• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Oil Seepage Theory

  • Thread starter Thread starter Roostabunny
  • Start date Start date
R

Roostabunny

Guest
I get oil seepage in a couple of areas, but not all the time. Base gasket, clutch pivot seal, RH crankshaft seal (behind the ignition), for example. My crankcase will stay clean for weeks, then I?ll start to notice some trails forming and get some drops of oil on my right shoe every couple of days.

So here?s my idea ? you think as my oil ?wears out? and starts to lose viscosity (I?ve read that it does that) it?s getting through the seals better?

My bike?s an ?81 GS850G with about 38K miles. I put on 250-300 miles per week between errands and my 50mi round trip freeway commute. I?ve been using 15W-40 dino oil (Rotella T, if you must know, but I don't want to start an oil debate thread if I can help it) and changing it about every 2000 miles. It?s about due for a change, which is what made me think there might be a pattern to the leaking.

I?m changing the oil this weekend, so I?ll certainly clean things up and see if the seeping goes away for a few weeks ? I?m just curious what you guys think.
 
After a couple of decades, rubber seals harden and seep, especially when the oil is hot and at its thinnest.

So yes, you will see a bit more leakage and seeping when your oil is old and hot.

On the bright side, replacing the offending seals and gaskets should cure the leaks. A GS isn't like an old British or American engine, where they are seemingly designed to leak no matter what. A GS with reasonably fresh seals and gaskets won't leak a drop anywhere.

Plus, all the seals and gaskets are still available from Suzuki at pretty reasonable prices.
 
My GS1100 is the first bike I ever owned that didn't leave oil drip spots.
 
Well, yes the oil does lose viscosity as it ages. One of the benefits of a true synthetic is that it'll keep it viscosity longer. As you probably know not all "Synethics" are synthetic. My local NAPA store carries about ten different synthetics and only one is really synthetic. If you change your oil at 2K the synthetics are a waste of money.

Its true that gaskets harden and crack and lose there seal after a while. The metal in the engine fatigues also. Your bolts can also lose their tensile strength and will stretch a little when you torque them so that they are as tight as the wrench says they are. The long and short of it is as engines age they will be prone to leak more. When it gets too bad install new seals and gaskets properly and hope for the best. LOL!!
 
Would a blocked breather hose cause a higher pressure inside the engine that might also to oil leaks? Ted
 
knotzilla said:
Would a blocked breather hose cause a higher pressure inside the engine that might also to oil leaks? Ted
Click to expand...

It certainly could, but I think r. bunny has probably already looked into this possibility -- it came up not too long ago.
 
knotzilla said:
Would a blocked breather hose cause a higher pressure inside the engine that might also to oil leaks? Ted
Click to expand...
Good thought. Brian's right - I discovered breather blockage a couple of weeks ago while working on resealing my airbox, so that's probably not it, but I'm sure it was contributing in the past.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top