Leakage help for noob...

[Sasquatch]

Just recently I bought an '81 650L for $300. There is a lot right about her, but she does seem to have some minor issues. She starts no problem but even when warmed up, doesn't seem to want to hold and idle. She also needs the stator replaced and there seems to be what I thought was an exhaust or oil leak right below the right side peg (if you're sitting on the bike) as smoke was coming from underneath the heat shield). It didn't smell like oil smoke. ANYWAY, I haven't had time to mess with the bike to much so this morning I fired it up w/choke on and it wants to rev up to around 3500-4000k and hold it there...trying to lessen the choke to get lower rpms resulted in it dying or creeping back up to the 3.5-4K range. Anyway, after 10 minutes, lots of smoke and for the first time a small drop of what appears to be oil on my garage. I shut the bike off.

So, I'm first going to try to tackle the leak issue (since I'm going to change out for new oil/etc when I put in the stator). What is a likely source for the leak?

Once I get that sorted I'm sure I'll be back to help me sort out the no idle issue.

Thanks in advance.

[jbs80106]

seem to be following me!

Hey. I've just gone thru some of these same things, replaced R/R and stator last week, but now have a problem with my starter so have to pull off tank/carbs to get the starter out.

I also have a tempermental idle....the guy I got the bike from would let it run with the choke wide open for a bit to get it warmed up (would idle up like the throttle was stuck is sounded like to 3-4000 rpm). Read on the site to never let it run with the choke open...messes up the carbs by running them way too rich I think. So I choke, start and knock the choke back down again. Sometimes when cold I couldn't just let her idle while suiting up for the ride as she'd stall out but usually once warmed up all was fine...idle around 600 RPM or something.

Now that I have to do all this other work, I'm going to attempt to mess with the idle screw to see if I can figure it out.

Based on my experiences (and asking probably way too many question on the site....).

Buy a manual. I got mine online for like $12.00 plus $8 shipping (saved about 4 bucks compared to getting one from ebay).

Check your air filter. Mine was bone dry and apparnetly not having it oiled properly can cause running problems (because its getting too much air??? dunno).

When I was replacing my stator, getting the side cover off was a b^tch. It will come off -- had to wack mine with a rubber mallet a lot to break the old gasket.

I don't notice any leaks on mine on the right side of the bike. My shift lever seemed quite oily when I took it off. Don't know if there's a gasket down there someplace or not...

On my bike, the cam tensioner adjusting thing is just coated with black oil. Could be this is running down the right side?

The site is great...wish there was a way to buy everyone a beer for all the help I've been given. I guess you just have to pay it forward and help someone else to keep the karmic mojo going....

Good luck!

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for your encouragement. I did get a manual with it but I guess I missed the part about not letting it idle under joke. I AM pretty leery about letting it run at such a high rpm when warming up...I'm wondering if my leak isn't just seeping oil from the pan...it is pretty grimy down there. I guess if I'm going to do stator/oil/filter, I may as well do the gasket for the pan while I'm at it...I just want to ride NOW ;-) The idle thing is a pain though. The previous owner did say it was drawing some air around the rubber grommet (not sure what to call it) between the carbs and motor but had sealed it w/silicone...I'll tackle the idle issue after the oil related stuff.

[Nessism]

Thanks for your encouragement. I did get a manual with it but I guess I missed the part about not letting it idle under joke. I AM pretty leery about letting it run at such a high rpm when warming up...I'm wondering if my leak isn't just seeping oil from the pan...it is pretty grimy down there. I guess if I'm going to do stator/oil/filter, I may as well do the gasket for the pan while I'm at it...I just want to ride NOW ;-) The idle thing is a pain though. The previous owner did say it was drawing some air around the rubber grommet (not sure what to call it) between the carbs and motor but had sealed it w/silicone...I'll tackle the idle issue after the oil related stuff.

I suggest you use degreaser on the motor so you can pinpoint the source of the leak. Common leak areas are the clutch push rod seal and the shift lever shaft seal. Don't waste effort guessing on where it is leaking, varify after cleaning.

Regarding the leaking air at the carb boot, fix it now or you will NEVER get the bike to run right. Leakage from the large O-ring under the boot is VERY common on these old GS bikes and must be fixed before trying to mess with the carbs.

[bwringer]

Thanks for your encouragement. I did get a manual with it but I guess I missed the part about not letting it idle under joke. I AM pretty leery about letting it run at such a high rpm when warming up...I'm wondering if my leak isn't just seeping oil from the pan...it is pretty grimy down there. I guess if I'm going to do stator/oil/filter, I may as well do the gasket for the pan while I'm at it...I just want to ride NOW ;-) The idle thing is a pain though. The previous owner did say it was drawing some air around the rubber grommet (not sure what to call it) between the carbs and motor but had sealed it w/silicone...I'll tackle the idle issue after the oil related stuff.

I'd tackle the intake leak issue first, actually -- this can and will destroy your valves pretty quickly. Dumping in more oil to compensate for a leak is pretty easy as long as you keep an eye on the level.

Your o-ring and boot part numbers will be different, but the principles are the same:

http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Silicone (or anything else) will NOT work to seal an intake boot -- silicone dissolves quickly in the presence of hot gasoline vapor. The only solution is new intake boots and o-rings. In fact, it's a pretty bad idea to ride the bike at all until you fix this.

The cam chain tensioners all leak after 20 years or so. Here's the fix:

http://bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html

Again, your part numbers may be different, but your tensioner will work about the same way.

[Sasquatch]

This is EXACTLY what I needed, thanks....for $300 I knew the bike would have some issues, so I guess I'll just be patient and do it all the right way.

edit...had no problem finding the boots on bikebandit....over $100 just for rubber boots (pipes)? YUCK! I want to do it right though...

[Nessism]

This is EXACTLY what I needed, thanks....for $300 I knew the bike would have some issues, so I guess I'll just be patient and do it all the right way.

edit...had no problem finding the boots on bikebandit....over $100 just for rubber boots (pipes)? YUCK! I want to do it right though...

I wouldn't assume the boots are bad...but you can count on the O-rings being bad. Take the carbs off and then the boots. If the boots are soft and pliable, you are good to reuse them. And, you will need new screws for the boots since the philips head screws on there WILL get buggered up when you take off the boots. Actually, getting the screws out was a major task on my 550. I replaced them with hex head screws that take a 10mm socket.

Good luck.

[Sasquatch]

well, that would be very nice if all I need were the rings...the oil leak seems to have stopped one I tightened all the bolts in that area (a couple were just barely snug).

[bradleymaynar]

Just a small bit of advice. If you're going to run the bike and not ride it, it's best to get a fan blowing on the front of the engine. Hate to see it overheat.

Brad bt