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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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#2 ·
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.
 
#3 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
Side stand could make a difference.

Sounds like you've got it right for getting the center stand down. It's definitely about weight on the pedal, a little steadying with the right hand, and a little rearward momentum if you need it. But it is possible to just stand it up without moving the bike backwards much. On smooth concrete it usually just slides anyway.
 
#5 ·
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
 

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#7 ·
How does this stuff affect orings and gasket leaks.I'm afraid more than one of my "drops" are coming from either a bad oring or spot on a gasket that has failed to completely stay sealed over time. I really need a nice looking diaper to slip under the motor as opposed to the cardboard I slide under her when I remember in the garage.
 
#9 ·
AT-205 works on rubber O-rings and seals. Not with gaskets. My 83 Goldwing had the typical smoking after start-up. I used AT-205 once about two years ago and she hasn't smoked since. It also stopped a main seal leak at the front of the engine.
 
#8 ·
#11 ·
Actually, as long as I can count the drops and they are not "puddles" I am not to concerned. I have seen puddles in the old days and yes, especially under some Harleys. Although in truth I think their problems were occasionally exaggerated. But then they were bought by AMF and almost seemed to be oil dispensers.

I seem to be plauged by leaky orings at the drain plug. Usually after about 2-3 weeks following a oil change. Maybe I should stop using Harbor Freight o-rings there and get one from Kawasaki.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I knew I probably shouldn't have read this thread. I go back and forth between acceptance and frustration when it comes to my oil leaks which sound basically identical to yours mmart.

I park my bike right next to my MG so between the two of them, I've got oil-dri mats pretty much covering my entire garage floor!

I've at least made a valiant attempt to chase down the VN's leaks (the MG would be futile). I've replaced the spark plug sleeve o-ring, replaced the oil filter and drain plug o-rings and pressure washed that whole part of the engine to see where the newest drips are coming from. It seems they're generally coming coming through the RTV sealant around the stator case (applied by PO). And like mmart's, mine only drips after it's been ridden.

I like your idea, Dirtrack, about the AT-205. Do you know if it'll help re-seal red RTV?

Oh yeah, and about dropping the bike when deploying the center stand: I experienced my first drop a couple of weeks ago while changing my oil. (Hey, better than at a stop light right?) In my case, it was the reverse procedure. With nice oily hands, I grabbed the bars to lower it from the center stand to the side stand to drain that last bit of oil. Wobble, wobble, oh %$#! And down it went. Thankfully it landed away from the MG. Also thankfully, all that got damaged was the rear turn signal. And it screwed the right-hand mirror in really tight.

Speaking of which, is there any adjustment in that lower part of the mirror mount? At the mirror end, there's a stop nut which allows some adjusting of the mirror. At the perch end, there's a similar spot to slide a wrench onto but there doesn't seem to be any equivalent nut to make adjustment for the position of the arm relative to the perch. How would I go about adjusting that position?
 
#18 ·
I knew I probably shouldn't have read this thread. I go back and forth between acceptance and frustration when it comes to my oil leaks which sound basically identical to yours mmart.

I park my bike right next to my MG so between the two of them, I've got oil-dri mats pretty much covering my entire garage floor!

I've at least made a valiant attempt to chase down the VN's leaks (the MG would be futile). I've replaced the spark plug sleeve o-ring, replaced the oil filter and drain plug o-rings and pressure washed that whole part of the engine to see where the newest drips are coming from. It seems they're generally coming coming through the RTV sealant around the stator case (applied by PO). And like mmart's, mine only drips after it's been ridden.

I like your idea, Dirtrack, about the AT-205. Do you know if it'll help re-seal red RTV?

Oh yeah, and about dropping the bike when deploying the center stand: I experienced my first drop a couple of weeks ago while changing my oil. (Hey, better than at a stop light right?) In my case, it was the reverse procedure. With nice oily hands, I grabbed the bars to lower it from the center stand to the side stand to drain that last bit of oil. Wobble, wobble, oh %$#! And down it went. Thankfully it landed away from the MG. Also thankfully, all that got damaged was the rear turn signal. And it screwed the right-hand mirror in really tight.

Speaking of which, is there any adjustment in that lower part of the mirror mount. At the mirror end, there's a stop nut which allows some adjusting of the mirror. At the perch end, there's a similar spot to slide a wrench onto but there doesn't seem to be any equivalent nut to make adjustment for the position of the arm relative to the perch. How would I go about adjusting that position?
About the mirror... I think you can loosen the nut then pivot the mirror stem to the desired position, hold it in place while you tighten the nut.
 
#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.
 
#20 ·
Ok, makes sense. That's how it's been with the mirrors on other bikes I've owned too. I just wanted to make sure before I put these in a vise and try to free that nut up. Both are so stuck that it's going to take some significant force to free them up. I didn't want to break them in the course of trying to budge something that wasn't meant to budge.
 
#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.
 
#26 ·
Send the rain south. Hasn't rained here in over a month and the ground has 1/2" cracks in it.
 
#28 ·
Yes, if you weren't in central to south Florida, the Carolinas or farther north, Ian didn't provide a drop. At least the weather is turning cooler!
 
#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?
 
#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.
 
#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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#33 ·
Thanks for the update mmart. I too have messed with my leak a few times since my last post. Apparently I had two. One of them is now fixed but the other one is a lot like yours.

The one I fixed turned out to be at the oil filter. Interestingly, it was not the filter gasket itself but the gasket underneath the filter mounting plate. I didn't even know there was a plate there, but there is and it has a gasket and an o-ring, which was crushed flat. I replaced both and now there is no longer oil dripping all down my starter like before.

I still have that damn leak at the bottom of the case though. I figured the one last thing I could feasibly try is checking the gasket on the bottom drain plug. (Incidentally does anyone know why that's there? IIRC, the manual says to drain the oil from the side bolt, the one with the screen behind it. So why the redundant drain on the bottom?)

Anyway, that bolt has an aluminum washer which seemed fine so I cleaned it all up and put it back together, added oil, and still have that little drippity-drip after the bike's been run. It drips from that same lowest spot but in my case at least, I'm pretty sure it's coming from the stator cover gasket.

And I'm not going to futz with that; not for a while anyway.
 
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#35 ·
I used to drain the oil from the bottom as well as the side drain. I found that I would get oil leaking from bottom drain because gasket did not seal it always did this so I finally got it to seal. Then I decided I would just drain oil from the side drain where the screen is. I was concerned that the constant issue with the bottom drain I did not want to risk striping the drain bolt. I have no problems with the bottom drain but I stopped draining from bottom drain. I don’t think it’s worth going back to bottom drain is necessary
 
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