SuzukiSavage.com - got an oil leak

caveman

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got an oil leak
09/25/12 at 20:09:09

new rider here, just bought my 97 savage in may, its my first bike and i love it. so as far as i know im the 3rd owner, bike was super clean when i bought it, you can tell it was taken care of. so the bikes been running great but like my title says i now have an oil leak. its a few drops here and there so i dont know how seriouse this is. i just noticed it last night but i think i now how it started. so two weeks ago i rode the bike in a parade, wich was a ton of fun, but by the end of it the bike overheated and turned off on me and wouldnt turn back on, luckly i was close enough to a relatives house that i walked the bike and stored it in there garage, whent back for it a few days later and rode it home. there was no oil leak till last night. i belive i damaged a gasket when the bike overheated and the leak started when i took the bike for a ride last night and went on the highway. this is my first bike and im not sure what to do, i would prefer to learn how to fix it my slef but dont know were to start. any advice????????

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Gyrobob

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #1 - 09/25/12 at 20:42:03

First thing to do is make sure you have enough oil.

Then, clean off the whole motor, and dry it off. Then take it for a short ride, and use a really good flashlight to find the leak. If you can't see the leak, take it for another ride. Repeat.

Do that until you can see the leak.

It might be nearly nothing. Maybe the leak was always there, and it just showed up now.

Anyway, it's silly to do much discussing until you find where the leak originates.

Good luck.

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Digger Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Ya gotta be tough to ride singles! Posts: 1604 Colorado Springs, CO Gender:	Re: got an oil leak Reply #2 - 09/26/12 at 20:11:13 Sometimes an application of foot powder spray on a clean engine can help find small oil leaks. I like Desenex. Makes my engine smell good......
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justin_o_guy2

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What happened?

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #3 - 09/26/12 at 20:59:15

If it got hot enough to shut down, the rubber plug in the head got Waaay toasty,,, Its a common problem, not caused by heat, but by people going in & torquing head bolts & , Ohh so foolishly following the book & not using gasket goo going back together,,
At least, Im thinkiing thats what it says,,Ive never done it.
Anyway, yea, check the oil, clean it up, if Digger says Desenex works, it works,
The plug leak has made some newbies believe they had blown the head gasket. It can sure look like it, so, if you find oil up high, dont wig out, its probably just the plug. Easy, cheap fix & itll put you in a good spot to learn a few things about the bike.
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Digger

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #4 - 09/27/12 at 21:29:31

The Desenex trick works well for places where you have line of sight to where the oil leak actually is (e.g. a clutch cover gasket leak, for instance). This really does not apply to the plug leak. However, like JOG says, if you clean things up, then see oil drips that originate from under the gas tank and high up top on the engine, it's probably that plug leak.....

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Digger
2001, Metallic Glacial Blue, Raptor Petcock, Verslavy (first hole) (otherwise, mechanically, the bike is stock), 13,xxx miles
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caveman

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #5 - 09/28/12 at 11:25:43

Fisrt of all thanks for the advice, I cleand all the oil off and when the bikes off no oil leaks out, I turned the bike on and found the leak in less than a min so I turned the bike off. As you can see its coming from the bolt, I thought maybe it was just loose so I carfully and slowly tried to tighten the bolt, it got snug but a nother 1/4 turn and it got loose, I thought maybe the bolt was stiped so I took it out and it looks fine, wat next???

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: got an oil leak Reply #6 - 09/28/12 at 11:54:01 Not good, that bolt hole supplies oil to the head. Even though the bolt looks good, the threads may still be worn. A new bolt 'could' fix it. but a 5mm longer bolt may do a better job, just make sure it doesn't bottom out as you'll twist it off for sure and then you'll really be up sh!t creek w/o a paddle.
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #7 - 09/28/12 at 12:18:46

Torque requirements for that bolt are moderate light (100 inch pounds) so somebody twisted the threads off.

You can go on line to a metric fastener supplier and get a 5mm longer and the next length above that bolt. You will need to get the gasket rim off the old bolt (or order a new one).

That longer bolt is for turning into a tap by cutting a relatively long notch in the end with a cutting edge on the "turn in" side using a dremel tool or the corner edge of a fine file -- when inserted the bolt will cut threads in the rest of the as drilled hole.

If you can cut threads the entire extra length of the longer bolt, good -- use the longer bolt as your permanent bolt. If you can go past 5mm extra but not the entire length, then cut off the longer bolt so it just barely goes in all the way.

Only torque the new bolt to 100 inch pounds -- that is like only 8.3 foot pounds which is like light wrist tight.

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caveman YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 3	Re: got an oil leak Reply #8 - 09/28/12 at 12:34:46 how long should the reg bolt be? i just took the bolt out again and this time threds came out with it. how bad is this???
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #9 - 09/28/12 at 13:04:50

Just measure the bolt you have now, go longer in two increment stages, turn the longer one into a tap as shown in the picture.

The treads you removed say to me that your bolt was stock length, so likey there are a few whole threads left undamaged below it so you have something to get the threading action started.

Use lots of lube while you are cutting new threads and take a blast of brake parts cleaner and a long plastic nozzle to go to the bottom of the tapped hole before triggering so as to blast all the crap out of the hole when you are done blasting. Do the blasting like twice with the last one coming up clean, then use neverseize or similar grease on the bolt when finally installing it to the mild 100 inch pound torque.

Don't forget your gasket under the bolt head.

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: got an oil leak Reply #10 - 09/28/12 at 13:42:47 as this is the oil delivery hole, use motor oil for lube, just a coating on the threads go slow, this will create a hydro lock as far as putting a cutting knotch... I'd just file the last thread to a sharp edge, you want a thread forming rather than thread cutting.
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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: got an oil leak
Reply #11 - 09/28/12 at 15:19:17

Hummm ....... thread forming with a low tensile steel bolt might pose a bit of possible danger of snapping the bolt off in the hole as extra twist force is required to roll up a thread compared to cutting with multiple cutting edges.

Thread cutting is gonna be less stressful on the bolt that is turned into tap.

Hydro lock is just about a certainty on this job as Verslagen said, so increase the length of your tapping cuts to allow oil to get out of the tight bottom part of the hole.

Roll Eyes

(and if you did thread form, you'd have zero clearance for the puddle of oil to get out of the way as thread forming is a zero clearance game -- unless the faster happens to have a pretty good tri-roundular form from being die struck threaded)

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Cavi Mike Serious Thumper Offline Thumper n00b Posts: 1005 Rochester, NY Gender:	Re: got an oil leak Reply #12 - 09/28/12 at 16:05:05 If that hole wasn't form threaded in the first place(which I doubt it was) you're never gonna get that bolt in there. You probably wouldn't get an actual form tap in there either. The drilled hole for a form-thread is much larger than for a cut thread. http://www.fastenersinc.com/Images/fasteners_tap_drill_chart.pdf
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: got an oil leak Reply #13 - 09/28/12 at 20:11:51 First, take a piece of wire & see how deep the hole is. Compare that to the bolt, figure the difference, then get back with the answer, we will go from there.
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Digger Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Ya gotta be tough to ride singles! Posts: 1604 Colorado Springs, CO Gender:	Re: got an oil leak Reply #14 - 09/28/12 at 22:16:04 In the past, I've found that bore brushes work well for cleaning any debris from these bolt holes. I made a small mod to my bore brush to make it easier to turn: Also, long, wooden-shafted Q-tips work well for soaking up any oil that may have accumulated in the holes. IHTH!
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