Some pictures of my oil leak areas...Diagnosis Please :D

[lilbilly]

First few are of the left side, lower half cooling fins. The leak seems to be coming from the seal between the upper half and lower half.





These next ones are of the left side fins (upper half) and where it seems to be coming from (the bolt).





Not sure if this is working, if not I'll try again.

[Bribird]

nope not working, none of your photos showed up.

[lilbilly]

Sorry, I thought I would get them uploaded quickly and now I have to run to a meeting....I will get them uploaded later this evening.

[salty_monk]

From your descriptions it sounds like a head gasket...

[LarryA_Texas]

First few are of the left side, lower half cooling fins. The leak seems to be coming from the seal between the upper half and lower half.





These next ones are of the left side fins (upper half) and where it seems to be coming from (the bolt).





Not sure if this is working, if not I'll try again.

Oil leaks around the cooling fins on the head can be the head gasket itself. Or if it's in the front it might be the tach cable attach point. Oil is pumped through the same holes the head bolts go through. There are rubber 0-rings at the base of the cylinder. At the seam between the head and the cylinder the head gasket seals that oil chanel. Leaking head gasket means a line of oil on the cooling fins below that union.

[lilbilly]

First 2 are the left side, lower half cooling fins...as I said, after using foot powder it seemed like it was coming from the seal between the upper and lower half.





Second 2 are the right side, upper half. Possibly looked to be coming from the bolt area; I tried to get a good picture of it to show the oil.

[lilbilly]

you guys are saying possibly the head...how much trouble and how much money would I be looking at if you are correct?

[salty_monk]

Not that much if you do the work yourself.... You really need to get the engine scrubbed spotless so you can work out where it's coming from.

The trouble with these engines is that the oil moves about on the fins when riding, when parked on sidestand etc so it could be tracking from a number of places.

Dan

[chef1366]

Pull the little bolts next to your outer spark plugs and the one in the center front and coat with Permatex thread sealer and see if that seals stuff up.

[lilbilly]

Thanks for the advice guys. I will get to those bolts this weekend.

Any other thoughts?

[drhach]

That's rough. I'm chasing a couple fo leaks myself. That's what you get when you buy el-cheapo gaskets.

[Giblet]

I just tore the top end off and replaced all gaskets and o-rings for the second time in a year. I had a base gasket failure. Not sure what was the actual cause but, it was probably a lack of attention. Or, it could have been a gasket that didn't fit properly for one reason or another. Total cost in o-rings & gaskets was way less than $100, probably closer to $75. I started tear down last Thursday evening and rode it this afternoon. Do you have anyone around that is a "GS guru" that can help? I'm fortunate to have made Leon's (Focus Frenzy) acquaintance a few years back. It goes way faster & is much more fun.

1st & I think most important (& already mentioned) is to get some engine degreaser and get it absolutely oil dry on the outside. Then, take a series of short hops, 10 miles or so (5 out, 5 back) and look for oil leaks. CHECK THE EASY STUFF FIRST.

1. Cam chain tensioner gasket leaking can appear to be coming from a multitude of places, including the front of the head. Air flow spreads hot oil very quickly.
2. Tach drive seal & o-ring can dump lots of hot oil that also spreads wherever the air flow sends it.
3. Sometimes retorquing the head bolts buys you some time. You have to pull the carbs BUT, it doesn't cost anything. If you are going to retorque the little bolts, you might as well get the big ones too. Make sure you follow the correct torquing sequence & don't exceed the torque specs. Mine has the order embossed on the head by the bolts.
4. Valve cover gasket is another item that is high on the list.
5. Is your crankcase ventilation hose etc clear of obstruction (probably a hose from the air box to the valve cover) ?
6. Lastly, before you dive off into head gaskets, check the half-moon shaped rubber plugs under the chrome caps that go on the ends of the valve cover.

Take your time and degrease it twice if necessary to get it CLEAN.
Otherwise, you may be fixing oil leakes that don't exist. Buy whatever you can from www.Z1enterprises.com. Jeff has Vesrah gaskets and excellent prices. He treats us GSr's very well. What he doesn't have, you can get Suzuki OEM from www.BikeBandit.com. I'd send Leon but I might need him here .