GS550 leaking oil

[Hoggystyle]

i recently noticed that my engine is leaking oil from the left side of my engine..i cleaned the bottom side of my engine and will check it in the morning to see where the leak is coming from, it seems to be the whole left seide(base gasket, clutch cover, maybe even the crankcase. the think is, it was not doing this when i bought it. at first it blew white smoke, so i cleaned the carbs, new orings, new intake rings, and it took care for the problem. it is now around 30 degrees where i live, and i couldnt get it started. it had a dyna s ignition and a charged battery so i suspect the valves are way tight. i have a set of feeler guages in the mail and already have the tool. but could the cold weather, and being on its sidestand for a few months cause oil to seep from the gaskets? they are all pretty bad by the looks of, valve covers are grimey as well as the chain tensioner. so i think im going to get a full gasket kit from Z1 Enterprises. could repeated use of the starter cause engine damage that would cause this?

[Suzuki_Don]

I recently noticed that my engine is leaking oil from the left side. I cleaned the bottom side of my engine and will check it in the morning to see where the leak is coming from, it seems to be the whole left side (base gasket, clutch cover, maybe even the crankcase. The thing is, it was not doing this when I bought it. At first it blew white smoke, so I cleaned the carbs, new o rings, new intake rings, and it took care for the problem. It is now around 30 degrees where I live, and I couldn't get it started. It had a dyna s ignition and a charged battery so I suspect the valves are way tight. I have a set of feeler gauges in the mail and already have the tool. But could the cold weather, and being on its sidestand for a few months cause oil to seep from the gaskets? They are all pretty bad by the looks of, valve covers are grimey as well as the chain tensioner. So I think I'm going to get a full gasket kit from Z1 Enterprises. Could repeated use of the starter cause engine damage that would cause this?

To begin with the clutch gasket is on the RH side of the engine. There is no gasket where the cover goes on the LH side that covers the gearbox sprocket and clutch pushrod.

The leak could be from any of the following places on the LH side of the engine:

Clutch pushrod seal, Transmission output shaft seal, Valve cover gasket, cyl. head gasket, cyl. base gasket, generator cover gasket (most likely), Cam chain tensioner gasket. It is most unlikely the seal between the crankcase halves (BTW this is not an actual seal but sealant between the two halves). You could also check where the tacho drive comes out of the valve cover for a leak there. And then there is the breather on top of the valve cover.

Wash the entire motor down, dry it off and then check for leaks when you have the engine running.

[cowboyup3371]

Agreed with Don. Many folks here recommend using Athlete's Foot powder/spray to help find the leak.

[Hoggystyle]

soon i will have the bike out to my boss's bike shop, and will be able to thoroughly clean the engine, at the moment it is in a half burnt tool shed behind the apartment im renting. from what i can see, there are old leaks from the valve cover gasket, breather gasket, cam chain tensioner, lots of grime specifically around those areas and parts of the old gasket hanging out of the sides. theres so much i plan to do already, the last thing i need is an engine leak. ill give it a good wash and go from there, but i already know im going to need at least 3 gaskets for the top end so far. is there a good place that you know of where i can find a top end gasket kit? ive already priced them individually and its definately not cheap!

[GS1100GK]

theres so much i plan to do already, the last thing i need is an engine leak. ill give it a good wash and go from there, but i already know im going to need at least 3 gaskets for the top end so far. is there a good place that you know of where i can find a top end gasket kit? ive already priced them individually and its definately not cheap!

Heads up, we replaced the head and base gasket on Matt's 1981 GS550L this summer. Drop him a line for sources where he got the parts- MrZufall

If you need tips or info, just shout! You'll want some very basic and inexpensive tools.

- JC

[Hoggystyle]

oh nice, thanks! as soon as i get everything back together ill see where the leak is coming from. i just did a valve adjustment with a new cover and breather gasket, so that will eliminate one possibility. hopefully thats the ticket, because this "routine maintence" is turning into a entire rebuild pretty fast

[Steve]

... this "routine maintence" is turning into a entire rebuild pretty fast

You have to remember that you have a 30-year-old bike that is probably about 20 years behind on its "routine maintenance".

.

[GS1100GK]

Found the post. Here is our rebuild from last year. Everyone was quite helpful. I think Steve gave me a complete rundown on the phone before we even started

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=173987

If you do a teardown, take special care to order the gaskets and orings mentioned in the thread.

- JC

[Hoggystyle]

very true, i tihnk im just playing catch up with the POs neglect. if i comes to this then i will use your thread for reference. i am very thankful i have my manual and helpful people like yourselves through all of this

[1_v8_merc]

Doublecheck your oil level real quick.
Sometimes these bikes leak if they are overfilled.

Likely your gaskets are old, and the PO never retightened all the bolts on the bike.
(which the manual clearly says to do!)

If you can't afford gaskets, why not trace your own with a roll of gasket paper?
The valve gasket is a tricky one, but it can easily be done.

[Hoggystyle]

i just drained the oil and changed the filter. its a little high but ill take care of it when i get the exhaust back on. as far as making my own gaskets, i tried my hand the other day and made one for the ignition cover, but didnt really trust myself with the whole valve cover yet so i found a cheap oem gasket on ebay.