Tach Cable Oil Leak Problem on GS850GT

[Anonymous]

Hello! I have had a small amount of oil seeping out of the attachment for the tach cable on the front of the engine on my 1980 GS850GT. I have a maintainance manual which shows that once you take off the tach cable that you should be able to remove the screw holding the tach sleeve in place and pull the sleeve out to replace the o-ring behind it. However, when I try to take the sleeve out it just rotates around and does not slide out or unscrew out. Has anyone done this before and if so how does that sleeve come out--by sliding out or screwing out?
Thanks,
Terry

[KGB]

On my S there's 2 o-rings.
One inside the cam cover and the other outside.
Over engineering, they did leak......
Pain in the a$$ to replace. remove the cam cover, press it out gently from the inside>>out.
Don't over tighten when you put the tach cable back. This can actually crimp the gasket.

[robinjo]

On my S there's 2 o-rings.
One inside the cam cover and the other outside.
Over engineering, they did leak......
Pain in the a$$ to replace. remove the cam cover, press it out gently from the inside>>out.
Don't over tighten when you put the tach cable back. This can actually crimp the gasket.

Had the same bike as KGB and the same problem but I didn't do it from the inside, it needs a lot of wiggling but it is possible, atleast it was on mine...

[Redman]

That sleeve should just pull out (wiggle twist with plyers) after removing that screw and that little tab the screw holds in place. Sleeve is not treaded or anything, just fit into well in cam cover, that o-ring is about only thing making it hard to remove the sleeve from the cam cover. If oil is leaking from the base of that seleve next to the camcover, then that o-ring is what you need to replace. Is a buck or so. Actually is more of a "seal band" than an o-ring part nuymber 26451-45000

But just as likly it is leaking oil out the end off that sleeve, almost like it is leaking out of the cable. That was my problem on my 80 850G. In which case there is an oil seal (more like a gromet/boot with circular spring) in the foward end of that sleeve that needs to be replaced. That part number is 09289-05002. I think this one was 5 or 6 bucks, and well worth it compared to all the oil slooberd over front of engine and dripped and burnt on pipes. To replace this oil-seal in the sleeve you need to remove the sleeve from the cam cover (I didnt need to remove cam cover) so that you can push the seal out from the sleeve (note orientation before its completly out so you install new one in same direction). SO might as well replace the o-ring also.

I went thru all this when the local dealership parts kid got me the o-ring when I first described problem, which didnt help at all. Then I got my own micro-fische and saw the other oil-seal. Ahhhh, much better now.

Oh, on a somewhat related subject, if your cam chanin tensioner is leaking, as mine also did, that is even a lot longer story that I had to fight thru, with even harder to find o-rings and seals because the microfishe is wrong for 80 850s. (can search for this and/or tach drive and redman for more).

Let us know how you progress on this.
Keep the old bikes on the road!

[SqDancerLynn1]

Remove the bolt and loosen the tack cable pull on the cable and it should come out. Repair should only take 15 minutes, Pay attention which way the seal goes in.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info guys. I am ordering the parts this week to get this taken care of. I'll let you know how it goes.
Terry

[Anonymous]

I've got a question. I've just noticed that I'm leaking out at my tach cable, on the engine.. How on earth do you get the tach cable loose? The connecter to mate the tach cable and the engine looks like brass, and it's knurled and round. I've done a search, and I understand I may need one or two seals/o-rings, but I can't see how to start just getting the cable free from the engine.

TIA!

- Eric

[Anonymous]

Had same problem on mine and had to replace tach-drive as well as it was scored. Somehting to check into.

[Anonymous]

Eric, it just unscrews. Use channel-locks or vice grips if it's more than finger tight.

[Anonymous]

Does it really pull of the gear from the outside?

Does the alluminum seal piece really pull off of the gear from the outside? I would like to try it, but Ive been waiting to adjust my valves first becouse I thought it only came out from the inside with the gear still atached.

Will the gear be ok if I pull hard enough to get the seal piece out? I don't want to damage my cam or my gear.

[Anonymous]

I changed my seals and replaced the tach-drive after the motor was assembled. Once the retainer screw and retainer clip are remove there was only friction holding the aluminum piece in place. The tach-drive will come out next (or with it).

[saaz]

It comes straight out. The gear is helical, so when putting back in insert bu hand and use needle nose pliers to gently turn the gear via the tach cable drive so it engages with the cam gear properly.

[Anonymous]

I had the same problem with my leaky tach cable. It wouldn't come out. I could get it to move a little bit if I pried on it with a screwdriver, and I pried pretty hard, but it wouldn't come out.

In the meantime, I found a way to stop the oil leak without taking it apart.
At valve adjustment time, I'll try to fix it from the inside using the appropriate seals.

To stop the leak, I cleaned all the oil off, then I pried the cable holder away from the engine as far as it would go, which was mayby 2mm, then I applied Permatex (the hardening kind) all around it with a stick, making sure it got into the gap. Then I released the screwdriver and let the cable housing spring back towards the valve cover. The next day, it leaked a little bit, so I cleaned the oil off and repplied the Permatex, and it doesn't leak anymore.

It would probably have been a better idea to use the non-hardening Permatex, but I didn't have any at the time.

[Anonymous]

Been there, done that. Use a pair of needle nose plyers and get a good hold of it an wiggle it out. Comes straight out but is stuck because the O-ring has hardened with age, which is why it is leaking. You also need to replace the inside seal(s) on the gear driven shaft. That is a small O-ring or an umbrella seal. It is real small so get your bi-focals where you can see it. That inside seal is probably the one that is leaking but after you remove the outer hardened O-ring is has to be replaced.