Advice needed - Oil Leak!

[Nemo]

I have an oil leak . I checked all the bolts on the bottom of the motor for tightness. I see 2 hoses coming down from above, next to the motor, with oil on them. There is a large chrome cover on the left side just below where the rear cylinder ties into the exhaust pipe. This cover has 7 bolts around it's perimeter. Question. Can these bolts and the cover be removed without a problem, and expose those hoses to see where the leak is coming from?

Owen.

[M61A1MECH]

How much of a leak are you seeing?

 

Those two hoses you mentioned are the drain tubes for the air boxes, pretty common for those to load up with oil or oil fumes because the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system dumps vapors and any oil that it sucks up right into the air boxes, and then those tube are there to drain the oil away so the airboxes do not fill up with oil.

Most common problem is folks over fill the crankcase when the do an oil change. If the oil level is above half way in the sight glass with the bike vertical the crank case is over filled and the PCV system will suck the excess oil right up to the airboxes and eventally down thos e tubes to the ground.

 

If the covers on the bike left or right do not have oil drips on them then it is unlikely they are the culprit. On the right side as you are sitting on the bike the cover to the rear of the motor has the clutch behind it. If the bike is on the side stand you can pull that cover and not get any oil loss, but you will need a new gasket before you put it back on, but there is nothing in there that should contribute to an external leak unless the cover is not installed correctly and then you should see oil on the cover or the bolts. I am not sure what is behind the cover you described on the left side of the bike, I never took that one off.

 

The other possibility is therear shock blew a seal, that will look like and engine oil leak also.

[Nemo]

Thanks Steve, but the oil is on the outsides of the 2 tubes so it's coming from above the ends of the tubes. There isn't too much of a leak, maybe a few drops a night, but it spreads on the floor. I mentioned the left side cover because I thought that it may be possible to see the side view of these tubes, if they were behind this cover and see where the oil is coming from. I don't want to remove this cover and get into trouble of losing oil or some other problem. And I don't have the rear shock because I've added the Hannigan Trike kit. Owen.

[skydoc_17]

Hey Nemo,

You didn't mention which bike you are talking about, but I assume you are asking about the 99'RSV. When was the last time you changed your Valve Cover Gaskets?

The two covers on the left side of your RSV are the front cover, which has the stator in it, and the next cover back is the "middle gear cover". This second cover exposes the middle gear assembly, and the clutch slave cylinder. I don't think removing that cover is going to net you the results you are looking for, plus you will need a new gasket to reinstall the middle gear cover. Run your finger across the rear of the rear Valve Cover where it contacts the Cylinder head. If you have oil on your fingers then the Valve Cover is leaking, and needs to be replaced.

You didn't mention the mileage on your bike, but anything above 25,000 miles could cause you to see oil from the Valve Cover Gaskets.

Good Luck, Remember, gravity is NOT your friend with oil leaks.

Earl

[M61A1MECH]

Owen,

Those tube are extenal to the engine, on my 07 and on my 98 when I had it, the out side of the tubes would get oily, probably from the air under the bike pushing the oil that comes out of the tubes around. Those tubes are cut at a 45 degree angle and the angle should be pointing to the back of the bike, that way when you are moving at a good clip there is a low pressure area behind the tube and helps to suck the oil out, where goes in all of that disturbed air under he bike is anyones guess, but it could wash back onto the outside of the tubes.

 

If you pull the seat and the fuel tank you can trace those lines, they are routed in the wire tray that runs along the fuel tank then dive down some where under the seat, battery area and then thru the frame work.

 

I see no reason to worry about what is behind that cover.

 

Take a rag and clean the tubes off so they are dry, take a cotton swab and swab the inside of the tubes to get out as much residue as you can out.

Run the bike in neutral for a good bit rev it up and then check for oil residue on the tubes or under the bike, my bet is you will not see any thing untill you take her back on the road and get some miles at a decent speed on her , then you may se he drips start to form again.

 

At that time, take the tank off and get into the air boxes and mop up the oil that is in the bottom of the boxes. I bet you will be surprized at how much oil is in there.

[Cougar]

[dacheedah]

Warm water and dawn in a spray bottle, spray, coffee break, spray, coffee break, rinse n wipe. Agree its probably migrated from the airbox

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nemo]

Thanks to Everyone for the responses! I'm unsure about the valve cover gaskets, but no, I've never changed them myself. I see no visible oil on any exterior surface nor any that I can touch. I will try cleaning the tubes inside and out. Plus temporarily, I'll keep a cardboard under it while in the garage. It's just a minor drip.

 

There are two things (actually more than two) that I appreciate from this Forum. One is for the expert advice received to complete repairs and the second is the advice to prevent from doing the wrong thing. Have a Fun riding year! Owen