82 katana 1100 oil leak

[katana11]

folks a mystery here,i have an oil leak on my motor ,i thought it was coming from the pilot light switch so i bought a new one with new seal and that did not fix it,the oil seems to be coming from one of 2 bolts close to the switch the bolts seem to me holding something internal 2 10mm heads prob a 6mm bolt,it is fairly strong leak when hot,should there be a seal on the bolts ?

[arnout]

10 hours ago, katana11 said:

 ..the pilot light switch..

 The what?    Going by the further description I can only assume you mean the oil pressure switch? So the oval/diamond shaped thingy on top of the cases..

10 hours ago, katana11 said:

 ..should there be a seal on the bolts ?

 Yes.. Rubberised steel washers, but red copper washers will work too.

[johnr]

i think he means the neutral light switch.

 

[katana11]

yes the oil light switch is perfect no leaks,there is 2 bolts going in to the crank case on the right side of the motor i think them oil is coming from there 

[Swiss Toni]

Not the gear indicator sw, that's on the left side. And if you've got your sides mixed up, the gear indicator has an o ring. That may be your problem. Take a photo?

Edited August 16, 2017 by Swiss Toni

[katana11]

2 hours ago, Swiss Toni said:

Not the gear indicator sw, that's on the left side. And if you've got your sides mixed up, the gear indicator has an o ring. That may be your problem. Take a photo?

not that Toni, if u are on the righthand side of motor and put ur hand in towards the oil switch before you reach it there is 2 6mm bolts going down into the motor i think the oil is coming from there,as when hot there is a small pool of oil sitting around them bolts well atleast one of them, i cant see where else it can come from, none from the head none from the oil switch so dont know anymore i will take a pic of it later shown the bolts

[Swiss Toni]

If it's what I think you describe, Do you mean the top crankcase half bolts? If that's the case, you shouldn't be getting an oil leak up the bolt, as the faces they pass through will have had sealant applied before case halves went together. I've not seen an oil leak from there before. The only thing I can suggest, short of splitting the cases, would be to try a decent thickness fibre washer (or, a dab of silicone) under the bolt heads. With the fibre washers, you'll have to keep an eye on bolt tightness as the washers settle. 

[johnr]

is it leaking from the camchain tensioner and just dripping down onto the casing near the bolts? i cant see how the casing bolts can transfer oil out of the engine, they clamp the cases together and so arent exposed to oil, let alone oil under enough pressure to leak out in any volume. however, its not unknown for oil to drip from the camchain tensioner onto the top of the crankcase. this might be your problem, in that you see the oil near the bolts, but dont look above it!

 

Edited August 16, 2017 by johnr

[Swiss Toni]

I think you've nailed it, John! As I said, I've never seen oil migrating up a case bolt. Katana1100. If you reach in towards the tensioner, and wipe it clean, doing the same to the case top, beside the bolt heads. Shove a bit of white paper under the tensioner. If it shows oil, you know where the leaks coming from. 

[Jonboy]

Have recently cured an oil leak from the camchain tensioner with a new o ring, oil was leaking out through the tensioner, onto crankcase, down through the starter motor housing and then coming out behind front sprocket cover. Took a little to figure it

[katana11]

thanks folks i will let the motor run tonight and give ye an update tomorrow,i still think its not coming from camchain area but we will see 

[Nickydodds]

As well as the gasket and o-ring there is also an oil seal on the tensioner plunger that can harden over time and cause a weep.

[katana11]

well folks i think i have it sorted now,i think it is coming from the cam chain tension area,i will know more tonight when i rip her apart will keep ye posted and again thanks for the ideas and help

[Jonboy]

2 hours ago, katana11 said:

well folks i think i have it sorted now,i think it is coming from the cam chain tension area,i will know more tonight when i rip her apart will keep ye posted and again thanks for the ideas and help

 

Edited August 18, 2017 by Jonboy
forgot words

[Jonboy]

Is that a crack in the tensioner where arrow is pointing to?

Edited August 18, 2017 by Jonboy
stoopid

[katana11]

Just now, Jonboy said:

 

i dont know if thats it as it looks like a trickle where ur thinking , i would have a dinner spoon full on the top of the crank case within 5 mins so fairly strong leak,i have oil at bottom of the spring mechanism so thinking its near there 

[Sheep]

Good time to get a trick manual tensioner mate

[katana11]

well folks i finally found the leak wooop woooop ,it was not the cam chain tensioner after all, it was the bolt going into the crank casing,i had put an earth strap on the bolt and it was coming from there,i changed the earth strap to a different location and have not seen a drop of oil since happy days,i think the hole in the earth strap was the problem and maybe the bolt was not going down far enough either,well anyways thanks for your help atleast it is sorted .