Oil Leak / Cylinder gasket replacement?!?

[JarredD]

Just got my 2006 GZ250 with 5500 miles on it and Im noticing a small leak on the left side where the cylinder gasket meets the base of the motor. It was all clean before when i bought it (last weekend) so I had no clue about the leak. It seems to be really small and slow, but I am concerned about any leaks. I was wiping down the motor and inspecting everything closely and noticed a small piece of black paper gasket sticking out on the left side between the head studs. I pulled it to break off the small piece hanging and the whole section between the studs slid out. Nothing spilled or anything like that. Just a piece of the paper gasket feel right out...

My questions:
Is this normal for this mileage?

Does anyone know if the motor needs to be removed to replace the cylinder gasket? (not the head gasket, but the part where the cylinder meets the base of the motor)

Any ideas on cost from a shop doing the work?

Anyone else have this issue?

I havent been able to further inspect the leak since this happened yesterday in teh evening...

Any help is appreciated...

Thanks,
Jarred

P.S. I'll post pictures of what I am referring too as soon as i can take a look at it today... The bike is my only means of transporation right now so I'd like to fix this sooner than later!

[Easy Rider]

My questions:
Is this normal for this mileage?

No. Leaks are not "normal" at any mileage.....well, below 50,000 or so. :)

I'm a little fuzzy about which came first, the leak or the piece of gasket coming out......and it might make a difference for the answers to the rest of the questions.

For future reference, it is NOT UNUSUAL for the edges of gaskets to stick out farther than you might think is normal......and you should not mess with the excess. If you MUST mess, a gentle trim with a VERY sharp knife (like a razor blade) is the only thing you should do.

Uneducatted (at this point) guesses:
The leak is at a spot where there likely is NO real oil pressure so it will continue to be just a very slow leak
AND
The engine probably would have to come out of the frame to pull the top to replace that gasket.......and thus might be very expensive.

I think you definitely need to consult a shop about the potential repairs.

[JarredD]

I'm a little fuzzy about which came first, the leak or the piece of gasket coming out......and it might make a difference for the answers to the rest of the questions.


I noticed the leak first, then spotted the small piece of gasket hanging... Thought it was maybe tar buildup or some sort of gunk, then after pulling it off the whole section slid out... (it was odd the way the piece came out). I havent noticed a loss of power or anything (although i wouldnt be able to tell since i presume this leak was present since ive had the bike).

[Easy Rider]

I noticed the leak first, then spotted the small piece of gasket hanging...

I havent noticed a loss of power or anything .

Gotta ask because it's not good to assume things: the leak and the gasket piece was in the SAME place, right ??

If it is where I think it is, it will have absolutely no impact on engine performance and will only allow oil to leak out.....maybe faster now since you pulled a piece of gasket out......but likely still very slowly.

[blaine]

Gotta ask because it's not good to assume things: the leak and the gasket piece was in the SAME place, right ??

If it is where I think it is, it will have absolutely no impact on engine performance and will only allow oil to leak out.....maybe faster now since you pulled a piece of gasket out......but likely still very slowly.
:plus1: If you continue to ride the bike you should at least check the torque of the head bolts as loose head bolts will affect performance.
:rawk:

[mrlmd1]

Probably the leak was known by the previous owner and never disclosed to you, and that may be the reason he decided to sell it, rather than repair it because of the expense. You should confront him with that, or if you got it from a dealer, confront them. That is fraud, misrepresenting the condition of what you purchased, but you probably bought it "as is". Doubtful you caused the problem pulling a piece of gasket out, probably due to loose bolts. Just keep an eye on your oil level and the size of the leak over time.

[JarredD]

the leak and the gasket piece was in the SAME place, right ??

If it is where I think it is, it will have absolutely no impact on engine performance and will only allow oil to leak out.....maybe faster now since you pulled a piece of gasket out......but likely still very slowly.

Yes the leak and the place where the gasket came out are the same spot. I look in the service manual and this is the cylinder gasket. I called a few shops and they said probably a few hours to replace and around $300 labor + parts. They also said that riding on it may make it worse... Is the guy just gassing me up so that i'll bring it in to get fixed? or is this really something to worry about?

[blaine]

This needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.His quote seems quite reasonable.as there is a fair bit of labour involved.I would get a written work order with quote before repairs begin.Good luck.

:itsokay: :yes:

[Water Warrior 2]

The base gasket for the cylinder is a pretty important item. I would be very concerned about riding the bike without having it repaired properly. If the gasket deteriorates the cylinder will not be snugged down and a lot of parts will be affected.

[Easy Rider]

The base gasket for the cylinder is a pretty important item. I would be very concerned about riding the bike without having it repaired properly. If the gasket deteriorates the cylinder will not be snugged down and a lot of parts will be affected.

Yes but given the bikes age and mileage, I doubt that the gasket will further "deteriorate".
And while I agree that you should NOT just ride it and keep adding oil over the long term, as long as the leak stays small I'd have no qualms about riding it for a few weeks until it is convenient to fix.

I agree that the estimated repair price is very reasonable, to the point that it should be documented......AND specifically understood that you will get a whole new gasket and not just some RTV shoved in the crack.

[blaine]

I agree that the estimated repair price is very reasonable, to the point that it should be documented......AND specifically understood that you will get a whole new gasket and not just some RTV shoved in the crack.

:plus1: :tup:

[JarredD]

Thank you everyone for your input. I really appreciate it!

Since this is my only way to get to work and back for now, I guess I will ride it for the next week until I can get it fixed next weekend. Almost every local shop that I called is closed this weekend because of some event in the area.

I'll let you know what exactly needs to be fixed to stop the leak and hopefully help anyone else with this issue.

[Easy Rider]

Since this is my only way to get to work and back for now, I guess I will ride it for the next week until I can get it fixed next weekend.

I don't know how it works in your area but shops around here don't work on weekends......and the 4 hours or so they spend on fixing it might need to be spread over several days.

You need to call in advance to make the necessary arrangements......and then you should know if you need alternative transportation for a couple of days or not.

In the meantime, keep a close eye on that oil level......and keep the rev's down a bit as that should help minimize the leakage.

[GTGZ]

I would not ride the GZ until it's fixed, the front left cylinder stud hole is also the oil feed to the top of the cylinder head. If whats left of the gasket lets go there goes your engine!

[JarredD]

So, got the bike back from the shop yesterday. They gave me my old gasket and it looked pretty terrible. You can clearly see how it was installed wrong. The mechanic says it looks like the original from the factory. I'll post a pic in a bit and show you what I mean.

Anyway, he went over a few things on the bike and then I hopped on and took off (I had an appointment to get to). Once I got there I realized the petcock was set on PRIME. So I switched it over to ON and after about 30 seconds, the bike died. Tried to restart, only turned over with no start. Switched back to PRIME, started right up.

I am going to call the shop and having him take care of it as this was not an issue prior to them having my bike, but I was wondering if anyone has insight as to what could be causing this... He had to remove the tank to fix my cylinder gasket, could a hose be connected wrong? or something simple?
Thanks,

Jarred

[Sarris]

Check that the vacuum hose is connected (or not cracked) to the back of the petcock, as it wont run with a vacuum leak or disconnected hose.

:)

[JarredD]

Check that the vacuum hose is connected (or not cracked) to the back of the petcock, as it wont run with a vacuum leak or disconnected hose.

:)


Thanks for the tip. Found a small crack in the vacuum hose right at the petcock connection.

[Easy Rider]

Thanks for the tip. Found a small crack in the vacuum hose right at the petcock connection.

Also PRIme is roughly equivalent to REServe.......so you might just be low on gas too.