1980 Gs1000 oil leak near exhaust

[Guest]

First off, I'm so glad to have found this forum. I just bought a 1980 GS1000gl with 5500 miles on it. I've gone through and changed all of the fluids and plugs. Everything seems to be going well, except this small leak on the upper cylinder. At first I thought it may have been the seal next to where the oil is. I got a torque wrench and torqued all of the cylinder bolts to 27fp. Now I'm starting to think it may be the exhaust gasket. I just posted this to see if anyone else can shed some light.

Thanks!

[Wizardofwizdom]

Here are some other photos of this:

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/ag104/Anthoni_Rossi/oil%20leak/20130604_131543_zpsfa340b4f.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/ag104/Anthoni_Rossi/oil%20leak/20130604_131534_zps34e32264.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/ag104/Anthoni_Rossi/oil%20leak/20130604_131528_zpsa81aba82.jpg

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. WizardofWisdom,

It's possible that your cam chain tensioner is leaking and the oil is getting blown around the fins. It's a common symptom that is easily fixed. See: Replace seals in cam chain tensioner

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[azr]

Just a guess but I'm thinking it's your head gasket or the o-ring that's in the head, all part of replacing your head gasket. An exhaust gasket leak will not leak oil. Look at this parts fiche and you'll see the gasket/o-ring. Is there oil anywhere else on the engine, front or back?

http://www.boulevardsuzuki.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=95722&category=Motorcycles&make=SUZUKI&year=1980&fveh=2152

[BassCliff]

Hey Rob,

Just a guess but I'm thinking it's your head gasket or the o-ring that's in the head,...

Yes, that's possible. It seems there's a lot more oil on the fins below the head gasket than on the head gasket itself, or the fin just below the head gasket, which have almost none. I'm still thinking a cam chain tensioner leak is getting blown around the engine.

To Mr. WizardofWisdom, you can always use the spray powder trick. Clean the engine, spray some foot powder, run the engine, and look for the wet spot.




Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Wizardofwizdom]

Hey Rob,



Yes, that's possible. It seems there's a lot more oil on the fins below the head gasket than on the head gasket itself, or the fin just below the head gasket, which have almost none. I'm still thinking a cam chain tensioner leak is getting blown around the engine.

To Mr. WizardofWisdom, you can always use the spray powder trick. Clean the engine, spray some foot powder, run the engine, and look for the wet spot.




Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

That's an awesome idea! It's all on the top, front, left side. I don't see any leakage anywhere else. That's why I thought it had something to do with the exhaust gasket. it's not showing up anywhere else. I'll try that out and post a picture.

[Agemax]

if it is at the front i doubt very much if it is the camchain tensioner.
i agree with head gasket or possibly even valve cover gasket, especially the half moons.

pop the round cam end cover off on the front left, see if there is any signs of a leak there.

[850 Combat]

Look at the center front of the engine. A leak on the front ot the valve cover is common in front ot the cam chain. The oil often ends up there. Tach drive leak oil often ensd up there too. It looks like you have a pretty big leak. Major sources should be fairly simple to find.

[Wizardofwizdom]

To Mr. WizardofWisdom, you can always use the spray powder trick. Clean the engine, spray some foot powder, run the engine, and look for the wet spot.

So, I tried the foot spray method, and it does seem to be the cylinder head gasket. Any recommendations on gasket brands or walkthroughs?

Thanks,

[azr]

The same fella that recommended the powder trick to you is doing an excellent walk through.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=208563

[Wizardofwizdom]

The same fella that recommended the powder trick to you is doing an excellent walk through.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=208563

Awesome! Thanks. I'm not sure if this is in my wheelhouse yet. This is my second week as a bike owner. Haha. Changing my fluids wasn't hard, but dealing with timing chains might be a little over my head.