Help Solve Mystery Leak

[coyoteyip]

Hello Masters of the GS,

Technical noob here and I have a mystery I'm having trouble solving. I got my '83 GS450TXD about a month ago. As far as I can tell it has not leaked oil or anything else, until......about a week ago I went on a ride and when I parked the bike in my garage, it immediately leaked what appears to be oil (pic below.) The liquid is dark and thick and it appeared right after I pulled the bike onto the center stand. I checked and there appeared to be oil around the shifter underneath the engine, but was kind of all over, so hard to tell exactly where it came from. I checked the next day and no additional oil appeared to have leaked out.

Here's the mystery - I never got the leak before that ride, nor on rides since then; just that one time (I cleaned the oil up and checked after parking). The only thing I can think of that was different about that ride is that it *might* have been the only time I revved pretty high (over 7000.) The oil pressure light has never lit up.

I'm about to change the oil and wanted to ask you all if there is anything else you recommend I check. Thanks for any tips!

 

[Guest]

It could either be from a gear shift oil seal or the clutch pushrod seal. As it is a small leak (and occurs on many bikes) you could just live with it as it's not enough to drop you oil level, but keep checking and keep it clean. Or you could remove the sprocket cover (The oil seal are behind the cover) and clean everything out (I mean everything) and then check back later to see where the oil originated from.

Here's a question for you. Did you lube the chain that day and if so what did you use?

 

[tkent02]

Third and fourth choices, could be the countershaft seal or the gear position indicator sender switch. Any of these can leak, all are easy to fix without taking anything major apart.

Get it good and clean in there as Cyrano suggests, then spray some foot spray or something all over that area and ride. Stop and look in a few minutes, where it leaks first will be easy to see in the powder. Kind of like the old joke.

As he says also, too much chain lube would be the easiest thing to fix.

 

[mikerophone]

Seems that I have developed a leak around the gear position indicator.. After cleaning everything up and running the bike for a few minutes on the paddock while changing the chain and sprockets I noticed some brown around the front of the gear position sensor wiring plug after spraying with foot powder:

I had a spare gear shift shaft seal and was hoping that was it, no such luck but I'm glad it's not the sprocket or clutch shaft seal!

 

[chuck hahn]

Take it off and clean it well with some carb spray and reseal the pass thru with Ultra Black RTV. And inspect the gasket behind it as well. bet the gasket is leaking and the oil is passing thru the housing due to shrunk up rubber grommet the wires pass thru.

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d3f2def8700230d8b4bfe3/electrical

 

[mikerophone]

Thanks Chuck, will do.

Hoping a clean a and re-seal will do the trick. It's a very slow leak but may as well seal it up while I have the cover off...

 

[chuck hahn]

Be easy as there is a spring and a contact there.

 

[mikerophone]

Strange - the fiche doesn't show a spring. This is from my 83 750ES. The seal is #39.

http://www.partsoutlaw.com/oemparts/a/suz/50d40104f8700230d8b4e3f5/gear-shifting

 

[chuck hahn]

38 is the entire assembly. Trust me..theres a spring and a round ended contact that goes in the cover. When you take the cover off youll see the base has some rectangular contact points. The detent makes contact with the base plate and completes the circuit so the lights on the dash come on or go off accordingly.

 

[chuck hahn]

Scratch the carb spray..it may harm the plastic come to think of it. But use something to degreases the area them wires go thru so the reseal will stick well. Maybe some simple green and a tooth brush followed by some air to blow dry it well and get any moisture left behind removed.

 

[mikerophone]

This must be a little different or I didn't go in that far:

I used simple green and some black Permatex to re seal the o ring the switch itself is sealed so hopefully the RTV will seal the o ring until I can get one shipped. Will report back if it doesn't seal. Thanks Chuck!

 

[chuck hahn]

I see where the contact has traveled along the switch but wheres the plunger thing?? Maybe your bike ( obviously 0m is different than the ones I have had to take off.
How does the shifter drum index to the switch and tell what gear its in???

EDIT...looked again and see it in there...sorry.

 

[mikerophone]

No worries - it's different than the 8V versions I've seen. I should know tomorrow night if my reseal did the trick!

 

[Guest]

Not to hijack this thread but mine looks the same as yours with a little score line across the contact points. The neutral light and 5th gear light do not work and I took it apart, thinking there was some dirt or corrosion across the contacts. But they were all clean. The contact pin came out and one end was flat, the other end rounded. I could not tell which way it was supposed to go and put it back with the rounded end facing the contacts. Still no neutral or 5th lights.

 

[chuck hahn]

Wire came disconnected inside the switch to those two contacts maybe?? Spring behind the plunger pushing out sufficently?? And unless I am not remembering right, all the plungers Ive seen have the rounded end facing the contacts on the switch.

 

[mikerophone]

Phred, not likely the the problem but I'd also check the lengths of wire for continuity at the switch and gauge for neutral and 5th if you haven't already.