GS 450L oil leak blues.

[Guest]

Hey guys! I recently joined the motorcycle community last month and this is my first bike. Sadly I do not have very much mechanical experience. The most I've done on this bike is replace the speedo cable and take the headlight assembly off only to realize it's a sealed bulb and I ordered a lightbulb

Recently I've discovered an oil leak, and it seems to be leaking somewhere from the top. I wish I had more knowledge on the names of parts and everything so I could specify exactly where it's coming from, but I have some pictures.

I don't have much experience, but I have some tools (I'll probably be getting an impact driver tomorrow). Do you think this is too much of a job for a newbie like me? I think I'm going to order the Clymer manual as well.

Where are the common oil leak places that I should look for while I'm there?
Is this a common leak area? Is it an easy fix?

Any help and advice and encouragement is very much appreciated!

Anyway, here's the pics.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq6fw3gdjz63ai1/2013-06-10%2011.14.24.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fogtndiza8jgg2w/2013-06-07%2020.55.58.jpg

[almarconi]

The piece sticking out from the cylinders is called your cam chain tensioner. It has a gasket that can leak. You will need to remove the carburetors to get to it. The gasket probably costs about a $1 or you can make one from some gasket material. The service manual has a procedure for cleaning the tensioner. While you have the carburetors removed you should clean them. A factory manual is best but the clymer manual will do. You should be able to download a copy of a manual from the internet. Here is a link to the clymer manual https://skydrive.live.com/view.aspx?...PM7hx6Q2ynLu-A

[Big Rich]

If I'm not mistaken, there's also an o ring inside of the cam chain tensioner that can leak as well. Find an exploded parts diagram to double check that there is one before taking it all apart....

[wally]

Check on Basscliff's site for Bwringer's (I think) step-by-step guide on how to rebuild them (with part nrs).

Super easy!

If I managed to get it done, you can too!

EDIT: Found it!

Link to rebuild
Link for TDC

[pete]

Yep, the tensioners are prone to leaking... in fact mine's doing the same right now! I replaced the gasket a few weeks ago thinking that was the culprit but no such luck, it's the tensioner itself... will be doing that next service in about 2500km's.

Also, after doing nothing but oil changes and spark plug checks, I successfully rebuilt my 450 from the ground up... lots of advice and help on here will get you through no sweat, just make sure to take your time, be patient, don't rush, and you should be good to go...

And look up eBay seller "eClassic Bike" and you should be able to get a factory reproduction manual for around $30 plus shipping... he ships from New Zealand but trust me it's worth it. Use it in conjunction with the Haynes and Clymer on BassCliff's website and you'll be laughing. Just make sure to take your torque figures and things like that from the factory manual... the Haynes and Clymer have a few mistakes in them.

[mike_of_bbg]

As others have pointed out, rebuilding the cam chain tensioner is not difficult (though it should be done with great attention to detail, particularly making sure it's locked before removal and unlocked before running!). The parts will probably run you about $10-15 altogether for seals, o-rings and gasket. Don't touch the knob while the motor is running.

While you may have a sealed beam headlamp now, that doesn't mean you have to replace it with one. Candlepower inc. sells some nice replacement reflectors which should drop in. This will allow you to use bulbs now and in the future, plus the motorcycle-specific reflectors have a better beam pattern for the whole two-wheeled thing (vs. old-fashioned car sealed beams).

http://store.candlepower.com/ca53mohe.html

May I suggest that you:

1. Add your bike to your signature, then nobody will get irritated with you for forgetting to mention what model it is.
2. Add your location to your profile. Who knows, someone might just want to take a lazy Sunday ride out to help you.

The Clymer manual is good for supplemental information and sometimes helpful pictures, but you should check BassCliff's site to see if he has a factory manual already archived for your model (and he probably does).

[DacMaddy]

Wow! Thank you guys so much for all the advice! It definitely feels like a much less daunting task with all of the info you guys have provided. I will be taking pictures as I go along and keep everyone updated on my progress

And thank you very much for the link, I will definitely be using that to help me out.

For the candlepower headlamp, the wattages are different than the factory one, will that make a big difference? Since these motorcycles are prone to electrical problems, should I be worried about ordering a higher wattage headlamp?

[almarconi]

I wouldn't go over 60 watts for the headlight bulb. Use whatever wattage is stock for your bike.

[DacMaddy]

Ahh gotcha. What do you guys think about LED bulbs? They use less power so I wouldn't be overloading my electrical system correct?

[Big Rich]

In general, any led bulb that you can get in a headlight will be far too dim to be safe. Not saying it isn't possible, but for the cost of a safe / legal LED headlight, you'd be better off upgrading your charging system and running a 55w H4 bulb.

[DacMaddy]

Oh ok for it. Well thanks for the advice! I'll probably stick to the candle power then.

I ordered my parts from home bandit and an eagerly awaiting to get my bike back on the road!

[DacMaddy]

Okay so I am still waiting for those parts to come in, however I think I haven't really found the source of the oil leak. I put some of that dye you put in the engine oil that shows up in UV light and waited for a while. I found that it's actually leaking from the underside of my carbs, rather than the cam chain tensioner (which I'll be doing a rebuild on anyway since the parts are coming in :P)

So I haven't really been able to source the leak yet, but it's leaking on the underside of the carbs where the float chamber is. How does oil even get there? This leaks whether the motorcycle is on or not, and actually seems to leak more when the motorcycle is off. Is it really unsafe to ride at this point? Anyone know where the leak could really be coming from? I plan to take my gas tank off soon to try and really find the source of the leak, but I'm worried cause I've never done anything like that before

Any input is appreciated!

[koolaid_kid]

Yes, it is safe to ride.
The only place it can come from is the cam chain tensioner. I know it sounds unrealistic, but oil is under pressure and is flung backwards as you ride. You'll be O.K. once you rebuild the tensioner. I would recommend getting some cleaner so you can spray the outside of the carbs while you have them off rebuilding the tensioner. This way you can verify that the oil leak has ceased once you put it all back together.

[Tamara]

It's safe to ride. Just remember to check your oil level to make sure it's not low until you get the leak fixed.

[Nessism]

Best to find the source of the leak before ordering parts and tearing into the bike.

Clean engine really well using Gunk engine degreaser or similar. Dry engine using leaf blow or similar before restarting.

Restart engine and watch carefully for the source of the leak.

You have a 30+ year old motorcycle that needs maintenance. This oil leak is just the beginning. It is strongly advised to make a list of all the various maintenance tasks the bike will need and start checking them off. Things like a valve adjustment, brake system cleanout, fix the charging system grounds, etc are absolutely critical for the reliability of your bike. Please check the Newbie Mistakes thread linked in my signature so you can learn some of the common pitfalls, thus avoid them.

Good luck