Oil Leak 83 850g

[davegs850]

I have some oil leaking out left side seems to be at the bottom of the cooling fins, just wondering if this is a common problem and what the fix may be. My plans right now are just to keep riding and deal with it at the end of the season. It seems to be a drop or two in ten miles after a 50 mile ride i need to wipe it off the side cover.

[keman]

The lower cylinder gaskets are a common leak source. There is only one way to fix it. Get a set of new oem gaskets and tear it down. make sure you clean and prep every surface as you put it all back together. If you only want to do it one time, take your time and take no shortcuts.



Tips and tricks...

Give the block/engine side of the gasket a light coat of chapstick (unflavored). If you ever need to pull it apart, the gasket will stick to the part you are pulling off, not to the engine (way easier to clean)

Use OEM gaskets, clean the surfaces well, do NOT use RTV! RTV is often over used, and can introduce nasty bits of goo into your oil. Good surface prep is better than any sealant.

[tkent02]

It's probably the base gasket leaking, they do that sometimes. Yeah, fix it next winter. Or the one after that.
But you should make sure your oil isn't getting diluted with gasoline from a bad petcock, as sometimes that will start the leaking.

[davegs850]

Thanks Guys, My main concern was if i should keep riding as you can tell i am pretty new. I have not replaced the petcock yet which i know should be done. After buying tires adjusting valves and brake rebuild currently waiting for the wallet to build back up it usually takes awhile for that to happen. what are the first signs to look for with the petcock. Is it oil level getting higher and oil smelling like gas? The bike is running great right now.

[tkent02]

Just smell the oil, if it's full of gas you will know.
The oil level may not come up, as the fuel diluted oil will burn off and leak faster, leaving the same amount of diluted oil.
But it will smell funny.

[davegs850]

I took off my oil fill cap last night and i thought i smelled faint gas when i put my nose down there my wife smelled nothing. Four guys at work lndependently smelled it today and without me telling them what they were looking for all four said they smelled gas i guess my next step is to drain oil and smell and i assume i should not run it untill i get a new petcock? also i think i read somewhere on the sight that z1 is a good place to get one is that correct

[tkent02]

I took off my oil fill cap last night and i thought i smelled faint gas when i put my nose down there my wife smelled nothing. Four guys at work lndependently smelled it today and without me telling them what they were looking for all four said they smelled gas i guess my next step is to drain oil and smell and i assume i should not run it untill i get a new petcock? also i think i read somewhere on the sight that z1 is a good place to get one is that correct

yep .

[davegs850]

Thanks tkent i think you may have saved me a bunch of trouble bit the bullet and ordered one today. Good Call you have done this before i suspect

[ddaniels]

I'm confused. How does a bad pecock cause gas to get into the oil?

[govburns]

I'm confused. How does a bad petcock cause gas to get into the oil?

I was wondering about that too... If it leaks while the bike is sitting (and the needle valves aren't perfect) and the level in the carb fuel bowls gets high enough that fuel could run into the cylinders, I would expect it to drain out the over flow tube in the center of the bowl first before running into the intake. Maybe not though depending on if the overflow tubes are clogged, and perhaps the angle of the bike.

With respect to your oil leak, make sure you know where it is coming from before you try to fix it. I recently thought I had labor intensive leak that turned out to be just coming from my valve cover ($10 gasket and an hr). The key is to totally clean the engine, run it and inspect it, repeating this process until you figure out the source.

Good luck!

[davegs850]

I really dont understand just trusting fellow members what are the issues normally with a bad petcock?

[DanTheMan]

A bad petcock can leak through the vacuum tube straight through the diaphragm into the carb throat and down into the cylinders. If it fills the bowl (leaking through the fuel side) and leaks through the needle valve it'll flow out through the air filter housing onto the ground as well.