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2-3 drops, drives me nuts!

3K views 34 replies 8 participants last post by  Buddy 
#1 ·
Hello All,
So as the title indicates, I have an oil leak but it’s puzzling as I can’t figure out where it’s coming from. So to elaborate, it only leaks the first time I cut the motor. Meaning if it’s been parked a week it will not leak the whole time it’s sitting there, but if I take it to work which is about a 4 mile stop n go type ride, it’ll leak when I first park it. I’ll see 2-3 drops under the side stand area and that’s it. It’s been doing this for a while so my thinking is that a drop here and a drop there eventually adds up so I decided to check the oil level today.

I hate to admit it but getting the damn bike on the center stand is an anxiety inducing experience for me. Even though I did it I always feel like I’m going to drop the bike.
But anyway, I look at the site glass and it’s pretty impossible to see, So I’m guessing the site is just dirty. I start the bike and run it a little bit at various RPMs for a few minutes trying my best to replicate normal use for a short ride and then I shut it. I dropped back to the sight glass with my phone lit and I can see the oil making it’s way back down. I noticed it’s quickly making its way to the “H” mark. So here’s my first question, How quickly should it settle back down? I assumed oil would be slower.

My next thought is, if it’s full then how is it staying full because it leaks. I understand a small drop of oil spreads on the ground but this is consistent and I haven’t added oil so I’d expect some change. The other things I considered is it was overfilled to begin with from the shop and it’s being forced out so where or my petcock leaks but living through that before I’d expect to see a lot more seeping out and in a different area. The drops don’t smell like fuel to me.

So I toss it to you Vulcan gods, what say you?
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
See if the vacuum port and it's hose on the petcock is wet after a ride.

Touch the bottom of the shifter shaft, along the bottom of the side case and stator cover, check for oil. Check around the oil filter and oil switch. A full bottle of baby powder can puff clouds of powder and it will stick to oil. Check the drain plug and the oil screen cap .

It takes a bit for the sight glass to fill up, but hot oil runs quicker. It can take a while to be low on oil if it's only leaking a couple of drops.

You can also dab around with a paper towel.

Thought you were going to say you dropped the bike.
Ha, no I gave myself a little “stop being a punk” speech and got it on the 3rd try. I think I finally realized it’s more about putting my weight down on the stand down as opposed to pulling it back.
So after I posted, I went through a half roll of paper towels to wipe the grime off the bottom and all the spots you mentioned. I ran it again and put it in gear a couple times. I left towels down but couldn’t get a drop out of it. So I let it cool and then started dabbing around with a clean towel. I think I may have it narrowed it down to either the drain plug or around one of the bolts on the dreaded stator case. If it’s the case then it’s staying that way for now. I think I need to give it a deep cleaning so I can see if it’s coming from higher up for sanity.
I find it odd that it didn’t drip at all though. I’m curious if leaning over on the side stand has anything to do with it.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
All my bikes are 'classic/vintage' so I use AT-205 reseal in the oil to condition the seals. Works great! Before using it with a wet clutch, I contacted the manufacturer. They assured me there would be no issues with our clutches because the product doesn't contain any friction modifiers. It really works
I’d consider trying this, I going to try and clean the bike up some more and try to figure out where it’s coming from.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Well just to illustrate what I’m seeing , it sat all weekend, no drips from what I see, I take the 3 1/2 mile ride to work and as soon as I park it.
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Discussion starter · #19 ·
Yes, you need to position the stem first then tighten that nut. Both my mishaps resulted in right hand mirror damage so I’ve done it a few times.
Before I rode home tonight I felt around a few spots with my hand, looked like a touch of clean oil was on the outside stator case. This appears to be the highest point I’ve found so far. If this is the cause then I'm to blame for my own insanity because I’m the last to replace that seal, at least it’s an easy fix. I’ll still try the AT-205 first.
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
Well, I’m halfway there, I finally picked up the AT-205, I went to Autozone and walked the isle for 10min. Finally I stopped a guy in the store and showed him my phone and said where do you guys keep this? His response “well according to your phone it’s at “Advanced Auto Parts”. Oops, wrong store! But at least they are only a block away from each other. Now I just need to wait for this seemingly endless rain to stop.
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
Just an update here. The label states that a full bottle will treat 6 qts of oil, so I used more than half. I watched a few YouTube videos on this stuff and one stated the product works best after about 5 hours of running. Well for various reasons it’s been tough to log 5 hours of runtime. I think I’m close but I still see a few drops after every first run.
Is it a pipe dream to think this eventually will work?
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
I haven’t really tried anything else yet. It’s not leaking a lot so it’s more annoying than concerning(for now). I took the easy route 1st with the additive but checking the bolts shouldn’t be too hard. I didn’t touch the drain plug yet as I want to change the oil soon anyway.
 
Discussion starter · #32 ·
So it’s been about 8 months or so since I posted this. I used the At-205 and the bike still has a drip. So I had power washed the bottom of the bike (other parts too) a couple weeks back and have been checking. The few spots I thought it could be like the shifter, or the stator case don’t seem to be the source. So last ride out I got on the ground and snapped a pic. I can’t tell if the case is leaking right down the center. I’m just not sure what/where else it’s coming from. My other thought is since it’s such a tiny leak is it possibly coming from elsewhere and only drips when the engine warms it up enough to make the light coating flow? It’s baffling, because it just doesn’t drip every time.



I plan on changing the oil soon so I don’t know if it’s the right time for another dose of the AT-205.

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