Mysterious oil spots showing up on right shoe

[rpickle]

No, but I can do that before I get any deeper.  This is going to be a slow-paced job since I have loads of things on my plate.  I'll post when I get any further.

Appreciate the info, I am not in my comfort-zone on this and need all the advise I can get!

Rick

[WS]

Hey Rick,

I had the same problem. After a long ride I all off a sudden find my right shoe covered in oil. It was the problem that smokamoto described. The o-ring between the engine case and the cylinder was leaking. But not all the time. It was temperature related. I do not think it comes from the upper end. If so you would see a big oil line/spot Good luck

greetings from CA
Werner

[rpickle]

WS, not sure if that is good news or not....

I hope to have some time with it this week as some of the honey-do's are now completed:)

Rick

[rpickle]

Have a gasket set coming.  Do I have to break the timing chain to get the head off?  I replaced gaskets on a Suzuki a few years ago, dual overhead cam, and managed to not have to break the chain.

Before I tear into it, I will do a compression check. 

I did check to make sure the crankcase tube was connected to the airbox and it is.

Appreciate the info.

Rick

[smokamoto]

No need to break the chain, just unbolt the cam bearings.  Timing the cams upon reassembly-that's another story.  Make sure to keep all the slack out of the chain after you set the exhaust cam and then set the intake cam.  Took me a couple times to get the timing right.  Do you have a repair manual?

[pdofak]

I also had one of those mysteries a few years back. Only a few sprinkles on the boot after a go fast and not a trace anywhere else. After some time I got smart enough to realize it could only be from the head-cylinder mating. Ended up lucky. I pulled the head nuts one at a time, antiseized, re torqued.  Many were not real tight. Hey it's a 91 with mid 50,000 then, 63,000 now, and never been apart!
Anyway, TaDA! hasn't leaked since. FWIW

[rpickle]

I have all ready checked the bolts and all were well torqued.

I do have a manual, but manuals are not always publishing the prefered method....   I replaced gaskets in a Suzuki, manual wanted to break the chain.  Didn't need to though.  Its just good to ask those who have all ready been thru it to get any tidbits that may make things easier.

As always, appreciate the info.  I'd be much worse off without it.

Rainy weekend ahead, could be gettin' dirty!

Rick

[andyb]

If you have a leak at the front side of the cam chain tunnel, you're not alone.  Retorquing doesn't seem to help, I'd imagine the right answer is a new head gasket.

Pulling the head isn't really very difficult.  Took me about 3 hours in the garage one day (DO NOT DROP A SCREW FROM THE THROTTLE CABLE JUNCTION INTO AN EMPTY SPARK PLUG HOLE!)... it was a long day... but it's not very hard.

I will suggest that you use a grease pencil or similar means to mark the cam chain and cam sprockets when you take it apart.  Ensure that the motor is at TDC (#1 cam lobes will face directly away from each other) before pulling the chain off the sprockets, and it'll make aligning things that much easier when you're done.

In my case, I didn't have to pull the cams completely, just stuck a magnet sideways after lifting the head an inch or so, got the errant screw out, and put it back together... I just lived with the leak, it was mild, and the motor ended up coming out and apart a few months later anyhow.  I have adjustable cam sprockets, so when I reassembled things, I followed the procedure in the Haynes manual, aligning the sprocket dimples to the valve cover seat, and then aligned the holes in the cams with their bearing caps.  Had quite a significant improvement in power afterwards in the +6000rpm range to boot, hooray!  Use threadlocker on the cam sprocket screws if you remove them, incidentally.

[rpickle]

Thanks Andy.

I did not get started this weekend...

I want to be able to tear it apart and reassemble in a day or two.  Did not have the second day cushion this weekend.

Shooting for next weekend now.

Rick

[WS]

Hallo Rick,

here is another tip before you pull your cams. Measure the valve clearance.  So when you put it back together and they have been out of specs it is much easier to throw those shims in. And then measure again. Good luck javascript:void(0);

Werner

[rpickle]

Good point.

Appreciate the advice.

Rick

[rpickle]

Hi, an update.....

I replaced gaskets down to the cylinder base.  Replaced the valve stem seals.  Am now putting it back together.  Have the cams in and what I think is timed with the crank.  What will it do if one of the cam gears is off a tooth?  Will it run, just not well?

Curious. 

Hope to have it ready to test run soon. 

Sad part is, I never did come across an obvious leak spot! 

Rick

[smokamoto]

Hi, an update.....

I replaced gaskets down to the cylinder base.  Replaced the valve stem seals.  Am now putting it back together.  Have the cams in and what I think is timed with the crank.  What will it do if one of the cam gears is off a tooth?  Will it run, just not well?

Curious. 

Hope to have it ready to test run soon. 

Sad part is, I never did come across an obvious leak spot! 

Rick

When I took mine apart for the oil leak, the exhaust cam was one tooth retarded from the same ham fister who chafed the oil galley oring.  The bike ran ok except at 1/8 throttle in first & second gear-it had a real bad hubbabubba.  Now that the cam timing is right the hubbabubba is gone but replaced with vibration, really strong at 3k rpm, smooths out at 5k rpm.  I had greased my front engine mounts prior to the top end work and checked them again-still nicely greased.  I did increase the pilot jets to 40 & checked the carb sync, that's about it.  Sorry your oil leak wasn't obvious like mine.

[andyb]

Replaced the valve stem seals.  Am now putting it back together.  Have the cams in and what I think is timed with the crank.  What will it do if one of the cam gears is off a tooth?  Will it run, just not well?

Curious. 

Depends on which way you're wrong by.  Possible to get piston/valve contact if you're unlucky.  If you're wrong the safe way, it'll just be weak at some revs.

[rpickle]

Thanks guys.

I will double-triple check it before zipping her up.

Rick