Oil leak

[1K9]

I had the oil tank O rings changed hoping this would stop an oil leak to no avail. Where might this oil coming from and how is it fixed?

 

[warp9.9]

Dude only a few places the O rings and or the fitting into the block. Of course you should be able to look under the tank and see if one or both of them ports are leaking or not. Then there is the cam cover gasket which includes the sealing areas around each spark plug hole. Should be able to chase that down especially if you have after market filters and no ducting. As for the spark plug wells pull the plugs and see if the out side of the plugs are wet with oil. The oil pressure sensor on the back of the head. The crank case breather if you have aftermarket filtration. And last but definetly the hardest to fix head gasket since your is a early model. Usually you can see it on the back of the motor where the head and block meet and yes the have seeped around and looked like the tank was leaking. Usually you can spot it by pulling the two little plastic infill panels. Other then that other things can leak in the front but you won't see it under the oil tank.

 

[1K9]

You mentioned the weeping holes from around the spark plugs. Where would the oil come out from? When I saw the bike it had been cleaned so I could not tell where the source was.

 

[sonny]

In the process of checking valve clearance and replacing valve cover gasket. The gasket started out seeping a little bit of oil on the right hand side and then it curled and really started to leak. Once I got all the stock ductwork off I found several areas where the gasket has been leaking. This is my second time checking the valves and have bought the Ramair. No way am I going to hassle the stock system twice. Do plan on taking the valve cover to work and check it out for being true and flat. Yes I thought the same that my oil tank was leaking but it is not,turned out to be just the valve cover gasket. Have bought and plan on replacing every seal on the valve cover including the seals around the bolts this time. This gasket lasted 25,000 miles so it was time for a check anyways. First check did at 10,000 miles and no leaks were found. I followed the manual to the letter on replacing the valve cover gasket but believe the cover may be off a bit. Easy fix.

 

[1K9]

Thank you Sonny, that helps. Mine is up for a 40k valve exam. Will change the valve cover and bolts gaskets and plugs. I can't get myself to ride the bike like that spewing oil all over the place.

 

[sonny]

I was amazed at all the leaks I had. Most were small seeping but still. Had the same problem with a bonneville and discovered the valve cover was warped. Had it machined and problem disappeared. Have a good friend at work who is a ace machinist. It will be a cakewalk for him. Really believe from past experience that my valve cover is a bit off. When I did my first valve check a lot of the bolts were not torque down properly from the factory. Knowing this and seeing all the leaks kind of points me in that direction.

 

[1K9]

Will converse with the service people to see what they say. Since I was suspect of the O rings being the problem they might have not even considered it necessary to make sure the leak problem was resolved with the O ring change. Poor communication.

Well, I guess all this is part of the hobby. Certainly, when the bike is right it's a lot of fun and the bike shop has to make a living.
At least I get to do some of the work. The only thing I get to do with the cars is keep them fueled and clean.

 

[sonny]

You have a shop in Texas that can be trusted then you're one up on me. Here in Oklahoma I would not let any of the dealerships work on my bike. You walk into any one of the Dealerships and talk to the mechanics and you figure out real quick that the experience is not there nor the Knowledge of working on the Rocket. It is really sad.

 

[warp9.9]

You mentioned the weeping holes from around the spark plugs. Where would the oil come out from? When I saw the bike it had been cleaned so I could not tell where the source was.

Ok I went out and looked at my bike and with a flashlight I could only see the rear three weep holes. Here is a shot of the rear one so you know what to look for. Its at the top of the yellow line

 

[1K9]

Yeah! I think it is #1 in the front. I can see the back and middle ones well and they look ok. Thank you for the pic. The bike needs the valve check, gasket and plugs any way. For now working or not with the shop is not an option. Missing skills.