my SD has been sitting in the garage (waiting for a clutch slave cyl) and low and behold there is a teaspoon sized puddle of oil i traced right up to the 19mm sump bolt which was tight!
i changed the oil a few weeks ago but always use a new crush washer and torque wrench - it doesnt appear to be coming from somewhere else, collecting on the bolt to drip, but who knows. i cleaned it all off and am going to watch it. this bike has more leaks than an original Bonneville!!
Stratkat
2012-10-16 12:54:00 UTC
Superdan
2012-10-16 13:20:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-16 13:57:00 UTC
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AGRO!
2012-10-17 12:54:00 UTC
I hardly ever use a torque wrench even though I own 2 of them. I do on some stuff but sump nut or engine case bolts and some other stuff I don't bother I'm just that good
Superdan
2012-10-17 12:56:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-17 13:14:00 UTC
good for you 2! so i suppose if you had a leak there youd just tighten it a bit more, brilliant
Superdan
2012-10-17 13:41:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-17 15:17:00 UTC
man i suck!
i go down stairs and decide to drain the crankcase, see if i can find why its leaking.
clean the drain pan, spotless, get out my little latex glove (because this is gonna be quick, clean, surgical even, and i can just get right back to work up stairs) after all its not like a full oil change with, 2 drain plugs, 3 filters to examine, 1 to replace, what could possible go wrong
EVERY F*****G THING APPARENTLY!!!!!
pull the plug, degrease it, i see nothing visibly wrong with it or the crush washer. wait a while, clean up around the crankcase, examine the threads, looks fine.
get a new crush washer and install torque the plug, how easy is this, not a drop of oil spilled!
cue the ominous soundtrack....
remove the 4 side faring fasteners to get to the oil fill cap (because nothing is simple on this bike except finding a new leak under it...) and proceed to pour the oil from the catch pan back into the tank. as i am doing this i am marveling at the fact that there probably isnt even a quart in the pan, while i am processing this and looking around the shop, i hear the distinct sound of dripping... instantly it all makes sense and i snap back to reality.
(A) i havent started the bike to warm the oil because this isnt an oil change,
(B) because of that and the fact that its a dry sump system, most of the oil is in the tank and a check valve keeps it there till the engine cries for it,
(C) the tank is almost full, is full, and is flowing down the side of said tank right into the tool tray with all the tools and fasteners in it, and of course the oil is dripping everywhere not just in one spot due to the shape of the tank, so its also spilling onto the floor. i stop, swear profusely multiple times, grab the paper towels and the Simple Green, and clean up as much as i can reach. replace the filler cap, and start the bike (not at all feeling comfortable because there is no oil in the crankcase till the oil pressure comes up.
i rationalize that its probably fine as there is still a film of oil on all the journals/rings etc. so i start the bike run it (the pressure light goes off right away) and watch the level drop in the site tube indicating the its now in the crankcase. i shut it down and pour in the rest of the oil and a bit more to compensate for what is now in oh maybe 20 or 30 so paper towels. start the bike again and monitor everything, its making an unusual sound around the right side of the bike top end, no lights on, its not loud, not really metallic, but im not liking it (by now the astute will realise i did not put the oil filler back on the second time i topped off, F**K!!!!!!). shut the bike down, more senseless profanity, and proceed to clean the fine mist around the filler area, slam the bottle of SG down to my left. the sound i heard was the check valve sucking away thru the open filler.
start the bike one more time, all is good, no noise no lights no oil pooling anywhere. i am however aware of the heat coming off of the bike and somewhere in the depths of my muddled brain recall putting the SD to my left but where??? well right under the header of course where its melted a nice .500" hole in the top of the bottle. WTF???!!!
dudes, im a pretty smart guy but i cannot recall a single oil change, ever, where i have not spilled oil somehow, somewhere. i always think i have everything covered but always miss something!
i go down stairs and decide to drain the crankcase, see if i can find why its leaking.
clean the drain pan, spotless, get out my little latex glove (because this is gonna be quick, clean, surgical even, and i can just get right back to work up stairs) after all its not like a full oil change with, 2 drain plugs, 3 filters to examine, 1 to replace, what could possible go wrong
EVERY F*****G THING APPARENTLY!!!!!
pull the plug, degrease it, i see nothing visibly wrong with it or the crush washer. wait a while, clean up around the crankcase, examine the threads, looks fine.
get a new crush washer and install torque the plug, how easy is this, not a drop of oil spilled!
cue the ominous soundtrack....
remove the 4 side faring fasteners to get to the oil fill cap (because nothing is simple on this bike except finding a new leak under it...) and proceed to pour the oil from the catch pan back into the tank. as i am doing this i am marveling at the fact that there probably isnt even a quart in the pan, while i am processing this and looking around the shop, i hear the distinct sound of dripping... instantly it all makes sense and i snap back to reality.
(A) i havent started the bike to warm the oil because this isnt an oil change,
(B) because of that and the fact that its a dry sump system, most of the oil is in the tank and a check valve keeps it there till the engine cries for it,
(C) the tank is almost full, is full, and is flowing down the side of said tank right into the tool tray with all the tools and fasteners in it, and of course the oil is dripping everywhere not just in one spot due to the shape of the tank, so its also spilling onto the floor. i stop, swear profusely multiple times, grab the paper towels and the Simple Green, and clean up as much as i can reach. replace the filler cap, and start the bike (not at all feeling comfortable because there is no oil in the crankcase till the oil pressure comes up.
i rationalize that its probably fine as there is still a film of oil on all the journals/rings etc. so i start the bike run it (the pressure light goes off right away) and watch the level drop in the site tube indicating the its now in the crankcase. i shut it down and pour in the rest of the oil and a bit more to compensate for what is now in oh maybe 20 or 30 so paper towels. start the bike again and monitor everything, its making an unusual sound around the right side of the bike top end, no lights on, its not loud, not really metallic, but im not liking it (by now the astute will realise i did not put the oil filler back on the second time i topped off, F**K!!!!!!). shut the bike down, more senseless profanity, and proceed to clean the fine mist around the filler area, slam the bottle of SG down to my left. the sound i heard was the check valve sucking away thru the open filler.
start the bike one more time, all is good, no noise no lights no oil pooling anywhere. i am however aware of the heat coming off of the bike and somewhere in the depths of my muddled brain recall putting the SD to my left but where??? well right under the header of course where its melted a nice .500" hole in the top of the bottle. WTF???!!!
dudes, im a pretty smart guy but i cannot recall a single oil change, ever, where i have not spilled oil somehow, somewhere. i always think i have everything covered but always miss something!
Stratkat
2012-10-17 15:48:00 UTC
... and awesomely enough, its still leaking!!!!!!
SDNerd
2012-10-17 16:08:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-17 16:57:00 UTC
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Hotbrakes
2012-10-17 18:21:00 UTC
I'm not exactly sure what happened but the picture in my head is this...
You ran out to the garage, stopped in front of the bike and saw the leaking oil, you then grabbed a bottle of oil and ran around the bike while shrieking and pouring oil all over it. Then you cleaned it up.
You ran out to the garage, stopped in front of the bike and saw the leaking oil, you then grabbed a bottle of oil and ran around the bike while shrieking and pouring oil all over it. Then you cleaned it up.
SDNerd
2012-10-17 18:28:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-17 19:09:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-17 19:10:00 UTC
that said any ideas as to why its leaking?
Hotbrakes
2012-10-17 23:48:00 UTC
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Stratkat
2012-10-18 02:36:00 UTC
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SDNerd
2012-10-18 16:43:00 UTC
I hope you're video recording all these efforts - you know, just in case that YouTube moment occurs.
Stratkat
2012-10-18 20:22:00 UTC
update - well i was wrong apparently, its holding this time with just the new crush washer. seems what i thought was the second leak (after replacing the washer) was residual. im still gonna keep my eye on it and replace the drain plug next oil change.