| Author | Message | ||
     Xl1200r |
Long story short... 2002 S3T I have an oil leak - from what I can tell, it's the stator plug (MAYBE the starter gasket, but thinking stator plug for right now). Problem is, I'm going through a lot of engine oil (over 1 qt per 1,000 miles) and it seems to me the stator plug would leak primary oil, not engine oil. Am I mistaken? | ||
| Spiderman |
you are correct on the plug and starter gasket. But in that area it could also be the base gasket. Clean all the oil off, put some baby powder all over that area include the base of the cylinders. Then run the bike for a bit. The powder should show where the oil is coming from. Also don't rule out that you may be burning some too. So if it is the base gaskets maybe some new rings and valve seals would be in oder as well... | ||
| Xl1200r |
Base gaskets are dry as a bone. I suppose I could be burning some, but put it this way... I started in Albany, NY. By the time I got to Rapid City, SD, my oil late came on. I added 2 quarts and it was just barely touching the dip stick. | ||
| F_skinner |
Are you getting any smoke out the exhaust? Sounds like rings and/or valve seals to me. | ||
| Xl1200r |
None. Exhaust is clean. Only 17k on the engine. | ||
| F_skinner |
Is your primary oil level ok??? It may be the main drive shaft seal going out... Seems you would have noticed that anyway so probably not the problem. Sorry I could not be more help. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Not sure about primary yet, haven't looked at it. I'm going to take a look before I drain it for the oil change this weekend. Wouldn't the main shaft seal still be a primary/trans oil issue? | ||
| F_skinner |
If the seal is leaking the oil from the motor will drain into the primary. That would cause oil to come out your transmission vent hose and I am pretty sure you would notice that. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I think you're right, but I'll take a closer look at the vent to make sure. Now that I'm thinking about it, the oil that pools in the starter valley behind the rear cylinder always looks clean, so it seems I have two seperate issues here. | ||
| Buellistic |
How about over filling your oil tank ??? HOW TO CHECK YOUR OIL Class 101, available upon request, just PM me and a copy is yours ... What about the motor sprocket oil seal because if it goes bad the engine oil drains into the transmission ... | ||
| Xl1200r |
I changed the oil right before the trip, added 2 qts and it was maybe a third up the stick and left it at that. Like I said, by the time I was in Rapid City it was BONE DRY. Added 2 quarts and it barely touched the bottom of the stick. | ||
| F_skinner |
Same here on one of my 95 S2s.... I assumed it was the starter gasket. I got one but have not replaced it yet since I have a base gasket leaking as well... LOL... It is easy to check and replace till winter.. | ||
| Spiderman |
your rear rocker box gasket could be leakin down into that 'valley' | ||
| Xl1200r |
Nothing coming from anywhere higher up on the motor. I just stopped home for lunch and took a quick peek. Tranny vent line is dry. I think I'm going to remove the plastic front pulley cover and just give everything a good cleaning. Right now, it seems like I'm burning engine oil and leaking primary/tranny oil. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
STARTER GASKET!!!!! | ||
| Fahren |
Starter gasket, or pushrod tube base(s). If you have any other work to do in the primary area, such as updating your chain tensioner, then you might as well change the starter gasket while you are in there (access starter bolts from inside primary). But also, pay careful attention to the primary level. If it is higher than it should be, then be suspicious of a crankshaft oil seal, leaking engine oil into the primary from the engine, and not helping your old starter gasket to hold. | ||
| Jim2 |
When the engine in cool enough to not get burned; from the left side of the bike reach in to the back of the starter and give it a good wiggle it to see if the starter is loose. That will cause a nasty leak. I had a bad crank seal and a starter leak at the same time and I was adding engine oil for awhile before I caught on. | ||
| Sloppy |
Old style starter gaskets are infamous for leaking. The new style are metal reinforced and work wonderfully. Here's a temporary fix / confirmation check. Get a paper towel and fold into a bunch of squares until it's about half the size of your hand. Squeeze it between the starter and engine. The oil will collect into the paper and confirm if you have the leak by the starter gasket. In addition, you can continue riding and change out the tower every couple of months until you have the downtime to replace the gasket. Get a replacement, updated gasket from the HD shop. It's very easy to change once you do it. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
What Slopp said! I've see two different replacment gasket styles since the crappy paper ones. The latest from HD is a real tight fit over the starter nose cone. Nice because the gasket now stays in place. The other style (not sure if it was HD or not) was a loose fit and you had to mess around aligning it when you installed the starter. Both new styles were the rubber metal rubber sandwich. WAY better than the old POS paper units. Brad | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Oh yeah, the sucky part of the change out is the need to remove the exhaust header... which means removing the entire exhaust system.. The new style "under" header doesn't leave enough room to pull the starter back far enough. | ||
| Preybird1 |
I just fixed my 4 problems yesterday. I had a bad clutch cable. A leaking starter gasket. Leaking stator plug. And a bad crank seal. These were the last items i needed to square this bike away! | ||
| Xl1200r |
Push rod tube bases aren't the culprit. Primary oil level was exactly spot on, which leaves me a bit confused. I suppose it's possible the crank seal is leaking into the primary at the same rate the starter/stator plug are leaking out. Washed the bike down good and I'll keep an eye on it to see if I can tell where the leak is coming from. | ||
| Ducxl |
I've agonized a few times over the years regarding my '99 model.I've changed the starter gasket roughly 5 times as well as trying to clean/seat the stator grommet.I used a little "3 Bond"(same as Yamabond or maybe hi-temp Permatex) on the plug last year and the area under and ahead of my starter are still oil free  ...For now It's a pain in the butt removing the header pipe to wrench the starter | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I'm fully able to let a little starter weep roll rather than to have to pull the header off. I'm anal retentive but not THAT anal retentive. | ||
| F_skinner |
I have been riding with a leaking starter gasket for a year... No big deal to me as I have other stuff planned for it when I do the gasket... Oil is easy to add... | ||
| Bluzm2 |
The first starter gasket of mine that let go was on the M2. It gradually for worst. I finally gave up and changed it.. Too about 6 months of mess though.... | ||
| Xl1200r |
I took it for a ride last night and when I got home it was just barely statring to come out of the stator plug. I'm talking like a drop, maybe 2 at most. I can't see it leaking like it was if this is all it was, but I'll continue to watch it. I got some oil dye that I'm going to add to the engine that will make it obvious if the engine oil is getting into the primary, or to see if something else is leaking. | ||
| Kalali |
"...6 months of mess though...." I had to do mine soon after my friends refused to let me park the bike in their driveway... | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Mine is just enough to leave a dust catching greasy spot on top of the primary case. It doesn't leak off and doesn't leave a puddle. While I'm in doing the other seals, I'll see if I can seal up the stator plug. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Well, rode to work and when i got to the parking lot to go home there was a puddle of oil under the bike. That had never happened before, even after my ride last night. The oil doesn't appear to be coming from the starter or stator plug (at least not in this quantity). It looks to be coming from under the bike, and right now I'm suspecting oil lines as they seem to be the most covered in oil aside from the muffler, which last I checked didn't get any oil, lol. |
