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Author Topic: How bad is this?  (Read 7718 times)

Offline PlaynInPeoria

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How bad is this?
« on: July 18, 2011, 07:55:57 PM »
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpsmith58/5952976930/#in/photostream

I noticed this the other day, you can see it has leaked a couple times.  I just changed the differential gear oil.  I noticed when I first got the bike that there was a bunch of dirt stuck to oil right above that but assumed it was oil that had leaked out of the very over-oiled air filter.  Well, I just cleaned and oiled the filter with No Toil and it's not that color, so this has to be gear lube.

I am supposed to leave Friday for a cross-country trip (assuming my back allows me to). How bad is this?

a) Park it till it's fixed

b) Don't sweat it, just keep an eye on it

c) Don't worry about it at all, they all do it.

I had no idea Connies 'marked their spot'.  I thought that was that 'other brand'.



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Offline T Cro ®

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #1 on: July 18, 2011, 08:00:35 PM »
Pic no workie...... If the leak is nothing more than a small drip I'd not let that hold me over for a long ride..... Don't sweat the small stuff! Did you overfill the rear end? Bike on center stand and a block of wood under front tire so as the rear tire touches the ground and oil "JUST" up to the threads or a tiny bit below it.
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Tony P. Crochet
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Offline PlaynInPeoria

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2011, 08:37:29 PM »
I dunno if I overfilled it. I put 220 cc in it per the Clymer manual.
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Offline Daytona_Mike

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2011, 08:49:26 PM »
Well,   just to point it out, you do not have a 'differential'. You have what is called a final drive. If the picture is supposed to show where drip or two  is coming from  then that would not be from the final drive since the final drive is in the back and you are showing a picture of your side stand.
You kinda need to find out where that oil is coming from.  It looks like engine oil to me and  usually it starts to leak around  the water pump. How high is the oil level in your sight glass? What air filter do you have because a K&N oil has a red color to it?
What year is your bike and how many miles are on it?
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Offline PlaynInPeoria

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2011, 09:03:57 PM »
Sorry, should have included that.  It's a 2003 with 19,xxx on it.

I have no idea what air filter I have, as this is the first time in my life I have seen an air filter on a Connie.  I took it out and cleaned and oiled it and put it back in.  I used No Toil, the same stuff as I use on my dirt bike air filter, it's very tacky. It's not ideal, but I have a new filter on order. The No Toil is very red.

The oil on the floor is very tacky.  Hard to tell because the engine oil and the final drive both have new fluid.  I suspected the clutch but it's full and if it was leaking the clutch would not operate by now.  So it must be engine oil or the 85w I out in the final drive. I have no idea if it can migrate upstream. If not, then it's engine oil. I wish it was easier to put this heavy beast on the centerstand to check the oil.  I have a bad back and lifting this beyotch ain't making it any better!  You just point at my FZ1 and it goes on the centerstand. I have tried to check it as I have on other bikes (by balancing it with my right hand and looking at the sight glass) and that's the best way to drop a bike I can come up with. I guess every other gas stop I will sucker some poor fool into helping me lift it so I can check it.  If the oil level is not moving, I will be ok, otherwise I will add.  When I get back, I will check into fixing the leak, no way I'm gonna have a bike that leaks oil.
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2012 "root beer" C14 - unlinked brakes, reflash, LED headlights, Walmart orange city lights, LOUD horn, Laam seat, radar detector for ahem, reasons.
2013 Aprilia Tuono, 2009 CRF-150F

Offline wildwilly

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2011, 11:15:19 PM »
The first time I changed the engine oil on my '05, I about freaked because of oil drops that looked about the same as yours.

Turns out, the little bracket that the rear of the belly pan attaches to on either side had trapped a little engine oil and it was leaking down the frame tube.  And, after a few miles on the road would pool up around gusset above the kick stand, then leak down the kick stand once stopped.

Those amounts listed in the the service manual are ball park as they just don't always account for all trapped liquids.  Rule of thumb is use the listed amount in the store, use your eyeballs on the bike.
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Offline jworth

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2011, 11:28:51 PM »
Just to help you identify it, smell it.  Many oils have fairly distinguishable smells, ATF (which this obviously isn't) smells different from motor oil.  Gear oil generally has a rather distinctive pungent odor. 
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Offline Electroken

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2011, 03:52:54 AM »
I'm working my way through repairing a final drive leak right now. It started 3500 miles into an 8000 mile trip and was a constant pain in the ass for the remainder of the trip.

And what I see from your bike is too far forward to be from the final drive. The oil would have to travel up hill to get there. My money is on engine oil from the water pump. I second the sniff test. Gear oil and motor oil smell nothing alike.
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Offline WillyP

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2011, 07:01:28 AM »
Could be either the water pump or the shifter seal. My '88 would leave a piddle that sized when left overnight till I changed the water pump. There is a weep hole on the bottom of the pump, if the oil seal leaks the weep hole holds back the oil and it drips out for some time.

There is a pic of the weep hole here: Concours Tech - Water Pump: Remove and Replace
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Offline T Cro ®

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2011, 07:06:44 AM »
Quote from: wildwilly on July 18, 2011, 11:15:19 PM
.... Turns out, the little bracket that the rear of the belly pan attaches to on either side had trapped a little engine oil and it was leaking down the frame tube.  And, after a few miles on the road would pool up around gusset above the kick stand, then leak down the kick stand once stopped.....

DING - DING - DING We could have a winner here?
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Offline Daytona_Mike

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2011, 07:30:55 AM »
PlaynInPeoria  I have a K&N so I do not remember if the stock filter is supposed to be oiled.

If you want to check you oil level and you do not want to  use the center stand ( I do not have one installed, I leave mine off)  I have my bike   very close to my workbench or use a wall so that if it does tip over to far it cant fall down and it cant tip towards you because of the side stand.
You need to know if your oil is half way in the sight glass. if it is close to the top  or the glass is filled  the engine will blow oil up into the breather box and  leak back down and yes it will run down the side stand.
Take some brake cleaner fluid or something to clean up the oil around the engine and try to find out where it is coming from.
Some one else please tell us, do you oil a stock filter?
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If you still have fuel in the tank, you are not lost yet
Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle

Offline T Cro ®

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2011, 07:43:41 AM »
Quote from: Daytona_Mike on July 19, 2011, 07:30:55 AM
PlaynInPeoria  I have a K&N so I do not remember if the stock filter is supposed to be oiled.
Some one else please tell us, do you oil a stock filter?

Yes; Service Manual calls for SAE30 motor oil.
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Tony P. Crochet
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Offline PlaynInPeoria

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2011, 08:12:59 AM »
Daytona_mike (and all others who are assisting): THANK YOU! I am new here but not new to bikes, just new to the idiosyncrasies of this one. 

As I recall, when I changed the oil and checked it, the sight glass was FULL. I will warm it up and check it tonight.  Prolly will be warm when I get home, it's supposed to have a heat index of 110+ here today.  Did I mention I leave Friday, Peoria to Wyoming, Colorado and Utah?   Hope it cools off, that's danger zone weather.  That windshield cut down is gonna help with that but wow, a bake oven is a bake oven,  no matter how much breeze you get.

By breather box, I assume you mean the air box/location of the air filter?  Ok, that's a lousy term but I hope it gets the point across.

And that's a great idea on checking the oil.
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2012 "root beer" C14 - unlinked brakes, reflash, LED headlights, Walmart orange city lights, LOUD horn, Laam seat, radar detector for ahem, reasons.
2013 Aprilia Tuono, 2009 CRF-150F

Offline elvin315

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #13 on: July 19, 2011, 08:21:27 AM »
If you're using your back to lift the bike you're doing it wrong. Instructions on using the centerstand are in the FAQs.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=575.0

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Offline PlaynInPeoria

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #14 on: July 19, 2011, 09:05:47 AM »
Quote from: elvin315 on July 19, 2011, 08:21:27 AM
If you're using your back to lift the bike you're doing it wrong. Instructions on using the centerstand are in the FAQs.

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=575.0

So what you're sayin is "You're doin it wrong"?

Sheesh,  first my girlfriend,  now you? I'm startin to get a complex here.
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2012 "root beer" C14 - unlinked brakes, reflash, LED headlights, Walmart orange city lights, LOUD horn, Laam seat, radar detector for ahem, reasons.
2013 Aprilia Tuono, 2009 CRF-150F

Offline turtle

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #15 on: July 19, 2011, 12:32:07 PM »
Quote from: T Cro ® on July 19, 2011, 07:06:44 AM
DING - DING - DING We could have a winner here?

Hope so.  I got tricked by this a long time ago. 

Hey PiP, bring it over if you want.  We can look it over and maybe find where it's coming from.  I think you know where I live!
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Offline George R. Young

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #16 on: July 19, 2011, 02:52:50 PM »
2 more cents worth on the center stand:

If you roll the bike into the garage so the rear wheel is on a 1/2" piece of wood, it will be a lot easier to heave up onto the center stand.
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Offline DarkKnight

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2011, 06:32:14 PM »
My quess

1. Maybe oil is over filled and puking out into air filter... Not  a big deal
2. Front bevel gasket shot( the gasket on my 02 started leaking at 19k) again not a big deal
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Offline Daytona_Mike

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2011, 07:53:50 PM »
If your sight glass is full then that is too much oil. When you changed the oil did you remove 'both' drain plugs?
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If you still have fuel in the tank, you are not lost yet
Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle

Offline DarkKnight

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Re: How bad is this?
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2011, 05:59:32 AM »
I'm almost positive its not your center stand leaking oil and if it is you might need a new center stand gasket Ask Murph.
Too much oil might even force bevel gear gasket into failure. You never said how much oil you put in or your method of figuring how much to add. Did you add a measured amount of oil or did you use the sight glass for filling?
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