Having trouble with oil leaking from the crankcase

[CHolm66-6]

Hello! I have a 82 12E model and it's been leaking since this winter. I opened the cover and it's a mess

I read online that this is a common problem and it's usally from the clutch rod so I switched the oil seal but I find it hard to see where the leak is coming from. I went for a ride and it's still leaking from somewhere, did some more googling and people are saying it can be both the neutral housing, the sprocket seal or the shift lever seal.

Took another pic and it is dripping from the shaft but I don't know if it's from higher up around the sprocket
also saw that a new o-ring for the neutral housing should be fairly easy so maybe i will start with that.
Does anybody have any tips or solutions? Looking for any help I could get.
PS English is not my first language so sorry for any typos

 

[tstidham]

I'd start with degreasing the entire area. Simple green is my goto for this. Saturate the area, use a small nylon brush for the heavy stuff then rinse with water. Repeat as needed. Once it's all clean and dry, you'll have a much easier time of finding the leak or leaks.

 

[CHolm66-6]

I'd start with degreasing the entire area. Simple green is my goto for this. Saturate the area, use a small nylon brush for the heavy stuff then rinse with water. Repeat as needed. Once it's all clean and dry, you'll have a much easier time of finding the leak or leaks.

Will do that, does a normal detailing brush work? Or do I need heavier stuff?

 

[CaptChrome]

...does a normal detailing brush work? Or do I need heavier stuff?

The brush really doesn't matter much. I like using a parts cleaning brush myself, like this one:

But use what you have around, old toothbrush, whatever. Just not your normal toothbrush unless you like a bit of oily chain grit to help remove that pesky tartar on your teeth.

 

[JPaganel]

the clutch rod
the neutral housing
the sprocket seal
the shift lever seal.

That covers pretty much everything that is there.

In my experience, it's clutch rod, main shaft, neutral switch, shift shaft, in that order.

Personally, when I did my current project, I replaced them all on principle. It's all old rubber, not like there is going to be a huge difference in how well it holds up.

And yeah - what tstidham said, Clean it all off. I really would have got it cleaner than that before replacing the clutch rod seal.

There is also a possibility you could be leaking where the stator wires come out of the case, but that's rarer. Also, that side looks cleaner in your picture.

 

[CHolm66-6]

That covers pretty much everything that is there.

In my experience, it's clutch rod, main shaft, neutral switch, shift shaft, in that order.

Personally, when I did my current project, I replaced them all on principle. It's all old rubber, not like there is going to be a huge difference in how well it holds up.

And yeah - what tstidham said, Clean it all off. I really would have got it cleaner than that before replacing the clutch rod seal.

There is also a possibility you could be leaking where the stator wires come out of the case, but that's rarer. Also, that side looks cleaner in your picture.

Thank you for the reply, looks like i will have to replace all the seals. Is there any trick to the other ones? The clutch rod one was really easy but I have a feeling not all of them are:/

 

[JPaganel]

Thank you for the reply, looks like i will have to replace all the seals. Is there any trick to the other ones? The clutch rod one was really easy but I have a feeling not all of them are:/

The neutral switch is just an o-ring. Three screws out, three screws in.

Other than that... You pry them out with a small screwdriver or hook, try to not scratch the shaft or the case, then pound the new one in.

Having something that is the size of the seal and deep enough to go over the shaft helps a lot. Plastic pipe, deep sockets, etc.

 

[CHolm66-6]

The neutral switch is just an o-ring. Three screws out, three screws in.

Other than that... You pry them out with a small screwdriver or hook, try to not scratch the shaft or the case, then pound the new one in.

Having something that is the size of the seal and deep enough to go over the shaft helps a lot. Plastic pipe, deep sockets, etc.

Sorry for all the questions Will any oil flow out from the holes when I remove the seal?

 

[CaptChrome]

It might. You can always tip the bike to it's right-hand side (put it in gear and lean it up against a wall at a good angle and pad anything you don't want scratched) and that should prevent any leaks when pulling the seals.

 

[CHolm66-6]

Today I cleaned out most of the dirt and grime I could to get a better idea of what is leaking and I thought the seal behind the sprocket looked the worst (I ordered all the new seals so it really doesn't matter which one it was) hopefully they arrive tommorow so i get it up and running again.
Also removed the neutral switch and ordered a new one just in case.

 

[JPaganel]

Yah, that output shaft seal is looking pretty grotty.

Replacing them all what I would do.

 

[CHolm66-6]

So we have a ending (kinda). I did change all of the seals and boom! no more leaking! But I have noticed something else with the bike now. Maybe it needs a new post but anyway. Sometimes when I try to accelerate the bike jumps out of gear and it feels like neutral kicks in but when I let go of the gas it stops.
anyone had the same thing happen to them?

 

[CaptChrome]

Are you running old oil? If so, change the oil and see if that helps.

Does it happen regardless of the gear you are in?

 

[CHolm66-6]

Are you running old oil? If so, change the oil and see if that helps.

Does it happen regardless of the gear you are in?

Already changed the oil and still the same, what I noticed is in third, fourth amd fifth

 

[CaptChrome]

Good on the oil change! That's the first and easiest thing to do.

My suggested next steps are to:
1. Reset the clutch cable pull to spec per the manual.
2. Inspect the clutch steel plates and friction plates and make sure they are the proper thickness. They can possibly cause this issue and are way easier to look at and replace than the next two things. Also in this category, make sure you are using oil that has a JASO MA or MA-2 rating for use with wet clutches or else you risk having the clutch slip under load.
3. Look at the gear selector under the right side cover and make sure it is setup per the manual.
4. Crack the case open and look at the shift forks and transmission gearing for issues.

 

[CHolm66-6]

Good on the oil change! That's the first and easiest thing to do.

My suggested next steps are to:
1. Reset the clutch cable pull to spec per the manual.
2. Inspect the clutch steel plates and friction plates and make sure they are the proper thickness. They can possibly cause this issue and are way easier to look at and replace than the next two things. Also in this category, make sure you are using oil that has a JASO MA or MA-2 rating for use with wet clutches or else you risk having the clutch slip under load.
3. Look at the gear selector under the right side cover and make sure it is setup per the manual.
4. Crack the case open and look at the shift forks and transmission gearing for issues.

The JASO MA or MA-2 Oil is something i haven't heard and therefore not considered. I should take a look at that I think. (Before dissemebling the bike and pouring oil everywhere )

 

[JPaganel]

The JASO MA or MA-2 Oil is something i haven't heard and therefore not considered. I

Oh man... A guy with a bike who hasn't been through the oil wars...

Yah, JASO MA ratings are not a commonly referenced thing.

Keep in mind that only the oil that is sold as being motorcycle-specific will have that in a moderate size print somewhere on the front of the package. Everyone else will have it in small print on the back label.

Typically, oils that meet that standard are diesel oils, not regular gasoline car oil. Over here in US Shell Rotella T-4 is a popular cheap choice. Not sure what you might have where you live.

 

[tstidham]

My local advance auto parts carries this stuff which seems to work fine.

 

[JPaganel]

My local advance auto parts carries this stuff which seems to work fine.

Yeah, it works fine. Except it's 10 bucks a quart, making it $40 a gallon.

Also - that's 10W40, which is a little thin in warm weather. Manual specs 20W50 for most situations. Most easily available Rotella T4 is 15W40, which is kinda in-between, but better than 10W40. It is $25.99 for a gallon jug at Advance and $15.99 a gallon at Walmart. And also works fine, because it also meets JASO MA2.

 

[CHolm66-6]

I think I havr 10W40 and it meets JASO MA2, so maybe i'll think about other options. I have thought the clutch is a little weird (hard to find gears and doens't register gear changes sometimes) so maybe I will check the plates and maybe swap them to. I really want this bike to feel good since it's my first!