| Author | Message | ||
     1324 |
Well, I did a track day the other day and the bike ran great. However, the top of my tranny has been a bit greasy since I bought the bike a few weeks ago. Several checks later, it never appeared to worsen, so I let well enough along and figured I'd keep an eye on it...until I was at the track, that is. I wouldn't call it a serious leak, but it's enough that a freshly wiped transmission top would get wet and oily after an 18 minute track session. Granted, I beat the hell out of this thing, but it shouldn't leak. At this time, I started a thread in the KV, but that area of the forum doesn't get much traffic. So, if the moderators don't mind, please see this thread: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/384 2/292390.html?1184535745 Please chime in if you can add anything. Thanks for the help in advance, because I NEED to sign up for another track day  | ||
| Sgthigg |
So how many miles did it have before you did a track day? | ||
| Spatten1 |
I wouldn't call it a serious leak, but it's enough that a freshly wiped transmission top would get wet and oily after an 18 minute track session. Granted, I beat the hell out of this thing, but it shouldn't leak. Make sure it is not coming from the rear base gasket. I got a leak there from track days. Problem is it is really tough to get the bike warm enough before hammering it, which causes base gasket leaks. | ||
| 1324 |
I'm not sure of the exact mileage, but it was in the 9k range. I'm pretty sure its not the base gasket at this point, but I'll keep an eye on it. Last night I degreased the entire area,so it is clean now and should be easier to spot leakage. The interface between the cylinder and the case didn't appear to be oily, though I could be mistaken. Also, my gear/engine oil levels didn't appear to drop throughout the day. I was told I'd burn some oil, but if I did, it wasn't much (luckily). | ||
| 1324 |
Spatten, Did you change the gasket to eliminate the leak? Or is this normal enough to a point that it only leaked when beat on when cool? As much as that would suck, I could probably deal with it as long as I knew there wasn't a major problem. And here I tried to keep the bike cool by not idling so I could stave off potential detonation... | ||
| Spatten1 |
The base gaskets weep for a while, but I've heard they blow eventually. I changed mine and so far so good. I'm much more careful about warmup now. | ||
| 1324 |
Ugh, that isn't good. Well, I'll keep an eye on it, although at this time, the gasket interface doesn't look to be leaking (I hope). | ||
| Blackxb9 |
Nick, You got a leak? As the previous owner of your trusty steed I didn't have a problem with any trans leaking, just the usual coating that I was assured to be "normal". Although given how hard you ran it on the track you may have seen more buildup then I saw over the time I was in the saddle. As suggested here I would keep an eye on it but I can't remember wiping down the casing more then twice in my time of ownership. If you notice an increase of buildup or frequency of wiping down the case I would put on a new gasket before heading back to the track. Keep me posted and keep the rubber down. Shandon | ||
| 1324 |
Yeah, I forgot to mention it to you. I'm still a little lost as to what happened, because like you said, a little sludge up there is normal and I discarded it as such. It was only at the track under sustained high-RPM running that the sludge took on more of a film characteristic. I'd say I noticed the build up after the first or second session, but I can't say for sure as I was busy. I'm sure those 100 miles on the track were more like 10,000 miles on the road, so more wear and tear is to be expected. At this time, I'm just trying to eliminate major issues. After last night's quick cleaning and short jog around my town, there was no seepage to be seen. | ||
| Spatten1 |
Now that I think about it, the starter gasket would leak on top of the tranny too. It would be an easy fix. I think it's just two bolts in the primary case behind the clutch. Also, look for crap leaking from the airbox area and the breather hoses. You are better off having a gasket leak than the cases, which is worst case. I'd keep a close eye on where it is coming from, might not be too hard to fix. It's tough for me to run a Buell at the track during warmup laps. On the first lap everyone else is at 1/4 throttle and I'm friggin pinning my XB9 to keep up. Just keep that engine warm and you should be fine. I didn't know any better either. | ||
| 1324 |
Good advice, thanks. I did have to wring this thing out pretty well to keep up, so hopefully I didn't do any real damage. I didn't get a chance to ride it last night, but I checked the engine and no leaks just sitting there. Well, I guess if worse comes to worst, I'll just have to use this as an excuse to build the engine/tranny  | ||
| 1324 |
Update: Found the leak, it was the starter gasket. Went to the HD/Buell dealer nearby and picked up the primary gasket, clutch gasket, shifter rod gasket, drain plug o-ring, and the starter gasket for $28. Unbelievable! If these parts were for my Suzuki, I'd have to wait at least 7 days and the prices would be at least double. On another note, it appears the 03 models had a paper(ish) starter gasket. Since that time, Buell has replaced it with a rubber coated metal gasket. That should take care of that. | ||
| Spatten1 |
Awesome! Glad you found a simple fix. The clutch comes off in one unit. Don't worry about the instructions for the special tool and all that crap, because you don't need to dissasemble the clutch pack. It's not a bad job to get to the starter at all. Also, remember the red locktite and new torque specs for the rotor bolt on the crankshaft when putting it back together. I forgot to order a new starter gasket, I'm using the torn paper gasket cleaned up with liberal amounts of blue silicone. Fingers crossed, so far so good. | ||
| 1324 |
You know, I was looking through the service manual, and according to that, I don't think I need to remove anything inside the primary...said I may need to use one of those rounded end allen keys to remove the starter bolts. If not, oh well. At any rate, check of the new gasket...its pretty beefy. Worth the upgrade if you hang on to it and happen to remove the starter at some point. | ||
| Reepicheep |
So you could get the starter off far enough to get the gasket on without pulling the headers? | ||
| Spatten1 |
That's killer. I guess the bolts are higher up than I remember, out of the way of the clutch. You're set, this will be super easy. Dude, I feel like a tool to keep chiming in with advice, but don't use torque specs for anything except maybe the starter motor bolts. The primary cover, etc. specs will have you stripping bolts. Just use feel and common sense. | ||
| 1324 |
No, it's cool. Thanks for the advice. I wouldn't turn it away since I don't feel like breaking anything when I follow the manual. Hopefully, I'll be able to swap the gaskets when I get back from vacation in a week or so. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
1324, If there is a bolt, nut, screw, or washer on a Buell, Spatten has turned it. He's definitely one of the good ones to talk to! Congrats on the low cost fix! | ||
| 1324 |
Well, last night I finally got around to taking this stuff apart. I disassembled the primary cover and removed the starter and old gasket. As the manual described, it was pretty easy. The old gasket was definitely paper and was definitely shot. The new style gasket definitely looks like an improvement. I think part of my problem includes the design of the starter and the way it interfaces the pinion with the ring. Being that it has a solenoid to actuate the pinion, the gear isn't always freewheeling like many bikes today. So, I remember on the track that day that I heard a loud clunk come from the tranny. Can't remember anything specific except that it was loud and nothing seemed to be affected. I am guessing that I may have bumped the starter button?? Not sure, but I know that later that day, when I pressed the starter button, the bike made another loud clunk and wouldn't start until the button was pressed again. So, I'm thinking that maybe the pinion gear slammed into the ring gear a couple of times and broke the gasket's seal? Sounds kinda crazy, I know, but I'm just trying to figure it out. I can see the pinion gear has chamfers on the ends of the teeth to aid in insertion and meshing, so maybe this isn't so far from the truth. Anybody have any insight? |
