Diagnosing a leak or two

[Nebulus]

Hey everyone! Brand new to the forum, and i could really use some help. I'm brand new to motorcycles in general, and my 04 XB12R is my first bike. Always loved the looks of these bikes, and now that i own and ride one, i'm madly in love! Anyway, I'm trying to track down a leak, which may be several leaks. Started to get quite a few oil spots on my boots, and within 300 miles, the toes of my boots are pretty well covered in drips. It doesn't actively drip when the bike is stationary, only when moving. There is enough oil buildup that it covered the inside of the chin fairing. I followed squidbuellie's How To Remove Your XBR Motor thread (huge shout out man! thanks a million!) and split my bike in two to try and track this thing down. I may be new to bikes but certainly not new to wrenching so I'm tempted to just say screw it, buy the James Gaskets full gasket kit for $75 and rip the whole motor apart. But if i can replace just what's bad instead of going full-bore with this, obviously that would be a great route.

It looks to me as if the oil cooler lines are leaking, the tops of both cylinder heads are leaking, and possibly around the starter which i have read is fairly common. I'm attaching pictures, and if necessary, can snag as many more as needed. First picture is the front cyl, second is the rear, third is starter, fourth is oil cooler lines, fifth is to show the plastic cover (pushrod cover right?) that is completely covered.

 

[Nebulus]

Front cyl again, to show "witness mark" of oil dripping down onto the cooling fins.

 

[TPEHAK]

Wash the motorcycle engine thoroughly to remove any oil and to make it looks dry everywhere. Then ride it and inspect it and you will know where it leaks.

 

[Nebulus]

Of course, that is the best way to do it, but with everything being coated, i think it'd be quicker to rebuild the damn thing!

i will definitely do that, but in the meantime, i was hoping someone might be able to spot something i don't or give me insight to common leaks.

 

[Cooter]

TPEHAK is right (so rare! ). haha:angel: Wash it. Very well.

And don't change the oil. Old, black oil is easier to spot.

The "leaks" don't really look that bad anyway, just never had a good wash job. Does it even leak on the ground?

 

[Nebulus]

That's good to hear, thanks! No, no drips on the ground at all, ever. Only some drips on my boots (both right and left) after riding. I'm definitely losing some oil, somewhere, but it's really not much.

 

[user_deleted]

your motor has seen alot of heat and has been leaking from the usual suspect spots for a long time. they are:
rocker box cover gaskets....possibly starter motor gasket...possibly engine case vent tube. the oil over time has baked itself onto most of the engine surfaces. nothing unusual here at all. doubt the cooler or its connections leaking as your pic seems to indicate oil coming from above and dripping onto engine mount area then onto cooler. eh?????
replace where required.....starter gasket AND seal comes with most quality kits such as james and cometic....items # 16 and #19 in schematic. while in there check BOTH the fitting and hose for the case vent system. located near starter motor and ties off at top shock mount. yours looks questionable.

 

[vicenzajay]

Lunatic is a rockstar....just do what he says, and you'll sort the issue. I speak from multiple personal experiences in this case

 

[Silverrider]

As dirty as your engine is, you may have a few leaks, As the guys above are saying Clean and ride and inspect, Typically Rocker box gaskets go in the rear, where the most heat go first .

 

[TPEHAK]

The stator wires grommet and pushrod covers seals may leak too.

 

[Nebulus]

Hey guys, i was able to clean and ride but not able to get on the forums. I spot where two drips are coming from, but not the exact source so i could use an extra pair of eyes or brains. First two pictures are the front cylinder, the oil seems to be dripping from the fins onto the black support bracket, running down to the front engine mount, and dripping from there. The last picture is the rear cylinder, where a similar magic drip is forming and dropping right onto the exhaust. There is no sign that the top of the cylinder jugs are leaking, nor the pushrod plastic covers.

Sorry for the crappy pictures, my phone sucks!

 

[TPEHAK]

Pushrod cover o-ring leakage. Prepare for this https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?54421-Engine-cylinders-rebuild-parts-list

 

[midway]

Pushrod cover o-ring leakage. Prepare for this

After my top end rebuild I had over tightened one of the allen bolts that secure the pushrod plastic cover at the gasket end. This presents itself as an ever so slight leak at high speeds. Not wanting to tear down again for such a small thing I added the proper amount of this product to the oil with immediate success. Recommend not trying to meet torque specs on these particular allen bolts and just feel your way with them.

I believe John featured this product in a fork thread, not sure of that. He will certainly correct me if he disapproves of AT-205 in the motor oil but I bet it will help with some of the OP's problems :black_eyed:

 

[Nebulus]

Thank you guys! Could either of you give me a rough estimate into how long the rebuild took?

@ Midway; i will look into that product for the time being. I will definitely tackle the top end, but it's still so nice out, i'd really love to keep riding and push off the rebuild for a little bit!

 

[TPEHAK]

Maybe 4-5 days if you have all necessary parts and tools. If you are going to spend only weekends it will take a few weeks.