this thing if I have to. I plan on doing a compression test to see if that will tell anymore of the story, but as of now I am stumped. Oh and yes it is motor oil that is leaking. Thanks for the help!

[Big Rich]

Best thing to do is clean all the oil and crud in the suspected area, then run the bike for about 10 minutes or so. Should be able to see where exactly it's coming from.

If it is the stator cover after you replaced the gasket, the cover itself may be damaged or warped.

[Larry D]

Oil leaks can be difficult to find sometimes because the leak can travel in and around the engine. Clean and dry it well, get some flour, foot powder or some other powder that's easy to clean up and dust where you think is coming from, start it up and the leak will be even easier to see.

[tom203]

Best thing to do is clean all the oil and crud in the suspected area, then run the bike for about 10 minutes or so. Should be able to see where exactly it's coming from.

If it is the stator cover after you replaced the gasket, the cover itself may be damaged or warped.

Makes sense. But wipe clean, leave bike overnight on kickstand and see it leaks. As you know, you must scrape off any old gasket gunk very carefully. When you install a new one, make sure the gasket is visible all the way around after installing- use an inspection mirror- it's easy for the gasket to shift.

[mrmech82]

Thanks for the input. I will try the powder thing. Usually it leaks when riding and after it has been ridden. It also appears to leak from the top of the stator cover? The screws are usually covered with oil, almost as though it is leaking through the screws.
I have tried a few different gaskets. I tried a oem suzuki gasket and it really didn't seem to hold up. So I then made a gasket out of a little thicker material. It also did not hold up. So what I am using now, is a rubber gasket that I made. It seems to work the best so far. But its really strange. Sometimes it won't leak at all, and other times it will cover my boot with oil.
Everytime I replaced the gasket, both the case and stator cover got a thorough cleaning before installation. After installation it sat for over 24hrs on the center stand. Topped off with oil and doesn't leak. But once it gets ridden it will start to leak.
I will give the bike a good cleaning head to toe and try the powder to see if I can pin point this leak better.
I apologize if my lingo is wrong for this question.
Is this something that happens if there were a gasket leak around the jug/crank gasket? Would it still ride fine if this was happening, or would I have a compression loss in a cylinder?

[bwringer]

You might have a leak at the base gasket -- between the cylinder block and the case.

Here's mine -- this was due to a failed low-rent crappy Vesrah base gasket and o-ring. This area is actually one of the passages that oil travels to on its way up to the cylinder head.

After spraying the area with foot powder, this appeared within a few seconds after starting, pinpointing the leak. I suspect your bike may have a similar leak.





Fixing this involves removing the cylinder head and block, which is a weekend or two of work, so make sure you know exactly where the oil is coming from before proceeding.

Foot powder smells really funky when it gets hot...

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. mrmech82,

Let me dump a TON if information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mrmech82]

Thank you for the pics. That will help a lot. I had to go out of town recently. It does seem as though that is the exact area of concern when I look at it. I have also noticed (since it has sat for a few days) that there is oil leaking from the front cam cover on the left side of the bike. It was not on the center stand. Maybe I can get the old camera out and take some pics of it. I have kinda decided at this point if I make it through this season then next winter I want to freshen the motor up with a gasket set and new seals and stuff. I appreciate the help.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The tach cable gear seal is another common area of leakage in the front of the motor, if not the valve cover gasket itself. See: Replace Tach Cable Seals

Also check out this thread:Time for a new Real Gasket

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[mrmech82]

thanks for those links. I will need them. I will order that gasket later today! I wish I came here a long time ago. Bought the bike last summer, I have been doing all the work per haynes manual. Would of made fixing that old charging issue a whole lot easier. Once I get the gasket installed I will update if there is any more leaks.

If it is the gasket between the crank case and the cylinder is there a complete gasket set I can buy? Are there any out there you guys would recommend of another? thanks!

[bwringer]

There are no trustworthy aftermarket gaskets. Use OEM (Suzuki parts) only.

You'll need a head gasket, the base gasket, the base gasket o-rings, the cam chain tunnel o-ring, and the valve cover and breather gaskets. And exhaust gaskets as well.