Oil Leak 1983 GS1100ED

[Hoomgar]

I have a leak somewhere and cannot find it. Also, it isn't all the time. It's only when I ride the bike hard. If I puppy it around it wont do it. If I stomp on it and have a good hard ride then when I stop I smell oil burning. When I park it you can see smoke coming off the pipes.

It's dripping down onto the area where the four pipes come together (stock exhaust) but the area/bolt it is dripping off of seems tight. I believe it is running to that area and dripping off of there as it is the lowest point. I cannot however find the dern leak! It isn't a lot as I have noticed it several times now (maybe 5 or more) but my oil level is still OK so it isn't leaking a major amount. It doesn't let any puddles behind on the ground. The leak seems to stop once cool.

I have noticed that the starter motor cover keeps getting wet with oil.

What do you guys think? Cam chain tensioner? Head? Base gasket? I know it isn't the valve cover as I just redid that and can see it is not coming from there. Everything on the bottom appears tight.

I cannot find the leak!

[flyingace]

The two most common sources of leakages on the rear part of the engine are the cam-chain tensioner and the rear cam-end plugs. Of course, an old valve cover gasket can allow oil to escape almost anywhere.

I had a leak I couldn't find once. Wound up steam cleaning the engine to clear out all traces of oily dirt. Then when I rode the bike, it was easy to trace where the leak originated.

Good luck.

[oldschoolGS]

Starter motor cover is wet? Are you running pods without the airbox?

If so, what are you using for a crankcase breather? My '83 750 with pods and a big bore kit (11-1 compression) would sometimes vent small amounts of oil thru the cam cover breather. And only when ridden very hard. Perfectly normal on a motor with 210psi per cylinder.

My breather fix was to route a long clear hose from the cam cover down below the carbs (past the tensioner) and then up behind the carbs (like a P trap) to a small catch bottle located behind the pod filters. The bottle was level with the cover and would very rarely catch oil. The clear tube would catch most, down in the lowest spot which was easily spotted and drained.

I also packed the removable breather cover with wire screen mesh to allow airflow but trap any oil from venting.

Hope this helps, Ed.
1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ
1992 900SS

[Jethro]

Respectfully, I think it will be hard to find someone who has experienced more leaks than myself on the 1100 motor. --jk

The one that was the hardest to find was the cam chain tensioner. The leak was dripping from the upside down front middle bolt at the head/cyl junction (that's right, on the other side of the engine and higher in elevation). I still can't figure out how it was only leaking from there, but sure enough, the gasket I had just put in after rebuilding the tensioner had broken when I forced a bolt through it. The new gasket had me convinced it couldn't possibly be the tensioner leaking. If the tensioner itslef hasn't been rebuilt in a while, it can also leak from the knurled wheel and/or the set screw. Both have o-ring gaskets.

Check also the breather cover and the breather hose itself. If you have the stock airbox, check that the drain for it is intact and routed to the ground. Leaking cam end plugs are usually easy to see. Base gaskets almost never leak, no matter how much you beat on the bike. The tacho cable seal is also a big one. Head gasket leaks are easy to see also.

Just because the starter cover is wet doesn't pin point the leak. Oil leaks can be like the freaking twilight zone on these bikes, what with air passages between the barrels. At highway speed the oil can go anywhere.

[Hoomgar]

I had a leak I couldn't find once. Wound up steam cleaning the engine to clear out all traces of oily dirt. Then when I rode the bike, it was easy to trace where the leak originated.

The thing is, I did that and I still cannot pin it down. It seems there is an oily residue all over everything almost immediately? This dern black engine makes it impossible to see what is wet and what is not. I am having a rough go of it :-?

Starter motor cover is wet? Are you running pods without the airbox?

If so, what are you using for a crankcase breather? My '83 750 with pods and a big bore kit (11-1 compression) would sometimes vent small amounts of oil thru the cam cover breather. And only when ridden very hard. Perfectly normal on a motor with 210psi per cylinder.

Thanks Ed. I am actually used to bikes with Pods and no air box as that is all I have had in the way of GS bikes up until now. However, this bike has the stock air box intact with a K&N drop in filter replacement in it. I don't see any oil coming from there and the breather vent tube is connected correctly at both ends. Still, you have made me think a bit about a few things. Thanks.

The one that was the hardest to find was the cam chain tensioner. The leak was dripping from the upside down front middle bolt at the head/cyl junction (that's right, on the other side of the engine and higher in elevation). I still can't figure out how it was only leaking from there, but sure enough, the gasket I had just put in after rebuilding the tensioner had broken when I forced a bolt through it. The new gasket had me convinced it couldn't possibly be the tensioner leaking. If the tensioner itslef hasn't been rebuilt in a while, it can also leak from the knurled wheel and/or the set screw. Both have o-ring gaskets.

I have been suspecting that cam chain tensioner since I first noticed this. I am not sure what bolt or anything you’re talking about but I am going to just go ahead and yank that bad boy and have a look at it. I know all to well what your saying about pin pointing the leaks on these things. 5 minute ride and the oil is spread all over the place. On my 1000's with silver engines I never had an issue seeing where oil was coming from. This shinny black engine is new to me on a GS and it has been providing its challenges.

There are a lot of "other" things that need attention but I am tackling them one at a time. I'll be pumping you for more info I am sure Geoff.


Thanks for the replies. I know what I am doing this weekend now

[Hoomgar]

I believe I found and fixed it. I changed the oil and filter last Thursday and then rode the bike over 600 miles since then and no more leaking as best I can tell. I guess my cam chain tensioner is fine? The seal on the oil filter cover was leaking. This at least explains what I was seeing smoking at times off the pipe after a hard ride. It does not explain how I was getting oil all over the rear top of the cases though? My starter cover and that whole area was getting wet. I am cleaning that up and going to keep an eye on it. After all, it is possible I had more than one oil leak in a 23 year old bike

[BadBillyB]

Sorry I missed this post, but am glad you made progress. This is exactly what ultra-violet engine oil dye is good for. You put it in the engine oil, run the bike for a bit, then scan it with a black light. Been using this method on cars for years...Can be found in almost any good auto parts store........BadBillyB

[Hoomgar]

Sorry I missed this post, but am glad you made progress. This is exactly what ultra-violet engine oil dye is good for. You put it in the engine oil, run the bike for a bit, then scan it with a black light. Been using this method on cars for years...Can be found in almost any good auto parts store........BadBillyB

Billy, this is one of the "more useful" tips that I like to get on here. I never thought of that and I even already knew about it having used it in my old Chevy's! You da man! Thanks buddy

[ehra]

A method I use to spot leaks is to clean the engine up then spray the suspected area with a deodorant that contains a drying powder. When you start the engine the powder will show the leak almost immediately by darkening up. An upside is the engine will never have smelly pits.

Glenn

[Hoomgar]

A method I use to spot leaks is to clean the engine up then spray the suspected area with a deodorant that contains a drying powder. When you start the engine the powder will show the leak almost immediately by darkening up. An upside is the engine will never have smelly pits.

Glenn

That is a good one too

[DimitriT]

I would look for any oil on the underside of the tensioner.

I try and get all the old oil and dirt off the motor so I can track down any leaks.

I recently changed the gasket on my cam chain tensioner and being an impatient (and cheap) SOB, I cut my own from some material I had lying around. I noticed a little oil on the starter motor cover the next day, and a drop hanging under the tensioner. I gave the tensioner bolts 1/8 of a turn more and it seems to have taken care of it.

Added: Glad to see you gound it

[Hoomgar]

I forgot to update this. I found the leak weeks ago and fixed it. Someone had secured the oil filter cover with some sort of hard sealant that almost looked like JB weld in color and hardness but was not as tough. I was able to clean it off. The O-ring had been red Permatexed into place and the top right bolt stud gone and replaced with a badly fitting bolt. The whole combo equaled a leaky seal job.

I removed it, cleaned it up and put it all back on correctly including the missing bolt. A new K&N oil filter and fresh oil and I haven't seen a lick of oil anywhere since. I also used no oil at all that I could notice in my 600+ mile weekend to Orange county.




Just for the record, this was not the handy work of the person I bought the bike from. That individual did not put enough miles on the motor to have to dig into that so he didn't know it was an issue as it only started leaking after I had brought the bike home and did not leak in his possession. Just setting the record straight on that right now before the rumor mill starts.