• 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.

Small oil leak from GS

  • Thread starter Thread starter KRISTI'SGS550
  • Start date Start date
K

KRISTI'SGS550

Guest
I am getting about a tablespoon of oil leaking from the wife's GS. It appears to be coming from the bottom screw on the magneto cover. It has oil between the screw head and cover. I cleaned everything up and this is the only place the oil is coming from. What do you guys suggest I do?

Cory
 
Cory there is a hole in the casting below the starter motor, oil can collect in the cavity under the starter motor and run through this drain hole and end up near the generator cover. Is this the cover you mean when you say magneto cover.
Cheers. don.
 
Suzuki_Don said:
Cory there is a hole in the casting below the starter motor, oil can collect in the cavity under the starter motor and run through this drain hole and end up near the generator cover. Is this the cover you mean when you say magneto cover.
Cheers. don.
Click to expand...

Yes sorry the generator cover sorry. I am not sure what you are describing though. With mine it appears the oil is seeping straight from the screw hole closest to the bottom (nearest to the road). There isn't any other oil trace than the drips between the screw head and the case cover.

Cory
 
KRISTI'SGS550 said:
gasket is brand new. I thin it is coming from the screw hole itself. Do I need a bigger screw? Tighten the screw in there?

Cory
Click to expand...

Which bolt hole is it coming from? The holes which pass through the gasket should
seal up when the cover goes on. There are a few holes which aren't near oil and don't
have gasket around them.

Did the leaking start when you replaced the gasket? It's possible the gasket didn't go
on right and the bolt tore it up when its was inserted. That particular gasket is very
thin and hard to position.
 
It's been leaking off and on since the day I got it, about this time last year. I replaced the gasket because I thought that was it, but it appears to not have changed anything. The bolt that is leaking is the one nearest the ground on the generator cover.

Cory
 
maybe when you put the bolt in you missed the hole in the gasket. I did that with my brothers bike, leaked like a harley.
 
That could be what happened but would that happen with the old gasket and the new gasket. Because the old gasket was leaking as well. I can see the gasket between the two pieves it seems to be seated well. I would hate to pull it apart, what a pain.

Can the oil not leak from the screw hole?

Cory
 
The hole is from the starter cavity. Oil is leaking either from the cam chain tensioner or somewhere in that area and flowing through the starter cavity and out the hole under the stator cover. Maybe the hole is partially clogged and oil is built up in there. Give it a poke and see if it flows. :-D
 
the oil is flowing already why would I poke it and make it flow more? I want the oil to stop flowing, what can I do to achieve that? Also I don't think it's coming from that high up. I think there would be a trail of oil from wherever it is leaking and the only place that has oil is that bottom screw. When I replaced the gasket on the tensioner I cleaned that area up really well and I don't see any oily mess on there like I do on the lower screw. Also when I had the starter cover off, there wasn't any old oil in there. If the bike was losing oil from this spot before wouldn't there be some build up in there somewhere? Just my observations. I am sure the oil is coming from the screw and I just want to know if I can tighten it or if I need to tap a new hole or something to prevent the thing from leaking anymore.

If you can tell me some things to check around the tensioner or in the starter bay I will check them, but as of right now I don't see anything. Also if it is this what can I do to stop the leak? Maybe if I do all the things suggested to stop the leak one of them will work. Though I think it is coming from the screw, but I could be wrong I have been before.

Cory
 
I was saying that so the starter cavity would drain and the leak would slower.
If your are SURE it's from the stator cover then never mind.
Whenever I revove the stator cover there is hardly any oil in there. Not a good source for a leak.
 
One reason I think it's not dammed up in the starter is because when I replaced the oil and had the oil out of the bike for a couple hours there wasn't a leak, but as soon as I filled the oil the leak began again. But I will look in the starter cavity for a clogged hole. Will I need to pull the starter motor for this? Thanks chef for the patience and help.

Cory
 
a little bit of form-a-gasket in the hole should take care of that if it's coming out of the bolt hole. take the bolt out, put it back in after a little dab, let it sit overnight before running it after
 
KRISTI'SGS550 said:
the old gasket was leaking as well. I can see the gasket between the two pieves it seems to be seated well. I would hate to pull it apart, what a pain.
Click to expand...
cory,
why are you finding it that difficult to undo those few bolts and check whats going on inside?
it would shed more light on your prob and remove the need for all the guess work
indeed you may only need to tighten that one screw but unless you're carefull or use the torque-wrench you may snap the bolt
are the bolts allen-head? if so, use a short handle key and get it as tight as you can using your hand only - you should be safe from snapping the bolt
if the head is philips you can pretty much go as hard as you want with a screwdriver
tighten the bolt a little at a time and see if the leak stops
 
KRISTI'SGS550 said:
Yes sorry the generator cover sorry. I am not sure what you are describing though. With mine it appears the oil is seeping straight from the screw hole closest to the bottom (nearest to the road). There isn't any other oil trace than the drips between the screw head and the case cover.

Cory
Click to expand...

Maybe the cover is cracked. There shouldn't be oil going by a screw, especially if there is no evidence that some seal used to exist there. The only sealed screw on my 850 (that I know of) is on the petcock mounting screws. These have special washers with a rubber element to seal the screw. Hopefully the threads in the crankcase aren't cracked.
 
Are you 110% SURE all the bolts are the right lengths?

If one or two are too long, they might bottom out before tightening properly. This could also happen if there's gunk in the bolt hole, or the remains of a broken bolt.

Might be a crack in the stator cover, too.

Take it off and look. Takes less time than typing all these questions. :-D

And if you want anything other than random speculation, post some photos of your leak and where you think it's coming from.
 
Dogma said:
Maybe the cover is cracked. There shouldn't be oil going by a screw, especially if there is no evidence that some seal used to exist there. The only sealed screw on my 850 (that I know of) is on the petcock mounting screws. These have special washers with a rubber element to seal the screw. Hopefully the threads in the crankcase aren't cracked.
Click to expand...
I agree, you're probably (hopefully) not leaking from a bolt hole - just looks that way because the oil flows down, collects at the low point, then seeps into small cracks (even uphill!) due to capillary action. Sounds scientific, huh?

I had occasional leaks from the crankshaft oil seal behind my ignition, and it originally presented the exact same way - dripped out the drain hole behind the bolt but looked like a leaky bolt.

Have you looked over Basscliff's stator replacement pictorial? (PDF Link) There's some great pics and mention of a little rubber grommet thingie - maybe that'll give you some ideas about your cover.
 
Oil Leak

Oil Leak

I have the same Bike, and replaced all my cover gaskets, Did you use any gasket adhesive, Also as you and every one else Knows, the metal is soft.could the case be dented or gouged, At that spot. since you hade the leak before gasket change, I dont think you tore gasket. I could be wrong. But either way its got to come off. Let us know what you find. SAN.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top