oil leak

[David Tinsley]

the camshaft timed breather is driven off a peg on the cam gear, it needs a cork washer pushed into the face of the gear to take the float out of the breather cylinder that fits in the inner timing side case. this i think was mentioned by me earlier in the posts. if i remember rightly there are two types of this breather with holes drilled in the outer circumference at slightly different positions, you have to have the correct one for your model of bike so i am told or it will upset the breathing even if there is no end float on the camshaft. i think you are on about crank float and that figure is fine

Thanks Berger,

I have not looked at the timed breather washer yet. I thought, possibly incorrectly, that because there was no oil coming from the breather hole all was good there. Perhaps I am going down the wrong path looking at the crank seal, but with the primary full of oil and then the "puffing" from the crankshaft area I was looking at that as the problem.

I will remove the outer timer cover and have a look at what I find. One thing I am still unclear on (which might become blindingly obvious, once I take the outer timing cover off) is the instruction to choose a washer (I have four new ones of various thickness to hand) that takes up the end play once the cover is back on. But how can you check the end float with the cover on?

[muskrat]

G'day Dave.
The cork "washer" just needs to be crushed about 10 thou". So when you offer up the cover there will be that tiny gap that gets pulled up with the screws.
While your in there rotate the motor till the breather holes line up and give it a blast of compressed air. You should see/hear it coming out the other side.
If it's clear we're back to the crank seal.
Cheers

[David Tinsley]

G'day Dave.
The cork "washer" just needs to be crushed about 10 thou". So when you offer up the cover there will be that tiny gap that gets pulled up with the screws.
While your in there rotate the motor till the breather holes line up and give it a blast of compressed air. You should see/hear it coming out the other side.
If it's clear we're back to the crank seal.
Cheers

Thanks Muskrat,

The fog has cleared and now i understand, thank you
Thanks for the tip on blowing through the breather, I will do that.
Cheers,
Dave

[chaterlea25]

Hi David,
You need to remove the inner cover to replace the cork washer, you can check it with just the outer cover undone..
As the crank seal is blowing this will prevent the timed breather functioning as it should

John

[sean]

note the location of all screws and push them through a piece of cardboard they are different lengths

[David Tinsley]

note the location of all screws and push them through a piece of cardboard they are different lengths

Yes, I have used that method on a number of bikes. Keeps the screws in the correct order

[David Tinsley]

So, I took the outer timing cover off and I can find no end play in the breather that pokes through the inner timing cover. With the outer cover on (with no screws I cannot feel any crush, but looking at the set up I dont think I should. I think i have been misunderstanding where to check the end float. Does that indicate that all is well with the cork washer or do I still need to go ahead and remove it? Dont want to m3ss about with that dynamo drive sprocket and possibly mess up valve time unless i have to. (Is the nut that secures that lefty loosey)

Also, before I try and blow air through the breather, as advised do I have to have pistons at TDC?

Snowing here now in Ontario and my garage is unheated so done for the day! My old fingers cannot take the cold

[CheeserBeezer]

Sorry to chime in late on this thread. My assessment is as follows...... If the bike has been standing for a long time it will have wet sumped and will blow oil out of the breather until the sump is cleared of excess oil. If the oil is returning Ok, as you describe, the wet sumping issue is probably resolved, simply by running the bike. You have 700 ml of oil in the chaincase because the bike has wet sumped so badly that the oil level in the crankcase has risen to about half way up the crankcase, in which case the oil will track through the splines on the crankshaft and drip into the primary chaincase. With so much oil in the chaincase, it's bound to leak. I would agree with all previous advice, including ensuring you have the correct cork behind the top hat breather so you need about 1/2 mm or 1 mm. compression on the inner timing cover when refitting. Also , remove the primary drive sprocket, replace the oil seal and make sure, when refitting the drive sprocket, you fit a lock washer between the splines and the nut and make sure you tighten the nut very tightly before peening the lockwasher. Use TQF in the chaincase as it is red in colour so you can identify any leaked oil by its colour if it drips on the floor..

[Worty]

Just as an aside, my GF wet sumps all the oil out of the tank.  On one occasion, I left it for weeks before riding it (draining the oil before starting, I might add).  Although I had no excess oil in the primary, when I took off the timing cover I discovered some oil had got past the gasket and into the dynamo chain drive 'chamber'.  This had the effect of making the grease a bit runny.  I say this because, as CB says, the oil level can rise to levels that can identify other issues.

[David Tinsley]

So, this morning I blew air through the centre hole of the breather in the inner case (thanks for that tip Swarfy) I could not hear any air escaping when the breather was closed off. Rotated the engine and got air out of the breather underneath the engine and also from the hole at the bottom of the inner cover above the gear box. I think the cork is OK?
Given that there was so much oil in the primary I am beginning to suspect it was a case of super sumping whilst being left standing for month.
Next step is to take the bike out and see if the oil leak has cured. I might have been chasing my own backside here.
Still not sure on the blow by the crank though.
Getting way too cold to do much more work on it now

[berger]

David you mention the hole in the inner cover above the gearbox which hole is this? there should only be a hole in the left hand crankcase pointing downwards towards the gearbox sprocket, there should be a blanking screw in the inner timing case above the gearbox?

[Worty]

Was trying to figure that one myself Bergs 

[David Tinsley]

David you mention the hole in the inner cover above the gearbox which hole is this? there should only be a hole in the left hand crankcase pointing downwards towards the gearbox sprocket, there should be a blanking screw in the inner timing case above the gearbox?

Berger,

Photo attached of the hole I am on about. I have arrowed the hole. Air is coming out of there when the breather is lined up, i can feel it. Looking at the inner case it looks like a drilling passageway up to th breather from this hole?

[muskrat]

G'day Dave.
Yep that's it. As bergs said that hole should be blanked off. Surprised you didn't have oil all over the gearbox.
Looks like you're going to take the inner cover off after all. I can't remember what size the hole is, tap a thread and screw in a grub screw with Loctite.
Cheers

[Worty]

G'day Dave.
Yep that's it. As bergs said that hole should be blanked off. Surprised you didn't have oil all over the gearbox.
Looks like you're going to take the inner cover off after all. I can't remember what size the hole is, tap a thread and screw in a grub screw with Loctite.
Cheers

Question:  Why is the hole there in the first place??