ST1300 Oil Leak..

tcs1100f

Joined
Jun 28, 2014
Messages
78
Location
Frankfort, Kentucky..
Bike
ST1300 2008
Checked valve clearance. Had to adjust nr. 1 exhaust. Put it back together and went for a ride.. Had an oil leak I didn't have before!
This where oil is coming from! What is this, why is there a space/hole there? It is in front of the right side exhaust. Nr. 2 cyl I believe..!
Little help!!
 

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Okay, it looks like it is coming out of the square hole. There have been reports in the past that there is a "plug" in the "valley" that has been known to leak.

I think this might be it....

Valley-Plug-s.jpg

Okay, didn't noticed the "Check Valve Clearence".... Check to make sure the rubber dam under the throttlebody, didn't get caught in your valve cover!
 
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Make sure you put the bolt back in for the cam chain tensioner. I've done that before.
 
Thinking about it, the cam bolt I took out is on the left side! This is on the right side! I am pretty sure I put the bolt back!
 
tcs1100f said:
Thinking about it, the cam bolt I took out is on the left side! This is on the right side! I am pretty sure I put the bolt back!
Click to expand...

Ah... ok ... darn, I read that but it didn't stick.
 
That sure looks like it's from the valve cover on the inside and the oil is working it's way through the crevices to the square hole.
 
tcs1100f said:
Nope that is not it.. I had to lift cams on left side but not right side..
Click to expand...
tcs1100f said:
Nope, not coming from valve cover..
Click to expand...

It is a very common mistake to get the heat mat stuck between the cover and the cylinder head, which results in a leak. If you did a complete valve check, you removed and reinstalled both covers and had an opportunity for this to happen on both sides of the engine. There is a drain in the vee that leads to the square hole on the right side by way of channels that run behind the water pump cover. If you're spewing oil into the vee, that's where it's going to come out.

--Mark
 
FIXED! Apparently the two locating cylinder pins inside the right head cover where not right. One was in the head, the other on the cover. Put both in the cover. installed cover
and no leak!
 
tcs1100f said:
FIXED! Apparently the two locating cylinder pins inside the right head cover where not right. One was in the head, the other on the cover. Put both in the cover. installed cover
and no leak!
Click to expand...

Congrats!... glad you got it figured out.
 
ST1300 Oil Leak ... #2

Baffling! Oils leak out of the small square hole on front right side of engine. Not a lot but continuous. Took bike for a ride thinking maybe just needed to run
to get seals sealing.. Oil was at full mark when I left. Went about 6 miles, come back, oil still seeping from square hole and now the oil line on sight glass is at
the top. Way past full! I originally had a leak from not getting the right valve cover on correctly but that is fixed!
Any ideas? I did add oil once and drained the extra but now the 1300 seems to be making oil!
 
Sounds to me like a valve cover that's leaking into the "V" of the engine and finding it's way out via that rectangular drain.
 
Without a bore scope and a VERY Clean area below the throttle bodies (the "V" area) figuring out where the leak is truly coming from will be tough. September of 2014 My 2003 started to leak oil out of that same hole. Several ideas were presented and tried. Removed and Resealed the Galley plug. I had not done a valve check so the Mat pinched in the covers was not a source. My leak would increase with engine RPM. This lead me to believe it was an area under oil pressure as at idle the leak was almost none.

What was my source of leak, a bad o-ring on the alternator. It took the removal of the throttle bodies and some idea tossing with Scooter. The only thing that looked like the culprit. Oil pooled in the "V" back under the alternator after cleaning the "V". Once we removed the Alternator you could see Oil residue and grime at the bottom of the housing. Replaced that o-ring and the ones under the angled water pipes at the front of the "V" as long as we were in there. I had done the hoses a couple of years earlier.

Not saying it is this o-ring as VERY FEW 1300's have had this one fail.

Good hunting on the leak.

The oil IS coming from below the throttle bodies in the "V" area.
 
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