1983 GS850L oil leak and loss of power

[TroyHardy]

Hey guys, new guy here with a problem. I have a 1983 GS850L, and it started leaking oil. It has 29,000 miles, and has been running the past 5 or 6 seasons. The only recent work that has been done to it is a new pulse coil last summer, carbs rebuilt at the same time, and the previous summer i put a new clutch/starter in.

Now that you guys have some idea of the condition of the bike, here's the problem and how it happened (well, when it happened). I was hoping someone might have some kind of idea what is going on with my bike.

Last fall I was out riding, going about 60~65 on an open road and out of no where oil started to flow out of my bike, and I lost just about all power. The bike would not accelerate, and the oil literally covered my leg (initially I though I was bleeding). I pulled over, and the bike kept leaking the oil. It seemed as though it was all coming out from where my air filter is, so I took off the cover and my air filter was dripping oil. I was able to ride the bike home, but it had just about no power, but would still ride. Before riding it home, I put a few quarts of oil in and road home. It happened to me again on the way back, and since then its sat for the past 5 months.

I was just wondering if anyone might have any ideas about what is going on with it. I just found it strange that suddenly it started leaking, that it was leaking into my air filter, and that I lost just about power/acceleration.

Thanks for your guys help,
Troy

[SqDancerLynn1]

First thing to check is that their is no gas in the oil !! If the crankcase filed with gas it could blow out the vent tube connected to the airbox. I would also check the half moon plugs on the cam cover, make sure one didn't pop out.. Next check the compression

[bwringer]

Agreed -- my first guess is a bad petcock that leaked gas into the crankcase.

Start with that -- there are a few other problems you'll have as well. After sitting for that long, the carbs are dead certain to be gummed up, for one.

Everything is solvable, though.



Also, put your approximate location in your sig and in your profile. There might be a local GS-er willing to lend a hand.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. TroyHardy,

I know it seems bad, but it's not as bad as all that. To speak redundantly again, go ahead and drain the oil to see if there is gas in it. If so, you've probably got a bad petcock. The loss of power is probably due to carb issues. Of course, if your air filter is full of oil then the engine is not getting much air. There is a list of items to check, clean, replace, maintain, adjust, etc, in order to ensure these classic bikes are running their best. It's in your "mega-welcome". That's how I say, "Howdy!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[TroyHardy]

Agreed -- my first guess is a bad petcock that leaked gas into the crankcase.

Start with that -- there are a few other problems you'll have as well. After sitting for that long, the carbs are dead certain to be gummed up, for one.

Everything is solvable, though.

Also, put your approximate location in your sig and in your profile. There might be a local GS-er willing to lend a hand.

Thanks for the pointers so far guys, I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Also, I'm in Southeast Wisconsin, right by Kenosha/Racine.

[TroyHardy]

also, just throwing this out there. my dads friend has a shop outta state, but he called him just to get ideas.

he thinks that its possible that I burnt a hole in one of my pistons that is related to me getting my carbs done. he thought it was possible that they were running too lean, and that caused it all my issues (oil leaking, lack of power etc). he wanted me to take it some where and have them run a compression test to see if any cylinders failed. is that worth doing, or no?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

It's possible, but I think it's a reach. But if you do have a bad piston, I suppose it's best to find out before you spend a lot of money on the bike.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

A holed piston is EXTREMELY unlikely and wouldn't cause an "oil leak" through the airbox.


The reason I put quotes around "oil leak" is that there's simply no way for engine oil to leak out the airbox. What can and does happen is that mung from an old petcock props open one or more carb needle valves. This causes gas to flood the carb and run into the airbox. The inside of every airbox is a smelly slimy cesspool of oily gunk, so the gas dissolves some of the gunk and looks like oil when it runs out the drain tube.

Start with the basics, and take it one thing at a time. Read through Basscliff's guides. Don't skip anything.

There's also a valve clearance check in your future, as well as sealing the airbox and several other tasks besides. But this path has been trodden before by many others, and there is plenty of help -- the GS850 is one of the more popular and well-understood GS models.

[TroyHardy]

well, new issue. rebuilt the petcock, now I have no spark in my spark plugs. this is starting to get me extremely discouraged.