Very Strange Leak

[johncrist1988]

http://imgur.com/a/pqW5F

Link to original page on YouTube.

Is there a gasket back there that's gone kaplooie? Is the oil that far out of it's service life? I intended to give her fresh fluids this weekend but on the way home today this started happening... I was waiting to see where I can get the drain plug washer as I don't have a local Kawi dealer in town.

How deep in am I?

[johncrist1988]

Apparently there's an O-Ring there (40mm) that could be leaking possibly. I didn't realize there was even one there and one wasn't there when I took off that cap earlier.

My question is, could that be it, and if it is, are 40mm O-Rings generic? As in, do I need to get one straight from Kawi or will any O-Ring from any hardware store work?

[Ghostt]

Where's the cap Part # 11012? The O-ring part# 671

[johncrist1988]

There's a cap?

LOL j/k -- I took it off when I noticed the leak coming from the cap.

I found a local parts dealer and put in a new O-Ring and torqued the cap back down a little bit. I also drained and refilled the oil, which came out looking like water. I was unsuccessful at changing the filter because the bolt is stripped o.o So it looks like a trip to the nearest service center in the next few days.

In either case, the leak has stopped entirely. The old O-Ring looked a little shabby, though I don't know why, and the cap came off with relative ease. I'm guessing a combination of poor oil, a less than ideal sealer, and a loose cap all came together to form the leak.

[Ghostt]

LOL okay, just checking, suxs about the bolts, good luck.

[johncrist1988]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

LOL okay, just checking, suxs about the bolts, good luck.

At the very least I put fresh oil in. It needed that. I won't run like crazy until I get the new filter put in, though.

[Ghostt]

When changing the filter don't forget to clean the oil screen.

[johncrist1988]

Originally Posted by Ghostt

When changing the filter don't forget to clean the oil screen.

Definitely.

This has kind of opened my eyes a little to what kind of life this engine has had before finding me. The bolt is stripped, yes, but it's also rusted a little. That leads me to wonder when the last time this engine has had a new filter, or even an oil change. I've changed oil plenty of times in cars and I've never seen oil come out pretty much like running water. That's a first for me.

What else has been missed? What else am I going to find?

Part of me wonders if I should just order a used engine on FleeBay that runs and rebuild this one as a side project, just to know I have a proper engine.

[Ghostt]

Personally these engines are not worth rebuilding, I think of them like a BIC lighter.

If I were you I'd go over the bike carefully, especially the brakes.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by johncrist1988

There's a cap?

I was unsuccessful at changing the filter because the bolt is stripped o.o So it looks like a trip to the nearest service center in the next few days.

no offence but remember that you are working upside down so be careful when loosing you might lose track of which way to turn the bolts. Also those bolts don't take much torque maybe like 14lbs - which is part of the reason I think they got stripped- by applying too much torque.

[crazymadbastard]

Also, that is the alternator cover- I dont think it should have any sort of fluid in there. I never messed with my bike to be absolutely sure- but it should be dry in there- the orings are to keep the electronics dry- perhaps the shaft seal is shot.

[johncrist1988]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

no offence but remember that you are working upside down so be careful when loosing you might lose track of which way to turn the bolts. Also those bolts don't take much torque maybe like 14lbs - which is part of the reason I think they got stripped- by applying too much torque.

The bolt was stripped long before I got down there. I'm twisting it the right way because the other bolt came out the same way. The previous owner is to blame on this one. In either case the service center will have the tools to do it proper.

[johncrist1988]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Also, that is the alternator cover- I dont think it should have any sort of fluid in there. I never messed with my bike to be absolutely sure- but it should be dry in there- the orings are to keep the electronics dry- perhaps the shaft seal is shot.

According to this source the stator has oil splash over it to cool the stator and to lubricate the starter mechanism and it shouldn't cause any charging issues at all. I will, however, ask about that when I take it to get serviced.

[johncrist1988]

What I find particularly interesting is after that oil change (added 2qts) it shifts much more firmly and the clutch feels a lot better. I know it's a wet clutch but I didn't think it would make that substantial of a difference.

[ninjunk]

ohhh yeah, you'll find that oil brand, viscosity, everything makes huge 'feel' difference in the shifting and the clutch operation. Thats true for all motorcycles, especially sportbikes and obviously, since viscosity decreases exponentially with temperature, the operating temp of the oil makes a huge difference.

the generator/magneto assembly is in fact oil bathed. that is kosher.

the oil that was in there before might have been super low viscosity and not necessarily way old and worn out. As long as you don't see any glitter or notice any milkiness or weird smells (gasoline smell implying there is gas in the crankcase, milky is water, duh) it should be fine.

[ninjunk]

oh yeah... two other things to add.

not to start the whole 'oil debate' but many of us on the forums are using "Shell Rotella T6 full synthetic 5w40" with great success. 1 gallon costs about 20 bucks on sale from wally world or any major auto chain. Its 'diesel oil' but its a very high quality oil with the Zinc-based wear additives that make engines happy. (don't put it in anything with a catlytic converter) The 5w40 also gives it a really nice temperature range, offering good protection when cold as a 5w oil and thickens up nicely when it gets hot.

since you get a gallon for cheaps, if you are concerned with there being a bunch of sludge or general nastyness in the oil, run the oil for a tank of gas or so and change it, like a flush.

but yeah sounds like you're already past the 'buying oil' stage on this project. ha.

[johncrist1988]

Originally Posted by ninjunk

but yeah sounds like you're already past the 'buying oil' stage on this project. ha.

That's really good to know and I'll grab that next time. What lends me to think the oil hasn't been properly changed in a long time is that the bolt for the oil filter is stripped to hell and is also rusty. If he did change it himself, as I'm sure any shop would have replaced the bolt, he hasn't changed the filter in probably some time. I'm sure in the short term that's okay, but long term I'm pretty certain it isn't.

I'm going to schedule an appointment to take it to a semi-local service center and get an oil change there as well as new tires mounted. Hopefully it'll just go hush hush and they'll remove the stripped bolt and replace it. At least I'm hoping it's a generally available thing they'll just have laying around.

The old oil didn't have any specs in it nor was it foamy or milky at all, so I'm very happy to know that, at least internally, the engine seems healthy and happy. Happier now that it has some new juices, in fact.

All that's really left on my to-do list is to repair or replace the windscreen, tires, and brakes. Beyond that I can't think of any other 'just purchased used bike' immediate maintenance items. Maybe a carb clean, even though it isn't acting weird and idle is fine.

EDIT: Actually, something I noticed was that when sitting still after riding, going from 2nd to Neutral is fine. Going from 1st to Neutral takes a TON of force, and if it's giving me trouble from 1st to Neutral, going from 2nd to Neutral (because it almost always pops into 2nd rather than neutral at that point) is also a pain in the ass. Any other time it's fine. I wonder why that is.

As far as oil goes, this time I used Mobile 1 10w40 "Track" oil. Hopefully that's decent stuff until I can get the bolt taken care of.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by johncrist1988

...Maybe a carb clean, even though it isn't acting weird and idle is fine.

If it's running fine, I wouldn't mess with the carbs.

[Ghostt]

work out one problem at a time.