Oil Leak

[Topgear]

OK, so I'll wholly admit to not keeping up on all the "regular" issues on the S10. I have really just ridden it and enjoyed it.

This past weekend I was preparing for a bike trip with my wife. I replaced my rear brake pads as they were getting down there. I took the bike for a couple mile test spin, brought it home, and put it back up on the center stand as usual. The next morning, we prepared for the trip, so I took the bike out of the garage and set it on the side stand. After 30 minutes, we came back out only to find a ~6" puddle of oil under the bike. I have the RideOnADV skid plate, so it's hard to see where this may be coming from, but my first check of the oil filter showed it was tight. I put the bike back in the garage on the center stand and we took the car. Came back and no puddles under the bike.

When searching for oil leak threads, I only find some rare references to some pinhole casting leaks as well as the right side cover locating pins being too long and creating leaks. I have over 34,000 miles on the bike, so I would have thought I would have seen this before now, but who knows? Is there an issue with the left side cover having a leak as well? Just trying to get some thoughts for areas to look when I take the bash plate off this coming weekend. I'll be using the baby powder trick if it's not clearly evident then. Thanks for any suggestions and input!

P.S. As a funny aside, I have a Givi trunk for the bike. We had our luggage packed into that trunk so we can just take it into the hotel. I decided to just take it and toss it into the car. We got to the hotel and in the elevator when I realized the key for the trunk was at home in the bike. : Time for a trip to Walmart!

 

[greg the pole]

OK, so I'll wholly admit to not keeping up on all the "regular" issues on the S10. I have really just ridden it and enjoyed it.

This past weekend I was preparing for a bike trip with my wife. I replaced my rear brake pads as they were getting down there. I took the bike for a couple mile test spin, brought it home, and put it back up on the center stand as usual. The next morning, we prepared for the trip, so I took the bike out of the garage and set it on the side stand. After 30 minutes, we came back out only to find a ~6" puddle of oil under the bike. I have the RideOnADV skid plate, so it's hard to see where this may be coming from, but my first check of the oil filter showed it was tight. I put the bike back in the garage on the center stand and we took the car. Came back and no puddles under the bike.

When searching for oil leak threads, I only find some rare references to some pinhole casting leaks as well as the right side cover locating pins being too long and creating leaks. I have over 34,000 miles on the bike, so I would have thought I would have seen this before now, but who knows? Is there an issue with the left side cover having a leak as well? Just trying to get some thoughts for areas to look when I take the bash plate off this coming weekend. I'll be using the baby powder trick if it's not clearly evident then. Thanks for any suggestions and input!

P.S. As a funny aside, I have a Givi trunk for the bike. We had our luggage packed into that trunk so we can just take it into the hotel. I decided to just take it and toss it into the car. We got to the hotel and in the elevator when I realized the key for the trunk was at home in the bike. : Time for a trip to Walmart!

weird. not sure what to tell you.
could be one of your drain plugs/crush washer are getting loose.
Unless you off road it, and hit the plate hard, in turn making contact with the bottom of the motor, I'm at a loss.
I've had leaks on my final drive, but never from the motor.

 

[Topgear]

It's been off road, but not for a couple of years, and even then it was with the bash plate on. That plate isn't letting anything past it either. Bombproof!!!

 

[SilverBullet]

Longshot here but without any help on where it's leaking from I going on leaks when on sidestand but doesn't leak when on centerstand...maybe the cap on your airbox oil drain is off and when on the sidestand it let the oil from the right side of the airbox drain out? While on the centerstand this might not drain out as a slight depression holding it.

_

 

[scott123007]

Put the bike back on the side stand and see if it does it again. A 6" diameter puddle in 30 minutes is catastrophic. "IF" it was from your bike, it will be easy to find, and it won't be your drain plugs because they would leak just as much on either stand.Are you sure it wasn't there already, from something else? Was it fuel, or definitely oil? I ask, because if you just filled your tank and really topped it off, the gas could have leaked out of your overflow, as it heated up, when the bike was parked.

 

[Topgear]

Longshot here but without any help on where it's leaking from I going on leaks when on sidestand but doesn't leak when on centerstand...maybe the cap on your airbox oil drain is off and when on the sidestand it let the oil from the right side of the airbox drain out? While on the centerstand this might not drain out as a slight depression holding it.

_

This idea slightly crossed my mind, but I didn't fully look at that yet. Another option to check on though. Thank you.

 

[Topgear]

Put the bike back on the side stand and see if it does it again. A 6" diameter puddle in 30 minutes is catastrophic. "IF" it was from your bike, it will be easy to find, and it won't be your drain plugs because they would leak just as much on either stand.Are you sure it wasn't there already, from something else? Was it fuel, or definitely oil? I ask, because if you just filled your tank and really topped it off, the gas could have leaked out of your overflow, as it heated up, when the bike was parked.

It definitely wasn't there and it was definitely oil, not gas. I've done the overfilled, puking gas tank game before. I was actually at ~1/4 tank when this occurred. The skid plate does tilt slightly forward when on the center stand, so I figure that whatever was leaking had pooled at the bottom of the skid plate until I moved it to the driveway on the side stand.

 

[Boondocker]

I think I fixed a minor oil leak this past weekend. It didn't make a puddle but had drooled across the skidplate and down the center stand.
I could only find a drip accumulating on the rear drain plug and surmise that my infrequent drain plug crush washer replacement cycle caught up to me.

With only about 1200 miles on the oil, I drained it and put it back in. Of course to do that I had to pull the Altrider skid plate, clean it up, and inspect for any other possible oil leak causes.

I felt kind of bad putting used oil in, but logic says it would have been in there until it was 3000 miles old anyway.

 

[Topgear]

Maybe I can get this lucky. I've been using my original crush washers since the beginning. I know, I'm a cheapskate...

 

[scott123007]

It definitely wasn't there and it was definitely oil, not gas. I've done the overfilled, puking gas tank game before. I was actually at ~1/4 tank when this occurred. The skid plate does tilt slightly forward when on the center stand, so I figure that whatever was leaking had pooled at the bottom of the skid plate until I moved it to the driveway on the side stand.

Ok, understood. Forgot that the skid plate could easily collect oil in there on the main stand and then dump it on the side stand. Well, whatever it is, I hope it's something simple.

 

[VRODE]

Don't know if you've changed oil recently, but something similar happened to me. Turned out to be the oil filter leaking. I got one of the ones with the convex mounting boss and it doesn't quite seat tight enough. The leak didn't show up till the next day (which was good as I was leaving for Utah the day after).

 

[Topgear]

Don't know if you've changed oil recently, but something similar happened to me. Turned out to be the oil filter leaking. I got one of the ones with the convex mounting boss and it doesn't quite seat tight enough. The leak didn't show up till the next day (which was good as I was leaving for Utah the day after).

I used a Wix filter this time, but I've had it on there for better than 1,000 miles.

 

[Topgear]

Second guessed myself so I had to go check. Turns out I used the Purolator PL14612 this time around. Seems weird that it made it this long without leaking, but I bet that's the problem.

 

[whisperquiet]

Are you sure it is engine oil and not brake fluid? You stated that the rear brake pads were replaced ..... this normally involves pushing the caliper pistons in to allow for the new, thicker brake pads. This can lead to an overflow condition in the brake fluid reservoir if it is filled to the top line.

Just a thought as brake fluid looks a lot like fresh engine oil.

 

[yoyo]

How hot was it when this happened? Mine does it now and again but not to the extent yours did but only when it's very hot and the bike is in the sun.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[whisperquiet]

I have also seen a little oil spooge come from the water pump seal tube that lays on the faux factory skid plate.

 

[Bryce]

I have also seen a little oil spooge come from the water pump seal tube that lays on the faux factory skid plate.

I recently had my WP replaced under warranty for this. There would be a small stain on the foam in my ACD skid plate at oil changes.

 

[Topgear]

Thanks for the suggestions and input. I replaced it this past weekend with a Mobil 1 M1-108 filter. I verified it was the concave style of filter before purchasing. No more leaks, and I was able to just top it off.
Again, prior to the big leak I noticed, I had the bike sitting on the side stand instead of the center stand (how I store it in the garage). I had ridden the bike the night before for 10 minutes in the neighborhood, then parked on the center stand in the garage. The skid plate (RideOnAdv) was holding the leaking oil, which then drained out on the side stand. Temperature on the morning of the leak was probably in the low 70's and bike was in the shade.

It's clearly an issue with the filter design. I just haven't been paying close attention to the subtle issues others have been having with these bikes. In the end, I'm glad it was something so benign.

 

[whisperquiet]

Thanks for the suggestions and input. I replaced it this past weekend with a Mobil 1 M1-108 filter. I verified it was the concave style of filter before purchasing. No more leaks, and I was able to just top it off.
Again, prior to the big leak I noticed, I had the bike sitting on the side stand instead of the center stand (how I store it in the garage). I had ridden the bike the night before for 10 minutes in the neighborhood, then parked on the center stand in the garage. The skid plate (RideOnAdv) was holding the leaking oil, which then drained out on the side stand. Temperature on the morning of the leak was probably in the low 70's and bike was in the shade.

It's clearly an issue with the filter design. I just haven't been paying close attention to the subtle issues others have been having with these bikes. In the end, I'm glad it was something so benign.

Good deal..........problem solved.

 

[VRODE]

Cool. Nice when it's something simple.