Neglected 1983 GS550ES major oil leak. Where to start?

**mike_of_bbg** · 04-21-2012, 08:00 PM

Ugh. You should have drained the oil and started fresh. There's a good chance that the oil is half fuel and is over-full. Make sure you're checking the oil on the center stand, not the side stand. For sure you're going to be WAY over-full if you're checking it on the side stand.

Drain what's in there and start over. See if it's thin and smells like gas. Use 15W-40 Rotella T diesel truck oil in the gallon bottle. Change the filter and drain that 1/2 liter too.

**JEEPRUSTY** · 04-21-2012, 08:06 PM

Got pictures?
Where is the oil leaking from?
Change out the oil immediately with fresh
does the oil in the crankcase smell of fuel.

Dump out the old gas and use ffresh stuff

**DannyMotor** · 04-22-2012, 02:44 AM

Yeah... we need a bit more info. Specifically what JeepRusty said and WHERE the oil is coming from.

Chances are... the gaskets are crap from being dry for so long.. or it's missing either the crush-washer on the drain bolt, or the rubber gasket on the filter cover.

**Toy Maker** · 04-23-2012, 02:14 AM

Hi all thanks for your responses, I'll do my best to answer.

Not sure if oil smell like gas, because the who bike reeks of gas.

Some pictures of leak in this link :

First quart of oil leaking the after the first time I revived it. The drip area happened after 1 quart of oil and 20 minutes of riding. I stopped for 30secs to open the gate and this is what came out from the bottom.
http://flickr.com/gp/beyondxb/h19Pz0

Date after putting bike into parking spot : small oil leak, oil look pretty thin.
http://flickr.com/gp/beyondxb/D5yH64

After 7 days of inactivity, I charged battery again and poured in another 2 quarts of oil. Oil came gushing out within seconds of starting Engine.
New 10w40 oil.
http://flickr.com/gp/beyondxb/94r78w

Some questions of my own :

As for new gaskets, is this what I need?

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http://www.oldbikebarn.com/GS550-Athena-Engine-Gasket-Set_3

Supplying new parts for Vintage Motorcycles! Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Old Bike Barn has what you need for your vintage motorcycle project!

At which point is an air filter too dirty to reuse?

Thanks again!

**mike_of_bbg** · 04-23-2012, 07:46 AM

Like I said before, STOP adding oil. If the oil is that thin, it's because you have fuel in it. Likelihood is that your carbs or petcock are leaking and fuel is getting in to the crankcase. That's why it reeks of gas. If your bike is over-full with a super-thin half-gas/half-oil mixture, that mixture is going to find its way out past the seals and gaskets.

Step one is to drain the crank case (and filter housing). Get that nasty old crap out of there. You need to check the petcock. It should be left in the "ON" position unless you're out of fuel (then switch to REServe) or have not run the bike in weeks (in which case you put it on PRIme for about 30 seconds to fill the bowls, then turn it back to ON). DO NOT leave your petcock set to PRIme. If fuel does not flow in the ON or RES position with the bike running, your petcock is bad and should be replaced. If fuel DOES flow with the petcock set to ON or RES with and your bike is NOT running, your petcock is bad and should be replaced. If there is any fuel in your petcock vacuum line, your petcock is bad and should be replaced.

Your fuel system needs to be cleaned out. Your carbs need to be dipped and rebuilt, and you need to make sure that tank is clean. Even a very small chunk of rust can hold the needle valves open and cause the carbs to overflow. After sitting for so long there is bound to be a lot of varnish in the carbs restricting fuel flow. It will never run "right" if that is the case.

After investigating/correcting the fuel issues, draining the crankcase, adding fresh oil, and cleaning the motor I'd see if it still leaks when running. IF you need to replace gaskets, the Athena gasket set is not very highly rated. At the very least, you will want to use an OEM base gasket in place of the one in the kit, as the Athena base gasket is too "squishy" and will release clamping pressure on the head and cause that to leak. But it may stop leaking when it's not overfull trying to pump gasoline through the system.

Whatever you buy, I would not go to Old Bike Barn for it. Several members have had issues getting their orders and refunds from OBB. Their prices usually aren't so great, anyway.

For the air filter, that would be a foam element, right? As long as the foam is not falling apart you should be able to clean it with whatever solvent you have (I usually use acetone), wash with soapy water, rinse it and dry it thoroughly, then LIGHTLY oil it and return it to service.

**spyug** · 04-23-2012, 08:40 AM

Welcome. These are great bikes and you will enjoy it when you sort it out. There is no quick and easy fix to this issue as several factors are at work and you will need to address them all as the guys are saying.

The very first thing is to find and fix that oil leak. As mentioned, drain all the old stuff out and fill with fresh. Before you do that, put the bike on the centerstand and clean the bottom of the engine and lower parts of the side cases to be able to see where the oil is coming from. Fill with frsh clean oil (2.4 liters, not a whole gallon). Put some papers underneath and watch to se where the oil is coming from. Once you determine that then you will know what gaskets you need.

You will need to check for gas escaping your tank. To do this disconnect the larger of the two hoses ( the fuel line) but leave the smaller vacuum line attached. Have the lever set to run. If fuel flows, you p'cock needs a rebuild or replacement as fuel is draining into your carbs, past them and down through the cylinders to the sump.

The carbs too will need cleaning and rebuilding. Now the carbs on the 550 are slightly different than the others being "siamesed" as in four carbs built into two. However, they clean exactly the same as any other and there is an extensive "how to" on Mr. Bass Cliff's website. He will be along shortly with his official welcome and all this info.

Once the tank is confirmed not to leak, the carbs are rebuilt and the gaskets in the engine sorted then you can worry about other things like brakes and tires. But first things first. Find the leaks.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Spyug

**Toy Maker** · 04-27-2012, 01:20 AM

slowly but surely..

Turns out I over filled the engine oil compartment and that's why it's guzzling out when the bike was running.

Gonna drain the oil , put on a new oil filter , and fill it up to normal level (sight window is useless so i'm just gonna put in 2.4 liters) , and hopefully at least be able to ride it to my parent's place which is a garage that I can start taking things apart.

What's the best place to get gaskets ? I live in BC, Canada.

My uncle is an engineer and used to ride motorcycle, he said I can also look into "high heat liquid gasket" if a replacement gasket is needed and coundn't be found in time. Comments?

Thanks again!

**tkent02** · 04-27-2012, 01:30 AM

Originally posted by Toy Maker

My uncle is an engineer and used to ride motorcycle, he said I can also look into "high heat liquid gasket" if a replacement gasket is needed and coundn't be found in time. Comments?

Don't ask this uncle for advise any more.

Very easy to clean the oil sight glass, also very easy to replace it.

Get gaskets from Suzuki, you will have to pay out the ass, that's a Canada thing.

**chuck hahn** · 04-27-2012, 11:37 AM

Listen to the advice of actual long time owners and wrenchers here on thew forum..otherwise you do as you want and then come back after youve convinced yourself that you need the help is how i see things. That being said.. The first thing I would do is get into checking that petcock and JUST DO THAT till your 500% positive its functioning correctly and not weeping gas when in the ON position..not so much as a drop. Then drain the oil and take off the clutch cover. Use Qtips and some laquer thinner, carb cleaner, rubbing alcohol to clean the sight glass so you can see thru it. Replace the gasket with a NEW OEM Suzuki gasket. Then add the oil with the bike on the center stand and ride it. Check for oil leaks after shes warmed up very good. My impression is that its way too full and everytime the pistons come down its forcing the oil out from whereever it can.

**cowboyup3371** · 04-27-2012, 09:47 PM

Clean the sight glass and put in the proper amount of oil or you'll quickly ruin that engine.

**Toy Maker** · 04-28-2012, 03:21 AM

Almost there!

Wish I could take apart the carb and drain the gas and all that, but that's explicitly prohibited by my building strata. I did manage to do an oil change today without being evicting (smiling and being on my best behaviour to every tenant passing by probably helped), the oil was thick like burnt maple syrup.

As it turns out, the sight window was ok, it was the neglected oil that made it pitch black.

Put in new oil and filter per service manual, bike started on first try! Rode around the parking lot a few loops and no oil leak yet.

When I get the bike to parent's garage I will have space to move on the rough idling , and the light throttle stalling issue. And drain gas to check petcock.

As usual, thanks for the tips!

Question : I couldn't get the new oil filter rubber ring to fit onto the filter cover, it just wouldn't stay put in the groove, any tips to stretch it?

I reused the old ring since it didn't have any cracks...

**Suzuki_Don** · 04-29-2012, 12:53 AM

Never come across that before. All the ones I have bought have slipped straight into the groove and I retain them with a bit of grease in the groove so they don't slip out/off until the cover is in place. Maybe stretch it by hand a bit and get it in place before it can return to it's original shape/size.

**cableguy** · 04-29-2012, 12:32 PM

Be prepared to spend some hours on this when you get it to your parents. Basscliffs site has a checklist that you should go through step by step and don't skip any steps! I and everyone here know this to be the only way you can address future problems proficiently, knowing that the variables (that list) are eliminated. Plus the peace of mind is priceless. Good luck and take a picture of your bike for your sig. We love pictures

**Roger P.** · 04-30-2012, 11:47 AM

The tank on that 550 is rusted through. You might want to think awhile about how much money you want to spend on this bike.