GS550 oilleak

[hsteil4356]

hi all,
I own a 79 gs550. maybe due to a soft drop by the previous owner, I
discovered a very small hole in the underside of the left (rotor/stator)
engine cover. this by itself would not be bothersome, exept, I have a small amount of oil leaking out of it. after every ride. If I am not mistaken, the rotor/stator side is dry, correct?
any ideas anybody?
next, I am reading on the site about 'wet' and 'dry' compresiion checks. Could some body please shed a light on this? Or does it just mean open vs closed thottle? there is a language barrier for me here.
also, how often should the sump and the oilpump be checked and/or cleaned?
thanks so much for any help,

Peter

[cowboyup3371]

No, the stator is bathed in oil to help it stay cool. You'll want to replace that cover.

[hoppy1]

A wet compression test simply means you pour about a tablespoon of engine oil in the spark plug hole and retest. The oil helps seal the rings. If your compression pressure goes up a lot, you may have ring or piston problems. Always test compression with the throttle wide-open. Good luck, Mark

[Steve]

Responses are inside your quote.

If I am not mistaken, the rotor/stator side is dry, correct?
You are mistaken, there is oil in there.

next, I am reading on the site about 'wet' and 'dry' compresiion checks. Could some body please shed a light on this? Or does it just mean open vs closed thottle? there is a language barrier for me here.
Should be no language barrier, it's all in "American" (the Brits will tell you it's NOT "English").
A 'dry' compression check is just that: open the throttle, crank the engine.
A 'wet' compression check will have you put a bit of oil through the spark plug hole to help seal the rings.
If compression goes up considerably, you have bad rings.
If compression doesn't change much, you have bad valves.
Throttle should always be wide open for compression checks.

also, how often should the sump and the oilpump be checked and/or cleaned?
If the integrity of a "new" bike is in question (and it always should be), pull the oil pan, clean the screen on the intake and clean the sludge out of the pan. Once you have done that, keep the oil changed at regular intervals, you should never have to do it again.

.

[hsteil4356]

thank you very much vor your assitance, and a happy new yeat and many safe rides !

[hsteil4356]

Hi Steve,
thanks for your reply. Early on, when I purchased the bike, I did compression check, but as I recall, with closed throttle. Results were between 145 and 150. Meanwhile the bike runs good, it just took me a while to get the carbs propperly jetted, was messed up from previous owner. Hope you are well and I wish you a great new years, and I appreciate your help. Peter

[hsteil4356]

Steve,
I dont get it. compression up 'considerably' vs. 'does not change much' : with oil through plugholes, how much 'should' compression go up ? the numbers I originally got looked pretty good to me. regards,Peter

[Steve]

Yes, your original numbers looked pretty good.
If you had added oil and they went to 150-155, I'd say that was "not much".
If, however, they had jumped to the 170-175 range, that would be "considerable".

If you got those kind of numbers (145-150) with a closed throttle, you have NOTHING to worry about.

.

[hsteil4356]

compression

Thank you very much Steve. I looked at your pictures, wonderfull bikes, wonderful family! Guess there is very little room for a car in the garage!

regards, Peter

[Steve]

Thanks.

I think the last time there was a car in the garage was about 2000, maybe 2001.

.