1st Gen oil leak

My '84 VF750F sprung an oil leak somewhere on the left side of the case. The drip-drip occurs only at speed, not at idle. The logical source is the oil ring on the end of the countershaft. That seems likely because I replaced the countershaft sprocket this spring and used the same old o-ring. So, I'll replace it. Easy enough. BUT, I am a worrier, so I worry, "What else could it be?" I imagine there are oil seals where the clutch pushrod enters the case - would that be an involved replacement? Any other obvious sources for my drip?

 

I think once you start breaking it down you will see where your oil leak is coming from... I know starting to break it down once you have the seals and find you dont need them is going to suck. If I have learned anything on a motorcycle its takes as much time under the wench as it does under the rider. If it takes more its not worth a fix. I just felt like replying since no one else has... goodluck:crazy:

 

Well, you were right. I took the side cover and discovered that the oil is leaking from the clutch pushrod seal. Crap! The manual says I gotta remove the engine and split the case to replace it. Great engineering, wot?

However, I noticed that the pushrod surface is worn right where it rubs on the seal. So, I flipped the pushrod end-to-end and jammed the worn end into the case. Maybe that will help. Wish me luck. Otherwise, I think I'll leave it be and pretend that the VF is my old '68 Bonneville!

 

Yeah goodluck on my vf500 I think I just found out why I am geting only 30 mpg... its not only leaking from 1 spot but from maybe 3 from what it looks like. 1 from the petcock when I switch it to on or res does not do it on off though its on a rivited seal so no screws. 2 from the carb somewhere I think it might be leaking from 2 spots though its just hard to tell. Im spending a lot of time working on my bike. I dont really mind though since I have to learn some day im glad its nothing big yet.

I wonder if newer honda's are better... Next bike I am going to look for dependibility and easy maintainance.

That sucks that you have to split the motor I would go though and check everything in that case. Let me know how it works out since im sure one day I will be doing the same thing.

 

Hey, thanks for the compassion! Well, about your 500's petcock. If it's like my petcock, there are 2 mounting bolts that afix the petcock to the side of the tank AND also fix the outer ring to the tank. The bolts need a deep washer to mount both. Do you know what I mean? I made the mistake of mounting my petcock and the outer ring without these deep washers and the thing leaked like crazy and split the outer ring to boot. You can easily make the deep washers with brake line and a hacksaw. A cheap fix. However, your 500 might be way different than my VF750F, so good luck on that.

Our bikes were the Stone Age Interceptors. Lots of trial and plenty of error in the first models. I think I would get a 5th Generation next - very smooth SPORT-Tourers with gear-driven camshafts and highly reliable. Or, a Ducati ST4s from the other side of the planet. One of these is my next bike.

Aww . . . my clutch pushrod seal is a P.I.T.A. I would rather ride this bike than work on it because it's my only bike right now. Maybe I need that new bike right now . . . ?

 

Your reversing the clutch pushrod should fix the issue. But usually the pushrod gets corroded from brake fluid leaking from the slave cylinder.

Did you have crystallized brake fluid behind your slave cylinder? If yes, then replace the slave cylinder O-rings - not hard, just messy.

Here are two methods of fixing the leak if the reversed pushrod doesn't fix it:
http://v65.freeshell.org/sabmag/clutch_slave_fix.txt

http://www.2sabres.com/Motorcycle/FAQ/PushRodSeal.html

 

Thanks for the tip, Mason! Man, I love this board.