Tell me this isn't happening!!

[Bedifferent]

I notice some oil wetting around my cylinder head below the VC gasket and near the chain tensioner. The oil does not appear to be coming from VC gasket. Upon close examination it looks like it may be a casting porosity issue with head and oil seeping to the surface. My search on the forum has yielded some information on this subject.

My 2015 R3T is not under warranty anymore and I bought it in Virginia so I would have to deal with a dealer in Grand Rapids where I bought my 2013 which was totaled in 15. I suspect I will be screwed with Triumph doing anything about the head if this is the issue. I will be looking for the best fix.

The picture shows the area I am talking about. I have throughly clean and dried the area in the picture so you "will not" see any oil. When I sprayed the area with a can of air oil seemed to seep or be coming out of the finish in the area. It could be residual but I don't know yet.

I will try and take it for another ride today and see if I can pinpoint more specfically the area the oil is coming from. It's not bad at the moment but there is an issue. More pictures to follow as I work my way through the problem.

 

[RockOn]

I notice some oil wetting around my cylinder head below the VC gasket and near the chain tensioner. The oil does not appear to be coming from VC gasket. Upon close examination it looks like it may be a casting porosity issue with head and oil seeping to the surface. My search on the forum has yielded some information on this subject.

My 2015 R3T is not under warranty anymore and I bought it in Virginia so I would have to deal with a dealer in Grand Rapids where I bought my 2013 which was totaled in 15. I suspect I will be screwed with Triumph doing anything about the head if this is the issue. I will be looking for the best fix.

The picture shows the area I am talking about. I have throughly clean and dried the area in the picture so you "will not" see any oil. When I sprayed the area with a can of air oil seemed to seep or be coming out of the finish in the area. It could be residual but I don't know yet.

I will try and take it for another ride today and see if I can pinpoint more specfically the area the oil is coming from. It's not bad at the moment but there is an issue. More pictures to follow as I work my way through the problem.

It isn't happening........I hope.

 

[Jvheli]

Well, after you confirm that the leak isnt the cover gasket, id recommend an external epoxy repair. Im a machinist, we use a special epoxy for just this purpose. Its even machinable. Casting aluminum sometimes leaves voids. Doesnt necessarily cause structural problems, but isnt fluid tight.

If you choose to do this let me know and I can get you product details. They have one spec for aluminum.

 

[Bedifferent]

I went for a 25 minute ride and checked again. I had a very small amount of wetting (difficult to see in the pictures) in 3 areas. I also saw a very small trace of weeping below the the gasket where the single arrow is in a picture.

It is very difficult to tell as there is no sort of a tracking down the wall to indicate the oil is running down from above. The gasket does not feel wet anywhere around it. I tried some light blue blotting paper but saw no traces of oil on it.

My plan is to lightly seal around the gasket area with some high temp silicone and ride some more to see if I still see oil below. If minimal weeping appears I will know it's the gasket and I am just missing the trace. Pictures

 

[Bedifferent]

Well, after you confirm that the leak isnt the cover gasket, id recommend an external epoxy repair. Im a machinist, we use a special epoxy for just this purpose. Its even machinable. Casting aluminum sometimes leaves voids. Doesnt necessarily cause structural problems, but isnt fluid tight.

If you choose to do this let me know and I can get you product details. They have one spec for aluminum.

That would definitely be my plan. I think it is in a excellent rather obscure area to do that and it is not a structural issue. I considered putting a couple of coats of super glue over the spots to try and seal any pores, but my understanding is....it is only good to about 350 degrees depending on who you read.

I'm looking for a good high temperature black epoxy to do the job. Something I can flow around the area to seal it. If you have recommendation for products that are available let me know. Thanks.

 

[TURBO200R4]

just a taught
if u took a strip of duct tape and put cotton on the top of the tape and place it just under the vc may be that would help to trap oil coming out of valve cover?

 

[Bedifferent]

just a taught
if u took a strip of duct tape and put cotton on the top of the tape and place it just under the vc may be that would help to trap oil coming out of valve cover?

Worth a try

 

[Jvheli]

That would definitely be my plan. I think it is in a excellent rather obscure area to do that and it is not a structural issue. I considered putting a couple of coats of super glue over the spots to try and seal any pores, but my understanding is....it is only good to about 350 degrees depending on who you read.

I'm looking for a good high temperature black epoxy to do the job. Something I can flow around the area to seal it. If you have recommendation for products that are available let me know. Thanks.

This is what we use on aluminum. It isnt cheap, but its what our engineers spec to repair voids, or porosity.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

They also make a shellac you paint or spray on the inside. It was a requirement on the early Harley 4 speed transmissions.

 

[Bedifferent]

They also make a shellac you paint or spray on the inside. It was a requirement on the early Harley 4 speed transmissions.

I saw some of that at the NAPA auto store today.