Small oil leak on cooling fins

[antipeterleague]

Hey guys, have a small issue, hopefully it is easily resolvable.

This is my first bike, 2001 with about 17000km.

The second day of owning it I noticed the oil to be incredibly low so I changed it myself, the chain was looking horrid so I cleaned and lubed it, all this thanks to some helpful posts on this forum.

I saw a thread about an oil leak a few posts down and thought my problem was identical, but upon further inspection there is no leak around the exhaust connection to the engine. Instead it seems like its coming from the open area between the cooling fins, if that makes sense. Here are some pictures I snapped on my phone




The first image depicts what I'm talking about, there is a line of oil on the 4th fin down, on the right side of the middle divider.

[GZ250]

When you ride with an oil leak obviously you will see oil on the head because it goes with the direction of the air and as it spreads and burns it is hard to detect the actual spot and the burnt oil becomes gooey. In my case it started with a small leak (hard to detect) and gradually I could see smoke coming out from the exhaust joint only in idle. There was no oil on exhaust or joint, everything was on the head.

To start with, remove the side metal plate that covers the plug and set it aside. Check the plug for any oil or burning. Clean the leaked and burned oil as much as you can. First start the bike and let it run idle for considerable time (let the oil heat up) and sit beside the bike and rev up the engine and see for any smoke or leak. Then go for a ride and check again.

There are also nuts/ bolts on exhaust and head that you can tighten but do not do over the limit.

[Water Warrior 2]

Doesn't look like much of a problem. That is likely the residue from shipping gunk they put on the bike.

Now that you have fresh oil you should glance at the level before every ride. Your GZ will likely use some oil but don't get too excited about it. Most do so just top it up and ride on. It really is a good habit to be in. Check all lights for proper function(including horn) and the tire pressure too.

[GZ250]

>>>>>> Doesn't look like much of a problem. That is likely the residue from shipping gunk they put on the bike.

its an old bike (2001) with 17K and the gunk must be burnt already. hopefully there is no big issue but just check to make sure.

[OldNTired]

Originally Posted by GZ250

>>>>>> Doesn't look like much of a problem. That is likely the residue from shipping gunk they put on the bike.

its an old bike (2001) with 17K and the gunk must be burnt already. hopefully there is no big issue but just check to make sure.

If the 'leak' persists, try tightening the head bolts.
DO NOT overtighten, just make sure they are at the right torque.
There is a gasket in the area of your problem,
sometimes it needs replaced, but most times
the bolts just need torqued.
Mine showed those symptoms, and torquing thew bolts fixed it.
But, like GZ250 said, sometimes it is the shipping gunk.
Good luck.

[antipeterleague]

Actually it's not just gunk anymore. It's new oil every time I ride it, but very small amounts.the oil gauge is at the full line, maybe its overfilled?

GZ250, I will try what you did. What metal plate are we talking about? Chrome piece beneath the tank?

[GZ250]

yes, the chrome pieces under the tank and remove both from either side. It helps to see the area more clearly. overfilling should not leak like this. its some seal or gasket and if you are lucky just the tightening of bolts would help.

[raul10141964]

I have the same leak on my 2001 and it is coming from the valve cover, but the leak is so slow that I'm planing to wait until it becomes a problem

[antipeterleague]

Thanks for all the help guys. I will disassemble the plates and go for a closer look. I'm assumin I don't need to remove the tank.

[jonathan180iq]

You shouldn't have to remove the tank, but doing so makes all maintenance easier. Once you've done it once, it literally takes maybe 1-2 minutes to remove. Two bolts and 2 vacuum lines. It's nothing at all.