| Author | Message | ||
     Rkutzner |
Rear cylinder valve cover gasket is starting a slow seep. Finally made it down to the bottom of the case and onto the exhaust tip. My TT is still under warranty but is it worth bringing it in or can I get to the rear of the valve cover easily enough to clean it and put some high temp rtv over where the gasket is. I've done this on dirt bikes and old leaking oil drain plugs...just not sure I want to deal with a warranty claim if this is common and easily dealt with at home. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
If it's under warranty, make them fix it. If you have health insurance you use that right? | ||
| Birdy |
Have them fix it right. What you're talking about is a patch and will fail. I know it's a pain to lose your ride for a bit now but better than a long time later. | ||
| Rkutzner |
Actually, I stay away from the doctor as much as I can ! I was wondering how common a problem this is. It's obviouse there's a spot there because of the angle that the oil sits in and doesn't drain back down while it's sitting. Oh well, I always said having two bikes was great because if one was being worked on the other was available. Of course I just finished a 3.7 to 5.1 gallon tank upgrade and smaller sprocket on the VRod but am awaiting a couple parts to finish it up. After that I guess it's time to drop her off. Hope this doesn't become a habit........... | ||
| Ttags |
i've been told that this is very common. its a pain to fix, so if its not too bad, leave it alone | ||
| Rkutzner |
I removed the airbox to see how much I could get to. Wow is that tight. The dealers gonna do it under warranty this time because you have to remove like 15 things and tilt the motor down to get to it. Not a bad winter project I'm sure, but it's still under warranty. I hope it's not common because I have to wipe the bottom of the case every other day or it starts blowing back on the exhaust tip....and eventually I guess the rear tire. | ||
| Barnyard |
My bike just started to leak on the left side looks like it is by the view port above the shifter or ma bey it is coming from the shifter.it is not bad but I think i should take it in. | ||
| Rkutzner |
Mine is in right now. I miss her.... | ||
| 984gasm |
My left side rear cylinder has a slow leak as of the beginning of the summer. It's not so bad that I am too concerned, and if I can I will fix it over the winter. My bike does have 27k on it and I beat it pretty good. | ||
| Rkutzner |
I could have limped it to winter, just had to keep wiping the bottom of the case on the left side so the oil wouldn't get on the exhaust tip. And smoke. From the manual I could see it taking me a couple hours to tilt the engine down, plus a few minutes the first time trying to figure out how to lift the bike by the front tire so the engine can tilt down far enough. | ||
| Kev187 |
Mine just started leaking on the rear head also, my 2002 Buell X1 leaked in the same spot at the same mileage exactly (4300 miles) sucks. Not too bitch.. but I will... two Hondas & a modern Triumph... never an oil leak  All those bikes got about 10K miles a year on them. Oh well... I am going to drop it for its 5K mile service, let them fix the leak. I purchased the 5 year waranty, so I guess every 5K they will be fixing a rear head leak! fun~ | ||
| Darthane |
It won't leak that often unless there is a defect in the parts involved or it was reinstalled improperly. You cannot - CANNOT - take a sampling of a message board and extrapolate that something is 'very common'. Doing so is fallacy. I've had one oil leak on my three Buells over 7 years and 35K+ miles, and that was before they started using steel gaskets the next year. I guarantee you my experience is not the minority. | ||
| Hexangler |
Have the dealer check the rear rocker box with a feeler gague for warps! There is a specification, and mine was over at 0.006". The gaskets were replaced twice before the dealership realized that the assembly was warped more than the gasket could seal. And contrary to the above opinion, this is a very common problem on my Sportster and disapointingly common problem now on my Buell. The problem with not fixing it is any oil on the outside of the engine traps heat. Get it fixed right. Check for warps. Replace parts where appropriate. WARRANTY. | ||
| Laserred |
Well, then mine was defective and installed improperly as well. My rear rocker box started leaking around 4200 miles, and the dealer I bought it from tried to say it was my fault because of the American Sport Bike drain catch can, and I'd have to pay for everything even though I had the extended warranty (the bike is still under the original factory warranty as well). Needless to say, I gave them my one-fingered answer, and took my bike to Shreffler's in IL. They replaced BOTH gaskets (for good measure), completed some other adjustments, and didn't charge me a penny! EVERYTHING was covered under warranty. Needless to say, in the future I will happily make the 130 mile roundtrip to Shreffler's for my bike's repairs. They restored my want to believe that somewhere, some businesses still actually care about their customers. But yes, the oil leak is very annoying, very messy, and can be costly when you're using $34/gallon oil. | ||
| Srwitt |
I've got a leak at 5k on my 08 12R, however its at the bottom of the rear cylinder pushrod cover. Very small leak just a small patch of dirty oil at the bottom of the cover and nothing else. Just started over the last week, my 5k service is scheduled for next week so I'll let em know about it then. | ||
| Darthane |
-=shrugs=- The only part of my statement that is opinion is that to me, 'very common' implies a significant percentage - say 1 in 4. This board does not contain even a fraction of that percentage as active posters - combining all Buell-related boards together probably wouldn't give you 25% of the population. So again, extrapolating that something is 'very common' from a few message board posts is indeed a fallacy. If the percentage were anywhere near that level there would be a design fix of some type, much as when they went from the paper gaskets to the metal ones. | ||
| Hexangler |
Also have them check the grommet that the stator wires go through in the back of the primary. Also have them check the startor motor gasket. These are two other COMMON problems. (Message edited by hexangler on August 21, 2008) | ||
| Rkutzner |
Now ya tell me ! All I could think of having them check was the rear header bolts. Oh well. Here's what it would have cost had it not been under warranty: ~$16 in parts 2.7 hrs x $66/hour ~$200 plus gas for the truck and your time. Not the biggest deal but I hope it's fixed. If it happens after warranty I'll probably fix it myself and use that red spray gasket sealer that I've used all these years on the old cars. That stuff is forever, assuming no warpage of course. I guess this is the hate of the love/hate relationship. But there's a whole lotta love ! | ||
| Talath |
I just noticed I've got this (un)common problem on my XB12r. The "auto oiling" feature has been enabled on my cooling fan. It makes a nice mist of oil that seems to settle in a nice even coating on everything aft and down from the fan. Luckily for me it's still under warranty. |
