OIL RESIDUE...where from?

[KeyLime]

I've been smelling burnt oil lately...today I pulled off the tupperware and the lower covers that hold the foot pegs and brake assembly...I found old oil on the muffler and old greasy oil behind the pivot of the swing-arm...it looks like a mist of oil had accumulated over time but I can NOT see a leak...any ideas from the RT oldtimers? I've got 48k on the odo...she get regular oil changes all around with synthetic...thoughts??? It looks like the crap on an old neglected 4-wheeler engine...is it just getting old??

[Tony_K]

I'm not a oldtimer but I will tell you that should not be happening.

 

I've had lots of different motorized transports in my time and usually there is something wrong with them. I always start with a good cleaning of any built up gunk.

 

I use a degreaser like Castrol super clean or Oil Eater and throughly clean all the crud off with several pressure washings.

 

Then it's very easy to spot the offending area without getting totally covered in filth and only getting more frustrated.

[WURTY]

Hello old timer. I was just up at Calif Hot springs today...

 

Mine used to leak from the oil fill hatch on the left valve cover.

The O ring was always puking a bit from there.

Also when you adjust the valve I always used a bit of cleaner on the valve cover and cylinder head before I installed the gasket.

Check there first.

 

wurty

[CTRBLNCD1]

Anything hitting the top of the catalytic converter section of the exhaust? that square thing is like a hotplate and I've seen it burn alot of liquid.

[KeyLime]

Yo, Wurty. Man do I envy your visit to Ca Hot Springs...too cool that we bumped into each other there! My wife said to say hellol and to say that she thinks my RT just wants to be a Harley...the oil somehow seems to be coming from the center of the bike...up high...???? On top of and in front of the muffler...it's a Remus...no super hot Cadillac converter...no Cadillacs in my eyes either...so I'm stumped, Dude....it's all cleaned off, just to keep the AR guys happy and stay in good graces with the BMW gods...if nobody has any ideas, I'll just put it back together and keep running her t!tts off...I'm not losing any appreciable oil...could the tranny leak on TOP?

Later...

[KMG_365]

Hey! Wurty's back!!

 

Wright,

 

Look at the underside of the airbox on the port side. There is a drain there for draining the oil vapor that collects in the lower half of the airbox. It is a 1/3rd turn just like the oil fill plug. The excess oil that blows back through the crank case breather hose (the one that gets in the way when you swap out your throttle cables) can accumulate here and eventually the o-ring will seep. It's either that or it's time to rebuild your rear shock.

[KeyLime]

Cool, there was about 15mls of oil that drained out...it didn't look like the drain plug was leaking, but perhaps it was...the rear shock is dry. Can the oil that accumulates in the airbox leak out from another outlet? It was funky old oil that drained out. Ideas??? Would there be a place for the blow-by oil to blow out other than the airbox? Would my canisterectomy have anything to do with it...that's gas fumes, right?

[Boffin]

Cool, there was about 15mls of oil that drained out...it didn't look like the drain plug was leaking, but perhaps it was...the rear shock is dry. Can the oil that accumulates in the airbox leak out from another outlet? It was funky old oil that drained out. Ideas??? Would there be a place for the blow-by oil to blow out other than the airbox? Would my canisterectomy have anything to do with it...that's gas fumes, right?

 

The airbox is where most of the oil used by boxers goes to. Filling to the top of the oil window every few hundred miles will fill the airbox faster. Far better to see where your engines 'natural' level is by allowing the oil to stay low but visible in the window. Oil will still blow into the airbox, but at a lower rate.

 

Andy