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Oil Leak ????

5K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Circles 
#1 ·
Took a little 100 mile ride today and stopped for gas on the way home after driving at 60 to 70mph for the last 20 minutes or so. I'm pumping the gas and I see a couple of oil spots about the size of a quarter between the kickstand and the rear wheel. I get down on hands and knees to see where it is coming from and it looks like it is dripping off of my frame just behind the kickstand. I lay there for several minutes trying to see where it might be coming from and never can see anything. Went home, pulled the filter, changed the oil and cleaned up everything underneath I could get a rag on. Took about a 15 minute ride, came back and put a newspaper under it to see if or where the oil might come from. NOTHING!
I don't get it, where did the oil come from? What might cause it to blow out onto the frame like that and from where? What is the little finned thing (about 4 x 6 inches) that is back from the oil filter towards the back tire about 6 or 8 inches that is held on by two bolts in the middle of it? Could whatever that is be leaking? Anybody got any ideas about what might be going on?
 
#2 ·
This doesn't fit what you're describing but oil can blow rearward if it drips while riding; check it out and see if it applies -- directions for a quick "patch" job that includes a link (and a parts-list correction) to directions for a real repair: http://adlowe.net/Motorcycle/Shadow_Guide_Plug_Patch.pdf

Note that this is for single-pin crank engines only; I don't know if that's what you've got.

Btw, the best prices I've found for the parts in the repair is at http://www.hondaparts-direct.com/; the order-entry process is a bit of a pain, though.
 
#4 ·
Update: I went out and checked the newspaper under the bike this morning. Oil spot under the edge of frame right behind the kickstand. After the 15 minute ride last night it must have dripped over night. Pulled the seat off this morning, air filter looks good, no oil or water in the air chanber.???
 
#7 ·
Try to determine exactly what oil is leaking. It may not be engine oil; but rather, hypoid oil from the final drive assembly. It's not that difficult to tell the difference ... appearance, smell, and feel (viscosity) are sufficiently distinct. That's what happened to me last spring. The hypoid oil traveled up the drive shaft (after seeping past a pinched oil seal) and leaked from the back end of the rubber boot. Check your final drive oil level, that may be a clue, too.

Good luck.
 
#8 ·
Took it to the Honda Dealer, said it is the rear engine seal. Labor $200 + parts. One of the hazards of letting the bike sit to long without riding it. I bought the bike last march and it had 4000 miles on it. 3000 of which had been put on in the two months before I bought it. From 2002 until last January the bike had a total of 1000 miles on it. It would get ridden for a month each year and then go back in the garage while the owner went back to England until the next year. Just before I bought it he and his wife took a road trip up and down the east coast and put the other 3,000 miles on it. I thought things like dried and cracked seals might pop up in the first couple of months of ownership, it took 10 months and 10,000 miles for something to go. When I bought it the dust seals on the forks and the tires were both dry rotted and I replaced them.
 
#10 ·
I'd really check the "type" of oil myself as others mentioned. It might even be "brake fluid" from the hydraulic clutch slave unit on the back of the engine. To me this would be the "suspect" for leakage. A few members have had this "slave unit" leak and it looked very much like an "engine oil leak".......and this MAY be the reason the shop is saying "rear seal". :roll: Best guess without l@@king myself. :wink:

Might have a "crud" build up in the crank vent hose(or that black holding tank thingy got lots of moisture build-up) and the "hard" ride may have loosened it and made a slight blockage for a time. This would allow "oil vapors" to build and when stopped drippings appeared.

I know of one or two other things that may cause a "mysterious leak" but thye are more towards a rubber o-ring gasket in the lower engine cases being "pinched" from the factory and would leak after long rides or very short hard rides. Had to use baby powder/engine dye to locate those problems. :shock: Don't happen often but it do.

Me thinks with the little useage and then trying to ride it hard after this time period is tough on any bike sitting for a long time.

Bullzeyet
 
#11 ·
Thanks for all the advice and tips guys. It's been running like a clock since the day I bought it and I have changed the oil about 5 times and it has never been down when I check it (which is usually every Sat mornging). I feel certain that the leak is indeed motor oil for it to be down over a half quart when it was never down before at all. I use the longer oil filters so instead of the normal 3.3 qts I usually put in just under 3.5 and that brings it just under the top line on the dip stick when warmed up and checked. after 2000 miles it is down maybe 1/8 inch at most from that spot. For it to all of a sudden drop right off the stick scared the heck out of me. I should be getting the bike back from the Honda dealer by the weekend. I'm going into withdrawl already after a half week and the gas bill on my truck is climbing. The difference between driving my truck vs the bike is $50 to $75 a week in gas. I will post everything the dealer tells me when I pick it up.
 
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