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Message started by Ikarus on 03/03/23 at 14:27:50

Title: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HEAD.
Post by Ikarus on 03/03/23 at 14:27:50

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19W9__cDUZ91fzXHIlZyhExUC9b5Fx_dc?usp=share_link

I started the bike up and noticed that on the right side of the engine head, one of the long bolts was leaking oil around its head. I tried to retighten the bolt but no luck. It just keeps spinning and there doesn't seem to be much resistance. I can turn it with my fingers. I pulled the bolt out. There was this metal spiral thing on the end of it. Not sure what that is. I noticed that the bolt did not have any rubber washers while the others that were fine did so i put some on but nothing. It keeps leaking oil.

What does this mean? Is it that the inside is stripped where the bolt goes and if so how do i fix it. Thanks

Title: Re: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HE
Post by pg on 03/03/23 at 15:45:37

What does this mean? Is it that the inside is stripped where the bolt goes and if so how do i fix it.

More than likely. If it were mine I would try a brand new bolt with clean threads to see it would take. I don't know if it is possible to put in a heli-coil or time-sert? Worst case, I might just put some gasket maker at the top of the bolt and put it back in so it wouldn't leak. I'm curious to see what some of the others may have to say.

Best regards,

Title: Re: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HE
Post by verslagen1 on 03/03/23 at 16:47:16

596B7772727B6C7371782F2F291E0 wrote:

I started the bike up and noticed that on the right side of the engine head, one of the long bolts was leaking oil around its head. I tried to retighten the bolt but no luck. It just keeps spinning and there doesn't seem to be much resistance. I can turn it with my fingers. I pulled the bolt out. There was this metal spiral thing on the end of it. Not sure what that is.

stripped threads

Quote:

I noticed that the bolt did not have any rubber washers while the others that were fine did so i put some on but nothing. It keeps leaking oil.

there should be a sealing washer there.
this bolt is 130mm long, the longest in the head cover.
you can try a new one or one that's a little longer but there is a chance to bottom out so not much longer 135mm maybe.

Title: Re: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HE
Post by Dave on 03/04/23 at 03:04:43

That bolt goes through the head cover, through the head....and down into the cylinder. The oil passage for moving the oil supply to the head travels along that bolt from the cylinder into the head. If you try and install a thread repair....all the metal shavings will be in the oil passage.....it is not really an option in my opinion.

Lately I have been installing Helicoil inserts for the 3 studs that go down into the cylinder. It just seems like the proper thing to do to avoid this kind of a situation in the future.

I believe the only proper and reliable repair.......is going to require you to pull the head cover and head.....and install a proper thread repair. If you intend to keep this bike for a long time you will have the opportunity to inspect the cam/rockers/cylinder/head plug while it is apart. It is a pretty big job.....but worth it if you are keeping the bike and want it reliable.

Where are you located?

Title: Re: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HE
Post by DragBikeMike on 03/04/23 at 10:47:21

The bolt in question gives up frequently, regardless of how much tender lovin care it receives. It's a junk design.

This post provides some guidance on cylinder head and head cover fasteners. As Dave said, you have to remove the head to fix the bolt in question. The technique outlined in the post allows future repairs without head removal. It's a simple fix that permits tightening those long bolts to the max without fear of ripping out the internal threads.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1665791582

Good luck.

Title: Re: LEAKING OIL FROM LONG BOLT ON TOP OF ENGINE HE
Post by Ikarus on 03/05/23 at 10:34:35

Awesome. Thank you for all the info guys. Especially that last fix which seems to be the most long-lasting. Right now the bolt is catching but just not tightening all the way. The gasket maker I put on seems to be holding it tight. Will see how well that works before moving on to the more permanent fix.