Oil leak

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Hi Lads,

I have a small oil leak. It seems to be coming from the cylinder head joint at the front near the middle.

I've read posts on this forum about checking the oil lines going to the head + rocker box covers. I've checked these and they are dry. It's also not the tach drive.

Is there anywhere else it could be coming from? Apart from the cylinder head joint :D The tunnel which runs down the front of the barrels has oil in it.

Also how do you tighten the two recessed cylinder head bolts at the front? They seem a fair bit down & I don't think a socket would be thin enough?

Here are some pics of the offending leak:

****NOTE: Sorry about the poor grammar, 'taken' should be 'taking'!!!
Oil leak


Oil leak


Oil leak


Oil leak


Oil leak


Oil leak


Oil leak
 
Yes it look like a heaf gasket leak. You need to retorque the head and then reset the tappets and see if that works. You need a 1/4"whitworth socket for those front three deep hidden nuts/bolts (and an extension; two 3 inch ones work best and you can retorque without having to remove anything like coils or head steady) and you need other spanners for the other head bolts etc. Have you ever done that before as you will need a manual. Also I would strongly recommend an in-line oil breather as it really helped mine with leaks as it reduces the crankcase pressure.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I have the XS650 breather installed. I've never torqued the head but I'm aware of the tightening sequence.

Are the recessed nuts from above the same nuts lads say oil can leak from the pushrod tunnel up the stud treads? or are these the two 'upside down' nuts which you can only get at with a spanner?

If it is the nuts you get at from above is it worth removing each one & sealing the threads with HT copper sealant?


Kevin
 
Diablouph said:
Oh great, now we is going to have to use good grammer on the forum.
Click to expand...

Yes, we is going to use good'er grammer and make sure we correctely spill all our wurds :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
ok guys, FOCUS :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Man here with oil outside his engine when it should be inside :D
 
OK, question.

If I retorque all the cylinder head bolts, should I put sealant on the front bolts near the rocker box?

Thanks in advance

Kevin
 
From what I have learned from a Norton they are like UH-57 Chinooks and what a Crew Chief told me one time; If it aint leaking you got a problem!!!
 
click said:
Also how do you tighten the two recessed cylinder head bolts at the front? They seem a fair bit down & I don't think a socket would be thin enough?
Click to expand...

3/8" square drive sockets are thinner, so a 3/8 Square drive 1/4W socket (and extension bar) should fit. If you have difficulty finding a 1/4W 3/8 drive socket, you could try a 14mm socket but that may be a bit loose?
 
Josh Cox said:
I use a 12mm tube socket, 1/4 drive
Click to expand...

Do you have undersize hexagon nuts!! As 13mm would normally be too small to fit a 1/4W (13.34mm, .525") hexagon.
 
I'm not going to make any remarks about another guys undersize nuts :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

L.A.B. thanks for the info on the nut size, is it worth removing each nut & applying some sealant or just back them off a 1/4 turn & re-torque?


Many Thanks

Kevin
 
click said:
is it worth removing each nut & applying some sealant or just back them off a 1/4 turn & re-torque?
Click to expand...

If the oil was leaking from around those two nut/stud holes then there should at least be some evidence of it at the third head fin-which isn't apparent from your photos?
 
L.A.B. said:
click said:
is it worth removing each nut & applying some sealant or just back them off a 1/4 turn & re-torque?
Click to expand...

If the oil was leaking from around those two nut/stud holes then there should at least be some evidence of it at the third head fin-which isn't apparent from your photos?
Click to expand...


Well spotted, the nuts look bone dry I'll retorque & see what happens
 
I had been plagued with the same damn leak for years. This time what I did was to use hi temp silicone on the head gasket where the push rods tunnels are and the oil hole is.
I also installed the reed type breather and am completely dry for the first time.
Oh, I also pulled the 2 studs from the cylinders near the tunnels and resealed them.
I also resurfaced the valve covers and retorqued the heads 3 times.
What you have seems to be coming from the head gasket and not from the 2 front studs.
Putting sealer on the heads gasket is what worked for me.
DO NOT OVER TORQUE THE FRONT HEAD NUTS LEST YOU PULL THE STUDS!!!
 
Click,

Re torque by all means, but I would suspect the oil is seeping from the pushrod tunnel holes, on the cylinder head joint. Copper head gaskets the worst leakers here, composite better. But a good trick when putting on a new head gasket is to make a cotton loop around each tunnel hole between the head and gasket joint. not between the cylinder and gasket. You can use dental floss, use your favourite stick gasket cement to tack the floss in place. Just loop it around the holes with a small overlap, cross over at the floss joins.
And you need to re torque a couple of times after replacing the gasket. Don't get too heavy handed with the little studs under the exhaust ports, then can pull if over exerted!

I hope a simple re torque cures your present leak, but above is the balls and all repair!

Cheers Richard
 
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