Oil Leaking from Cam

[REGonz]

Greetings,

My 1979 GS1000 has a very bizarre oil leakage problem.

I noticed a small puddle of oil (4-5 drops) underneath the bike, and saw where it was running down from the forward camshaft cover. Trying to see how bad it was, I cleaned it off of the bike. Rode for about 30 miles, and it was dry.

The next morning I had a puddle again of the same size.

I think its leaking from the rubber plug underneath the chrome cover. You'll have to forgive my lack of mechanical terms, Im definately no expert.

Does anybody have any idea how I can chase this down and fix it? Is it even that much of a big deal?

[jona]

Welcome to GSR. Get an OEM valve cover gasket and cam end plugs. Pull valve cover, remove old gasket and cam end plugs, adjust valves, if needed. Smear a little grease on contact surfaces of gasket and cam end plugs. Remount and torque to spec the valve cover. P.S. It is not that bizarre of an oil with these old bikes.

[Nessism]

jona has it right. Pull the valve cover and adjust the valves. A LOT of GS bikes die a horrible death because people skip this critical maintenance. Get a new OEM valve cover gasket, but you may be able to reuse the half moon seals. Clean them up really well by removing all old sealer and grease, then smear the curved section with Threebond 1194 sealer before sticking them back in. Tons of thread on this exact subject in the archives if you need more info.

Good luck

[REGonz]

Could a valve adjustment also be why my oil always smells like gasoline?

[shinzon1]

If you oil smells like gas your petcock is probably shot. Just went through this myself. Got a new one from Z1 Enterprises. Solved my issues. Sometimes you can rebuild yours, but I believe the general consensus is to buy a new one.

[bbjumper]

I have had good luck bringing them back to life but you need to get the selector out, replace the o-ring and put a little anti seize on that, in addition to replacing the diaphragm and gasket.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. REGonz,

The most common oil leaks on these bikes come from the valve cover area and the cam chain tensioner area. Both areas can have their gaskets/seals replaced easily enough. Here are a couple of "how to" guides to get you going.

Replace seals in cam chain tensioner

Valve Adjustments (8 Valve) (PDF file)

As for fuel leaks:

Overflowing Carbs

And now, your S.W.A.G. (Stuff We All Get)....

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. You'll find all kinds of helpful tips, procedures, manuals, diagrams, "how-to" guides, etc, in the links below. Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of 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 Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. 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

[steve murdoch]

Gonz, now that EVERY thing you need to know about these great bikes has been shown to you, one other thing i wouldn't run the bike again with oil that smells like gas. The lubricating abilities of the oil get compromised by the gas.
Hopefully a petcock repair will take care of the gas leak and then change the oil before running.

[REGonz]

Wow thats a lot of info. I definately appreciate it.

I use my '79 GS1000 as a commuter bike, but obviously its in a pretty bad state, at least I consider it so if I have to rework the valves.

Ive done the carbs once - I think I want to do them again and replace everything that I can. Last time I just disassembled and cleaned.

So the plan is I'm going to buy a new commuter bike...

...And spend a year rebuilding my GS. Hopefully it wont be too hard, I have absolutely no mechanical experience at all.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Wow thats a lot of info. I definately appreciate it.

Yes, take your time and read through everything. It will save you a lot of time.

I use my '79 GS1000 as a commuter bike, but obviously its in a pretty bad state, at least I consider it so if I have to rework the valves.

Valve adjustment is part of the regular maintenance. The factory says check the valve clearances every 4000 miles. A lot of us tend to run the clearances on the loose end of the spec, maybe even .01mm or .02mm over, and we can get by checking them every 6000 miles or so. But do not neglect the valve clearances. Many GS motors have died a horrible death from this neglect.

Ive done the carbs once - I think I want to do them again and replace everything that I can. Last time I just disassembled and cleaned.

There are a couple of very thorough carb cleaning/rebuilding guides available. All you need is an O-ring kit from http://cycleorings.com and a bucket of carb dip. Re-use all of the parts after cleaning. If you must replace any part that is worn or broken, use only OEM carb parts. They just work right. The aftermarket "carb kits" usually contain an incomplete selection of inferior parts.

So the plan is I'm going to buy a new commuter bike...

...And spend a year rebuilding my GS. Hopefully it wont be too hard, I have absolutely no mechanical experience at all.

It shouldn't take that long to get the bike safe and reliable. You'll find maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome". Once you have all of the regular maintenance caught up you'll have a great commuter bike. I've been commuting on mine every day since I bought it 6 years ago. Carbs, valves, fluids, brakes, charging system, and tires are the areas that usually need attention.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[GSXR7ED]

This turned into a good talking point about "Valve Adjustments" and I appreciate the response by BassCliff.

If ever my oil smells like gas, I'll know it's the petcock that needs to be replaced.




Ed

[1948man]

obviously its in a pretty bad state, at least I consider it so if I have to rework the valves

"Rework" is a pretty strong word. Just an adjustment and some new shims.