| Author | Message | ||
     B1rdman |
You all may remember my thread a month or so ago about taking my X1 through the twistys with some Jap bikes and how it was puking oil afterwards onto the swingarm/belt/tire. Well I took it to a shop that confirmed that it was the sprocket oil seal that went bad. I asked them to make sure it wasn't the crank seal and they said it wasn't. A month goes by and they finally get done with it. I rode it last night and today and it's puking oil again. However, the mechanic did say he topped off the oil tank to the full mark which I knew would cause it to puke some oil until it leveled out around the bottom tick mark on the oil cap. However it's embarrassing and seems like TOO much oil...it's running down the swingarm in a distinguishable line, onto the belt/rearsets and being flung onto my rear tire. Not safe. Is it the vent tube that's tucked into the swingarm? Is there too much pressure that instead of venting out of the sprocket where it was before, is now venting out the tube in the swingarm? Is this NORMAL??? How do I stop it? I'm sick of this shit. Thanks for y'all's help. | ||
| 01x1buell |
if it is coming out of the tube tucked under tail section then the oil is coming from your primary side... | ||
| Kevmean |
Did they have to remove the transmission to do the repairs to your output shaft seal because if they did they were 90% of the way to changing the crank seal so would have been best to change it anyway at that point. If they didn't remove the transmission it seems to have been a longtime just to sort out the output shaft seal.Also check the primary isn't overfull of oil and also ensure the engine breathers are clear because if they are not it will look for somewhere else to put excess crankcase pressure and the normal place would be through the crank seal. | ||
| B1rdman |
They said they checked the primary and it wasn't overfilled... Where are the engine breathers that could be clogged? The little tubes that go from the heads into the intake? Someone else I know suggested that they could be clogged.. | ||
| Kevmean |
Yep they are the ones ..... they are best removed from the intake anyway either fed into a catch can (which must be vented to atmosphere) or just t'd together and run somewhere safe and left with an open end. | ||
| B1rdman |
Could you elaborate on that, Kevin? I don't have a catch can to use, so what do you mean by "T'd together and run somewhere 'safe' and left with an 'open end'"? Pics? I stuck a little piece of shop towel in the tranny vent tube before going out tonight and sure enough it was soaked with oil. That is def where my oil is coming from. Now the question is, if the shop mechanic was right about the primary NOT being overfilled, then why is it it puking oil? Not a crank seal right? So maybe my engine isn't breathing right, ie those little engine breather tubes? | ||
| Kevmean |
If it is coming out of the transmission vent and it wasn't overfilled then the excess must be getting in there from the crankseal either because it is knackered or because the engine can't breath through it's head breathers, best solution is the XB style rocker boxes and breathers but whichever you use they need to be piped up over the engine and then into some form of catch can which coud be as simple as a plastic bottle or some uk Buellers run the pipes down near the exhaust outlet so that any fumes oily mist etc gets blown away from the bike by the exhaust. | ||
| B1rdman |
Where can I get a set of the XB style rocker boxes? (Link) The engine oil level has definitely decreased about a quart and it's definitely exiting via the vent tube.. Sounds like crank seal...and yet they told me the primary wasn't overfilled, and that if it were then my clutch would slip under load (it doesn't). | ||
| Lynrd |
You just need the top covers, and the PCV valves and grommets. I just did the trip on Veronica. I found some rocker boxes on eBay for cheap, or you can get the kit from American Sport Bike that has the whole thing with valves and hose. http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/A20000.html No need to actually pull the whole rocker box. There's info available on this from doncasto's page http://www.doncasto.net/DonCastosS3ConventionalWis dom.html#XB%20Rocker%20Box%20Cover%20Upgrade | ||
| B1rdman |
Ordered all the parts for a conversion. Do I put a filter on the end of the PCV hose or is it left open? And assuming the primary is not getting overfilled due to a bad crank seal, it's safe to say my oil leak from the vent tube is because the engine breathers are clogged? | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Everyone says you need to run a filter but the air is being vented out of the bike. Mine has ended in an open tube now for over 40K miles. There is a video on youtube showing a guy blowing balloons with his vent hose. Pretty funny to watch but it does indicate that he needs a hobby  | ||
| Blackm2 |
Your mechanics did not do the right seal. And having PCV rocker boxes is not going to solve this problem. If it is coming from the trans vent tube, it is your crank seal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdovl68LIFo (Message edited by blackm2 on June 13, 2013) | ||
| Buellistic |
Lets get to the bottom line here !!! If you over fill your oil tank or transmission you will get oil puke'ing out until the engine or transmission reaches its happy oil level !!! Over filling the OIL TANK: "THE" excess oil will come out of the head breathers, weep out of the base gaskets, will be forced by the motor sprocket oil seal into the transmission, and engine case's will weep, and any other place it can get out to reach the engines happy level !!! Of course any excess in the transmission flows out the transmission breather and on to the rear tire !!! FOR "SAFETY" ALWAYS RUN YOUR TRANSMISSION BREATHER TO A CATCH CONTAINED !!! | ||
| B1rdman |
The oil tank was properly filled but it is exiting the vent tube. So I agree with David that it is definitely the crank seal. However, as of today it is also profusely leaking out of the front left area of the engine but I didn't have time to trace it. I'm taking it back to the shop on a trailer ASAP. | ||
| Blackm2 |
Wes given their track record thus far, I would get the correct seal at an HD dealer or from American Sport Bike. The correct number is in the beginning of that video. If not they may put in another single lipped seal and the updated is a double lipped. | ||
| Buellistic |
B1rdman: Exiting the vent tube(oil tank or trans) and going where ??? OIL SYSTEM Class 101, just PM me for a copy ... (Message edited by buellistic on June 13, 2013) | ||
| Kalali |
Most of us here don't have the XB conversion rocker box covers and have no leaks whatsoever. You need to start with simple things first; fix the head breathing system. Remove your air cleaner cover if you still have the OEM set up and trace the breather tubes from the intake back to the heads. Should take no longer than fifteen minutes. If that's all ruled out then focus on the crank seal. You can also remove the derby cover and check the transmission oil level. Keep the bike straight up so it doesn't drip. The correct oil level is just below the clutch adjuster. | ||
| Buellistic |
Check your FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL for the picture of the transmission oil level !!! | ||
| B1rdman |
When I last checked the transmission oil level, it was at the proper level. And yes, I checked it correctly. Yet the oil tank level was going down and at the time exiting via the front sprocket. Now that it was sealed up with a new one, the oil is exiting the vent tube profusely. It is exiting onto the swing arm and foot peg area and onto the belt which slings it all over the rear tire and right side of the bike. However it also started to leak profusely on the left side as well towards the front I think. Oil filter area was clean. But it was wet where the gas tank and left black plastic air scoop meet, towards the front. It was also drizzling down the clutch cable towards the bottom and leaking onto the ground. I'll provide pics later. | ||
| Harleyelf |
Oil coming out of the clutch cable means pressure in the primary case. Change your main primary seal under the drive sprocket to the primary chain. Pressure is not generated in the transmission, if it is in the primary case it has to be coming from the engine. Run your PCV vent hose deep into a catch can and run a vent from the top of the catch can to your air cleaner. If the catch can fills up your rings may be bad. That would play a part in having excess pressure blowing the crank seal out. | ||
| Hootowl |
"Is it the vent tube that's tucked into the swingarm" The vent tube should not be tucked into the swingarm. It should travel upward and lay across the top of the oil bag. If it goes from the tranny directly back to the swingarm, it could be that you will always get oil out of it, regardless of breather venting or crank seal integrity. The vent tube may go up that high for a reason, which I suspect is to minimize oil loss. Or it could simply be a convenient place to put it. | ||
| B1rdman |
There is no "oil bag." It's a 2000 X1 Lightning. I didn't mean to say swing arm, I meant the tail section/subframe. | ||
| Hootowl |
The "oil bag" is where the engine oil is. Oil tank, oil bag, whatever, that's where the vent tube should be. "I didn't mean to say swing arm" Ah. Carry on | ||
| Cyclonecharlie |
Birdman, Just curious,are you doing a lot of wheelies with this bike?.....A lot of the stunt guys would run the trans. vent to the front of the bike for the obvious reason.Just a thought.  | ||
| B1rdman |
I haven't done any in the past month or two, and even then they were small ones and seldom done. There is definitely a lot of pressure in there that instead of escaping the oil sprocket seal, is now venting and coming out of the clutch cable area (I think). I hope this shop fixes it this time around.. | ||
| Oldog |
Wes, I am just west of Wilmington NC, would you like some help trying to run this down? | ||
| B1rdman |
I would love some help, Jim. However, the shop that originally "fixed" the issue asked for it back to remedy it.. :/ (It's there now) | ||
| B1rdman |
Hey Jim, if that offer still stands, then I'll be glad for some help. I got the bike back from the shop, who told me it wouldn't leak anymore...and it still leaks. It doesn't leak out of the vent tube anymore but does so through the clutch cable and possibly the primary drain plug (the one right above the muffler). From what I've read here, there shouldn't be pressure in there and is most likely a result of the crank seal (something I had been telling them since day one, which is about two months ago and $600 later). They said that the detent or whatever under the oil filter was bad or stuck and that it was causing the engine to overpressurize. But yet they also said that they tested to see if the crank seal was bad and that they determined it wasn't...they said they took off the inspection cover with it on the dyno and ran it and it never pushed air out or overfilled after they fixed that detent thing under the oil filter..? | ||
| Alfau |
detent or whatever under the oil filter was bad or stuck and that it was causing the engine to overpressurize. You are at sea buddy, Adrift without a clue about what's going on. | ||
| B1rdman |
Then instead of a snarky pompous comment, how about explain it to me so that I can understand, buddy? |
