leaking engine

[scottsgs]

Hi all,

I'm need to know if the GS motors are prone to leaking oil? My 81 GS850 G leaks from where the cylinders meet the crankcase and the ends of the camshafts. there are other small leaks around the cylinder area. What can be done? Should I just ride it and keep an eye on the oil level?

thnks,

Scott

[Suzuki mad]

Scott, depends on where it leaks joining the cases.

There should be no oil leaks between the joints as a norm, but it could be the chain tensioner at the back of the engine leaking and the oil running out the front between cylinders 2 and 3.

As for the camshafts, do you mean under the 4 caps up the top of the engine?

Behind them there are 4 little rubber half moon which you change when you remove the rocker box gasket. Cheap and easy fix!

Suzuki mad.

[RJz1100E]

The easiest to fix would be any leaks from the valve cover and end caps. In fact those may be the only leaks that you really have and the oil is just running down the motor wherever it can find a path. Is it a lot of oil? Or just a little? I've got a leak or two on my bike but it's a very small amount. I just keep it wiped off and figure when I adjust the valves and replace those gaskets and the tach drive gasket, that it'll probably be gone. Personally, I would fix the easy ones first and then see what happens. Of course keep an eye on the oil level. The other leaks that you say that you have would involve tearing into the motor to a degree that you may or may not feel comfortable in doing yourself. Others will chime in with their recommendations. Be patient. And welcome to the forum.

[bwringer]

Any engine 25+ years old with all the original seals and gaskets is prone to leaks. With that said, the GS engines are less prone to leaking than most.

There are a few common leak sources that are easily and inexpensively fixed with new gaskets/seals, though.
1) Valve cover & breather gasket
Get silicone lifetime replacements from http://realgaskets.com (available for most, but not all GS models.). Pay attention to the torque warning -- 15 inch-pounds is barely finger-tight.

2) Cam chain tensioner seal and o-rings
Details and instructions here: http://bwringer.com/gs/camchaintens.html
And since you have the carbs off: http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

3) Tach cable seals:
Details and instructions: http://bwringer.com/gs/tachcableseals.html

[Billyboy]

Mine it leaking worse than a harley! It looks like the base gasket and the cases. I'm just going to watch my level carefully untill I build my bored motor, then swap it out.

[Jethro]

The good thing about a leaking motor is that you know there is still oil in it!

It's like with the old two strokes. Some folks would worry about smokey exhausts. The reality is that if it stops smoking- that's when you worry.

[scottsgs]

Thanks again for the input! I have used a little bit of gasket maker to stop the seeping from the half moons. The other leak is dead center of the crank case where it meets the cylinders. It's a relativley small leak which I will keep an eye on. I will be doing a valve adjustment soon, so that will take care of that.

Scott