How much oil leakage is normal

Herr_man

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I always notice a small amount of oil under my bike when it's been sitting for a while, so I decided to measure how much it's actually leaking and my question to you is how much is normal? I snapped a picture of the amount of oil collected after a week and it's not much. Do I need to worry?
 

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so long as you check oil weekly, there may be some benefit as you are keeping the oil fresh ;)

just need to watch it when riding as the moving engine could force more oil out too
 
as my dad always told me with working on old austins in the uk if there is no oil under it there is no oil in it LOL
but aslong as you look and see what the level is before a ride you should be ok
 
That's a pretty slow leak. If it annoys you at some point you can go investigating. Where is it coming from?
 
Im with the others I`d consider it nothing major but what should be watching is the oil level after each ride.If it becomes excessive then its time to investigate and fix.
 
gday mate, i know its a while since you posted but wanted to add my 2c worth that it may just need you to re-torque crankcase bolts etc.. remember to back them off first then tighten to specified torque.. helped me!! all the best :)
 
I snapped a picture of the amount of oil collected after a week and it's not much.
The oil you have collected in the drip pan is not the amount you lose in a week. That is the amount of oil that drips from a cold stopped engine. You can multiply that exponentially when you run the engine. Crankcase pressure and oil pressure adds to your oil loss.
 
No oil leak is normal, but as others have stated, can still lead to a ridable bike. The common leaks (that occur naturally after 30+years) are the clutch push rod and the tach drive cable. The amount of oil you show could only be the clutch push rod seal. If it's this seal, then your chain will also be "auto-lubed", and you will have oil all over the left side of your rear tire. Oil would originate from under the drive cover on left side of motor.

I'd suggest cleaning the motor real well, then determining where the oil is coming from. Chances are it can be fixed.
 
Again... posting in a somewhat old, but relevant thread. I noticed a slight leak when I got the bike and it's about the same amount or less as the OP. BUT, I just centered the bike
to give her a pre-season checkup and no drip for 5 days now.
Why ? Any suggestions? :doh:

Jeff
 
Mine is sitting in a pool of it's own sauce as I type. I think it's the soft plug in the bottom of the case. Sure hope it's not a crack. Anyone have experience with repairing the soft plug leak??
 
I would make sure where it is coming from to be sure. Jb weld would do it.
 
I noticed that I have a small leak at the rubber seal where my stator wires go into the case. 30+ year old rubber boot could be the culprit.

mines leacks from there too. id replace your gasket and use some kind of silicone around the grommet and while youre cleaning under there check your pushrod seal too
 
I noticed that I have a small leak at the rubber seal where my stator wires go into the case. 30+ year old rubber boot could be the culprit.

When I took mine off in the past it was quite difficult to get all of the old sealant off. It took a lot of careful work to clean it all up and seal it properly. I would suspect it someone didn't put in the time and opened it up in the past that it will leak as a result.
 
When I took mine off in the past it was quite difficult to get all of the old sealant off. It took a lot of careful work to clean it all up and seal it properly. I would suspect it someone didn't put in the time and opened it up in the past that it will leak as a result.

That would have been me. That was the first thing I did when I got the bike. The PO told me it had a charging problem. I think what he meant to say was it has everything but a charging problem. At any rate, that's good to know. I'll look into that. Thanks.
 
Don't just use any sealant either; make sure it is good stuff made for filling gaps. I have had great luck with ThreeBond 1184. Most of the silicone permatex stuff I was buying in the local stores previously did not work well.

The oem stuff is also good. Yamabond I believe.
 
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