Tell me this isn't happening!!

[Navigator]

That's one of those nightmare issues one doesn't want to read about.

Even though it is out of warranty, Triumph has been good over the years about warranting obvious manufacturing defects, which this clearly might be. Recall all of the "paint can rattles" and the output shaft bearing failures that Triumph warranted many years and thousands of miles out of warranty.

 

[Mittzy]

Clean the whole area thoroughly whit de-greaser and metho etc. let dry 100% then dust the area (including rocker cover gasket) with talcum powder (or flour maybe) then ride around the block then reaply talcum powder and look for moisture (oil) discoloration... This will pin point where the problem lies.

 

[AJ1]

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.

My 2017 RT3 developed the same problem at 4K miles, the leak started showing up. Today I got a call from the shop that it is a defective cylinder head and needs replacement. The dealer is awaiting reply from Triumph. Its under warranty. Just curious - Do you use TORS or any aftermarket pipe ?

 

[scot in exile]

This brings back some old memories ,once upon a time we were proud when our triumphs leaked now we get upset I wish Triumph would decide --leak or dry

 

[scot in exile]

Clean the whole area thoroughly whit de-greaser and metho etc. let dry 100% then dust the area (including rocker cover gasket) with talcum powder (or flour maybe) then ride around the block then reaply talcum powder and look for moisture (oil) discoloration... This will pin point where the problem lies.

Be careful just had a lawsuit in America over talcum powder something about cancer would hate to see your bike getting sick. Lots of ways to check try a few as mentioned and let us know.

 

[Bedifferent]

Funny this thread should pop up again as I was just out trying to find the source again. I used some high temperature RTV silicon on several of the areas after cleaning the surfaces completely with denatured alcohol and brake disc cleaner. I applied quite a bit of the black silicone and you can't even tell where I put it on as it is a perfect match to the engine casting and the black color.

Anyway, I did that last week and today is the first time I had a chance to take the bike for a ride. (I had been riding it with the weeping up to that point as it has not been excessive.) I look things over carefully and I noticed what appeared to be a little glisten on the area shown in the picture. It appeared to be coming through or having mixed with the silicone I put on. I pressed on the area with my finger and could detect a small trace of oil on the tip of my finger. I press a paper shop towel in the area and also saw an ever so small amount of oil blotted on the paper. I have found ABSOLUTELY NOTHING around the gasket. It is dry everywhere!

The picture I am posting is one I posted before and is not a new picture, but the area just to the right of the arrow point in that valley seems to be right where the oil is coming from. After the ride there was not a trace of oil anywhere except in the area I had blotted before the ride. (ever so small) The RTV seems to be working to a pretty fair degree at slowing down and almost stopping the weeping I had. I have some JB Weld, black metal epoxy I might try after I clean the area again and remove the RTV in that area. I need to check its temperature rating.

I was about to try the talc trick as suggested, but I think I have the problem isolated. It's a big boy, so I wasn't worried about any vaginal cancer on him from the talc.

What to do next, as I doubt I am going to get any satisfaction from Triumph on replacing the head on their dime. Thanks for all the suggestions...maybe more will be coming.

 

[Joesmoe]

@Jvheli I'd be interested in the product info.

I'm in the process of replacing my valve cover gasket again after encountering weeping from my work to replace the cams, and I'll be darned if I can find anything wrong with either the head or the gasket.

I'm perplexed, and reluctant to just throw a new gasket back on there, as we all know a definition of insanity is doing the same thing, and expecting different results.

@Rocket Scientist I see that sealer -- how does that work ? (in the context of the Rocket, since you know them inside out)

 

[Bedifferent]

I'm more inclined to do the JB weld and if it isn't a perfect match I could put a little RTV over it. The NAPA Black RTV doesn't seem to suffer any from the heat of the engine so far as I can tell. Apparently it doesn't like any oil mixing with it during the curing process though.

On one more note... I gave the cam cover bolt located next to the leak about an 1/8th of a turn to make sure it was tight. I did that before the more recent effort with the RTV. That seemed to make things worse so I back it up an 1/8 th of a turn where it was. And NO, it is not the gasket leaking. I'm 99% certain of that as I have NEVER detected any oil around it.

 

[DodahMan]

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.

I sure hope you don't have a problem. I have used JB weld to repair high pressure water pumps but I am not sure if it could hold up in a heat application.

 

[CanberraR3]

Clean the whole area thoroughly whit de-greaser and metho etc. let dry 100% then dust the area (including rocker cover gasket) with talcum powder (or flour maybe) then ride around the block then reaply talcum powder and look for moisture (oil) discoloration... This will pin point where the problem lies.

Just happened onto this. Roll in flour and look for the wet patch? I always thought that was a solution to a somewhat different problem.