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Message started by martinfilms34 on 05/21/12 at 11:47:50

Title: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/21/12 at 11:47:50

I really need to fix my plug leak, its gonna to the point where i get oil on my shoes as i ride. Can somebody please tell me what i neeed to do to order the part? I asked earlier and all someone did was give me the link to the topic about the plug leak. Im asking how to do i actually order the part, thats all i need. Do i need to go a suzuki dealership or order it online or what.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Boule’tard on 05/21/12 at 11:54:15

It should be on the microfische at Bikebandit or Ron Ayers, right? I'd look it up for you, but I'm on dialup and the diagrams take forever to load..

Good luck with the fix, it sounds like the leak is getting serious!

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dave on 05/21/12 at 11:58:54

You may not need a new part - you might be able to just take the old one out, clean the area, then re-install the plug with a sealer.

I believe the part that is involved is #12 in the following parts page.

http://www.hondaofflorence.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=432111&category=Motorcycles&make=SUZUKI&year=2005&fveh=10118

Here is the link to the process......with photographs:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1099227295

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by EJID on 05/21/12 at 12:32:16

Just a side note here...you said, "to the point where i get oil on my shoes as i ride," Have you checked the engine bolts that hold the pegs and go through the front of the engine? They can leak right there next to your feet as well if not snugged down enough. Good luck with the cap fix though...I haven't had to tackle that one yet (knock on wood)

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/21/12 at 12:53:46

I just ordered the part, and i went and bought some sealant. Im gonna be attempting the fix tomorrow, without the replacement part and i will be tightening all of the bolts.
Now when taking off the gas tank am i gonna have to drain it first?

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dave on 05/21/12 at 12:58:47

7229243F3C21243F20450 wrote:

My vote is yes.....drain the tank at a minimum. It is much easier to move around when it is lighter. Also.....you may need to remove the petcock to get the tank off.....some do....some don't.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/21/12 at 13:03:56

Okay, and one more thing, it seems to be leaking from all over now. Which kind of has me worries. Its leaking from directly under the bike, right under the stand, and also on the opposite side of the engine.
Im starting to think that this may be more than just the head plug leak which really has me worried. In reality I'm just a kid, learning mechanical skills. My dad who was a mechanic, works in another country. I don't have money for a mechanic either. Work hours are terrible right now.

What should i look for leaking? I just looked over the engine there seems to be oil pretty much everywhere in small bits. I really don't know where to get started and im starting to think that im way in over my head.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dave Sisk on 05/21/12 at 13:11:32

Hang in there and don't panic. ;) First, get some paper towels or shop cloths and wipe it down...get the existing oil off so you can better see where it's leaking from. Then, take it from there, you'll do fine.

Cheers,
Dave

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/21/12 at 19:43:40

At this point I'm not even sure where to start.
It seems that just one week ago it only leaked from one very small part. Now i think its leaking from the farthest back exhaust cover area. The leak from the head plug is going to the side and to the bottom of the bike. And it leaks a pretty good amount.
I purchased some sealant to fix the head plug, but now i notice i dont have any torque wrenches, so I can't even attempt to fix it. Any body have any suggestions? Im just really starting to get frustrated.

Can i do it without a torque wrench? Cause it seems that the chance of getting one is very low! Somebody please help

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by jamesjoshua on 05/21/12 at 19:58:58

try a rubber basepan plug for a car,they may come in 3 different sizes??

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by heroicseven on 05/21/12 at 20:08:30

I'm in the same boat floating down the same river :(, I hope you solve it.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Oldfeller on 05/21/12 at 21:44:42

6F343922213C39223D580 wrote:

Do you have a Harbor Freight or a Northern Hydraulics near to you? You don't have to pay a lot of money for a torque wrench, HF sells one for less than $20.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-drive-click-stop-torque-wrench-2696.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_11213.jpg

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Wake51 on 05/21/12 at 22:06:54

I had the ever feared plug leak at one point too. It doesn't take long to make a mess. Don't fear, when the oil gets warm it gets thinner and spreads around easier. Then it does its job, and picks up dirt, all the dirt and debris in the air and from the road as you ride. Then when you shut the bike off it cools and coagulates getting thick again. What your left with is a mess that looks FAR more alarming than what the problem actually presents. As far as my oil leak was concerned, I never had to add oil, it just made a massive mess.

You can do the fix without a torque wrench. I had a torque wrench but couldn't get it on most of the bolts anyway. Most of the bolts are in the ballpark of 12 ft. lbs. That's pretty much hand snug with a ratchet assuming you're not Hulk Hulgan.

Take your time on the fix, and use the print out with a piece of carb board to keep your bolts in order. You can look at the piece of paper and match up where everything goes easy as cake. Clean where the cover goes on very well. When I put the sealant on, I went to a pharmacy (Wal mart of Walgreens work great) and asked for a syringe to apply the sealer. They will give them out for free, get one without the needle. Makes the application much easier.

DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE MESH SCREEN (for the crank case breather) BACK INTO PLACE AND A RUBBER SPACER BEFORE PUTTING THE HEAD COVER BACK ON!

I did this and had to go back to square one.

Good luck and you can do this, I'm a college student and pretty much did it in a barren garage. :D

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/22/12 at 12:05:00

Well, here goes nothing guys! Wish me luck

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/22/12 at 15:52:27

Just finished it! It wasn't as hard it as I thought it was and it was the plug that seemed to be the problem. The gasket itself seemed clean and nothing was really out of line except for the fact that the plug was floating freely.

I guess the real test comes tomorrow when the sealant dries. Thanks everyone who helped me through this!

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dalziel_A on 05/22/12 at 18:00:06

I gotta try this.. I just had the most frustrating evening trying to figure out where the hell the oil leak was coming from. I took it for a drive around the block the other day to a car wash and gave it a good cleaning then drove it home to see if I could find where it was leaking. It seemed to be leaking from everywhere. Within 2 minutes there was oil on my shoes, around the spark plug and the exhaust (which smokes like crazy, and must look hilarious while I'm sitting at a stop light). But as Wake51 mentioned earlier, I'm finding that the oil level doesn't seem to drop at all. Anyway, let us know how this turns out. I'm in the same boat as you my friend.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/22/12 at 18:17:57

Dalziel,
This seems to be the cause of the leak. I'm waiting for the sealant to dry and really check but the plug was barley even on at all! Made total sense. My head gasket was clean so it looks as if it is okay. The repair itself was not to hard at all! A little time consuming took me 3 and a half hours start to finish, including having to take the tank back off because i forgot one small part! But it was not hard at all!

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1177184297

I used that to help me out, takes you step by step to what needs to happen. I'll update you once i take it out on a test run to see how it holds up. I noticed that everywhere that the oil leaked was coming from the headgasket. At higher speeds it would leak onto my pants, and down onto my exhaust making the smoke, which was in fact kinda embarrassing.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Wake51 on 05/22/12 at 21:12:54

Way to knock it out! Once you pull the cover and see the plug floating loosely in oil, it's pretty much "OH... yeah that is the problem."

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/23/12 at 16:32:38

After the initial test ride today of about 20 minutes I think that its safe to say that i fixed the leaks! It was all being caused by the plug, every part. It was a good feeling pulling up to a redlight and not being clouded by smoke!
Thanks everyone for their help!

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dalziel_A on 05/23/12 at 16:41:07

I don't get it! I just came in from the garage when I finally found the oil plug saying "This little piece of crap can't be the real plug".. So I jumped on the computer and come to find out that it is. And it was just sitting there?? Of course it's going to leak! My bike is an '01, and I bought it very recently from a guy who let it sit for the last three years. So I'm assuming that may have something to do with the fact that it leaks. Either way, I'm very excited I found this. Martinfilms34, how exactly did you seal it when you had it opened up? I have silicone sealer I got today from a shop I had it at a while ago, so I'm guessing you just make sure a tight seal is formed around it?
Cheers guys, This forum is a godsend.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by martinfilms34 on 05/23/12 at 16:48:35

Yeah, pretty much just put some sealant around the plug don't be afraid to put a little bit more that what you think is needed cause you can just wipe the excess. Then just go ahead and press it into the hole. Make sure you put sealant on the head cover as well.

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by Dalziel_A on 05/24/12 at 04:20:53

Well this fix seems to have worked! Mind you, I finished up everything at 10:30 last night and didn't get a chance to fully test it out, other than running it for a couple minutes in the garage. I checked all the usual spots that were covered with oil within minutes and they're completely dry. I'll take it for a drive to the car wash tonight and spray off the rest of the oil from before and see how it works. Fingers crossed!

Title: Re: Can Somebody please help me?
Post by LANCER on 05/24/12 at 04:50:34

I have found on several engines that had never been opened up before, that the plug is just press fit at the factory without any sealer.
Makes me wonder WHY ? Why no factory sealer ?
Or am I just finding engines that were assembled without the sealer when they SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
Strange since sealer is mentioned in the book.