Oil leak - XVZ1300

[MiCarl]

I just picked up an 89 Venture Royale. It has an oil leak above the exhaust crossover when running. The left frame behind the shift lever has oil on it.

 

I think it must be the Middle Gear Cover because:

 

- I can't see anything down the back of the engine or on top of the transmission except a coat of grime. And the oil on the floor looks like it just came out of the bottle, no dirt.

 

- PO said the clutch slave was leaking and he hadn't been able to fix it (not clear if he tried).

 

- The bottom of the cover is gooped up like someone tried an external patch or put lots of RTV in the joint when assembling.

 

Before I pull the cover are there any known issues I should be looking for first?

 

Thanks for feedback.

[Squeeze]

Hi,

 

there are four possible Locations for Leaks in that Area.

 

- lowest Bolt on the middle drive Cover needs a copper Washer Seal or the Gasket of the Cover is leaking

 

- Hydaulic Fluid(Brake Fluid) leaks at the Clutch Slave or Line

 

- Shift Shaft Seal is bad

 

- Ol leaks out at the Clutch Slave Cylinder

[SilvrT]

I think on this cover, the bottom screw is different from the others...has a brass or copper washer ... also, the oil leak might be from the wiring seal where they go into the stator cover.

[Black Owl]

Sound like you may have a leaking shaft seal. If I remember correctly, $10.00 from Mama Yama.

 

[MiCarl]

Thanks for the input.

 

I think the shift shaft is forward of the leak but will double check. I haven't spent a lot of time with the service manual yet but I suppose there is some kind of shaft to the clutch that has a seal.

 

It's definitely oil, not hydraulic.

 

I'm going to go ahead and pull the cover. The goop at the bottom is a real red flag.

 

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something higher up.

 

I'll watch for the screw with the washer.

[86er]

It sounds suspiciously like the clutch shaft oil seal. #24 on the schematic from FlatOut Motorcycles.

 

[Pilot]

Does a 1st. gen have the same engine as a 2nd. gen? Don't know so I'm asking, I thought the 1st gen's were 1200?

[SilvrT]

Does a 1st. gen have the same engine as a 2nd. gen? Don't know so I'm asking, I thought the 1st gen's were 1200?

They went from 1200 to 1300 in 1986. The 2nd gen engine is basically the same.

[Condor]

Does a 1st. gen have the same engine as a 2nd. gen? Don't know so I'm asking, I thought the 1st gen's were 1200?

 

Outside of a couple of subtle differences, the 1st and 2nd are the same motor. The 2nd head rear exhaust ports are outboard instead of inboard, and the water pump housing is a different shape. Haven't looked real hard at the rest of the motor, but the internals are basically the same.

[MiCarl]

Turns out it was the LH crankcase cover.

 

Amazing it leaked. Enough RTV in there to fix the hull on the titanic. Of course when you torque tight enough to squeeze it all out of the joint it might not work so well.

[Condor]

Turns out it was the LH crankcase cover.

 

Amazing it leaked. Enough RTV in there to fix the hull on the titanic. Of course when you torque tight enough to squeeze it all out of the joint it might not work so well.

 

Was it the stator cover or the smaller middle gear cover? Something we do when caulking a boat is place toothpicks in the caulk bead. It keeps it from getting squeezed out. And did it have a gasket?

[Guest Bigin]

My 89 was leaking as described by this post.

 

Figured was easiest to check the middle gear cover gasket and copper seal.

 

It was the gasket. Previous owner had a permatex party in there and it didn't work.

 

New gasket and now have a leak free engine again.

 

I love easy fixes!

[Condor]

My 89 was leaking as described by this post.

Figured was easiest to check the middle gear cover gasket and copper seal.

It was the gasket. Previous owner had a permatex party in there and it didn't work.

New gasket and now have a leak free engine again.

 

I love easy fixes!

 

Amen bro...

[MiCarl]

Question - I assumed that Venture or Venture Royale was 1st gen and Royal Star Venture was 2nd gen. Did I get that wrong?

 

When I started to pull the middle gear cover off it started leaking so I realized that since the oil hadn't already leaked out the problem was elsewhere. Bolts were so tight I had to drill the head off one. Not much RTV in there though.

 

The leak was at the engine side cover - the one the stator was in. One of the screws holding the clamp for the stator wire was broken off and one of the screws holding what must be a pickup coil had to be sacrificed. Plenty of RTV in this cover.

 

The plug between the stator pigtail and the harness is fried. I believe at least one of the wires was broken off before I messed with it. Glad to have found this one.

[Venturous Randy]

Question - I assumed that Venture or Venture Royale was 1st gen and Royal Star Venture was 2nd gen. Did I get that wrong?

 

When I started to pull the middle gear cover off it started leaking so I realized that since the oil hadn't already leaked out the problem was elsewhere. Bolts were so tight I had to drill the head off one. Not much RTV in there though.

 

The leak was at the engine side cover - the one the stator was in. One of the screws holding the clamp for the stator wire was broken off and one of the screws holding what must be a pickup coil had to be sacrificed. Plenty of RTV in this cover.

 

The plug between the stator pigtail and the harness is fried. I believe at least one of the wires was broken off before I messed with it. Glad to have found this one.

 

 

It sounds like you are on top of it. One other concern in that area is sometimes oil will migrate through the stator wires and the wire grommet. It works good sometimes to coat the wires on the inside with Seals All, which is oil resistant. As far as your stator wire connections, cut the plug out and do a good solder job on the wires.

RandyA