oil seepage

[rainycoastguy]

I've got an oil drip seemingly from a weep hole on the bottom of the frame. Initially I thought it was excess chain oil, then perhaps the seal on the shifter or the output shaft. However when I wipe the area around the hole, the inverted oil pool soon reforms. Any thoughts?

 

[Sparkle]

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rainycoastguy:

You posted under Honda so I assume it's a Honda, but you didn't specify the model.

Some motorcycles are dry sump and the oil is stored in the top-tube and down-tube.Usually they are designed so thebottom tubes(engine tubes) are welded to the down-tube at a point wherea pinhole could allow leakage into thelower frame tubes. Closely inspect the welds where the bottom tubes meet the down-tube for cracks or flaking paint, or even signs of oil.

I've heard ofthis problem when the bike has been hit hard in the front end or the bottom tubes have taken a hit.

I think there are only two other possibilities...the frame has residue oil from the manufacturing process that slowly weeps out, or the oil is leaking from some other area of the engine and dripping over the tube.

You could try pressurizing the tube at the weep-hole with the nozzle of a compressed air line and watching for bubbles at the oil filler hole, but the leaking tube may not be airtight to start with.

Sparkle

 

[rainycoastguy]

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Thanks Sparkle. You're correct, it's a xr650l, and I think you are correct thinking that the oil is coming from a bad weld join since I have eliminated any other source. Once I'm back in the country I'll have a close look. It sounds like a possible difficult fix, so it may end up a leak I have to live with. Don't like it though.

 

[Sparkle]

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Hi rainycoastguy:

It's a pretty common problem on many bikes, even some new ones. The subject came up on another board regarding oil leaks in Yamaha XT500's, which sometimes have problems at the steering head weld.Almost impossible to fix and most owners just lived with it, sometimes wrapping a rag around to keep it from dripping.

But your case is sounds pretty minor and I can think of a few ways to treat it.

In order of difficulty:

1. Simply let it leak, parking the bike over a rag. (probably what I would do). In your case the leak is so minor it would havelittle effect on oil level, even over the long term.

2. Plug the weep hole with a self-threading screw, allowing the tube to fill. If the tube is otherwise oil tight, the oil could just remain there, doing no harm.

Hmmmm...In my wild imagination I can visualize installing a spigot in the weephole with a tube to allow the oil to drip on the primary sprocket and chain, turning the problem into a feature....

3. Drill a hole in the tube slightly away from the down tube, clean the inside of the tube with Q-tips and varsol, (your oil tank would have to be drained) and pump in a plug of oil-resistant metal epoxy. Then repaint the tube.

4. Hacksaw the tube slightly away from the downtube, bend the tube enough to swedge in a brass plug with epoxy into the upper stub. Re-align the tubes and braze.

Welding directly on the downtube is almost impossible.

Sparkle

 

[rainycoastguy]

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Thanks Sparkle, that was a very reassuring post. Just getting home this morning from a couple weeks out of the country and was starting to get stressed wondering how I was going to deal with the problem. Many thanks.