Mysterious Oil Leak

[HalcyonGT]

I've come to my wits end. I have an '82 GS750 that I've emptied all the oil out of the case while I was cleaning the carbs, tank, wiring, etc. So far what I've noticed is that whenever I shift the frame around in the garage a puddle of oil appears. How is this even possible? Mind you, I emptied the oil 6mo ago. How is oil still leaking...and where could it pool up to be able to leak after 6 months?

[JEEPRUSTY]

A good amount of oil adheres to the inside of an engine whether its hot when you drain it or not.

The oil will settle int eh oil pan and might be enough to leak past the oil pan seal esp. if the bike is on its sudestand.

Take that oilpan off and clean the sludge out.

[lucabond]

A lot of times oil drips out of the cam chain adjuster into the starter cavity. There is a big weep hole under the starter on the bottom of the motor where the oil will drip from sometimes. this could be where it is coming from. Good luck

[tatu]

My bike stood for five months this time and there was an oily puddle under it that turned out to be a tiny fuel leak that the spirit had evaporated off and left an oily residue.
Also, I had a bike that had a repair under the generator cover that used to seep very slowly if left long periods.

[jbs80106]

Quick...call the govt and tell them you have a mysterious spontaneous oil production invention to sell them!

[HalcyonGT]

So just for ****s n' giggles...I put a quart of oil in the engine...a week has passed and lo and behold...I'd say a fourth of it is on my garage floor. I replaced the seal on the filter cover last fall...should I replace it again? Again, this is a SLOW accumulated drip of a leak...so I can't sit and accurately tell where its coming from.

[Larry D]

Is it sitting on the centerstand or sidestand ?

About the only way to tell where a leak is coming from is to throughly clean the engine and let it dry completely. Then, take some powder of some sort and dust the engine where you think it may be coming from and wait. The leaking oil will appear in the powder.

[Turtleface]

Might be worth it to double check the filter cover o-ring. You can pinch them, and it's possible the new one you put on was sitting on a shelf somewhere for years, getting dry and brittle. I just fixed my own indeterminate oil leak on my bike, something very similar. No drips, just a slow seep. Keep discovering oil underneath, and all over the bottom of the header, even after draining the oil! Due to all the cooliing fins and what's-its on the bottom of the engine, I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from. Probably spent about 10 hours total over the past few weeks trying to figure it out. One of the better gumption traps I've found myself in. Nearly sold myself on a complete teardown and rebuild, just to be sure.

Imagine my relief when I found out that my oil filter cover nuts weren't tight.

EDIT: Should be mentioned that my leak happened while the bike was on the centerstand. Haven't used the sidestand at all in the past year, since it's been in the garage.

[HalcyonGT]

Thanks for the suggestion guys. I've got it sitting on a "makeshift" centerstand. Essentially the sidestand has a few wood pieces underneath to set the bike level.

I'll check the filter cover and hopefully thats the concern.

Although the problem has cropped up using the sidestand and while propping it upright. Would the bike's positioning play a part in an oil leak?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Yes, a lot of oil can get trapped in the top of the engine.

I replaced the seal on the filter cover last fall...should I replace it again?

I replace the oil filter cover O-ring almost every time I change the oil and filter. The filters I get have the O-rings included. They are not quite as robust as the OEM parts. The OEM parts can be reused several times without worry.

You might also look into replacing the oil pan gasket. But you won't really know where your leak is until you clean the engine well, dry it, use some spray powder (like foot powder), and check for the wet spot.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[cowboyup3371]

Halcyon, where is the bike parked - in a garage or out in the open? If in the open, you might want to do something to support it from the other side too. I'd hate to see it drop on you because the wind came through in the wrong direction, wrong speed, and wrong time.

[HalcyonGT]

So here she is parked in the garage...oil puddle...makeshift centerstand and all.