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Oil Leak From Strange Place

13K views 40 replies 19 participants last post by  jamesvigil87 
#1 ·
My wife's 2012 Victory Cross Country Tour has a very small oil leak from an unusual place. After riding the bike, oil will collect on and then drip from the bottom point of the left hand cheese wedge. I can't yet tell the source of this oil. There is nothing obvious to me in that area which could be a source of the oil. It is possible that it is something behind this cheese wedge or something above this cheese wedge that is leaking and dripping onto the wedge, the oil then runs to the bottom point of the wedge, and then drips from there.

The amount of oil dripping is small. It falls onto the shifter pivot and left footbed mounting bracket and then recollects and drips to the ground but not enough to make a puddle. Just enough to see it spread via capillary action on the concrete The drips seem to last for a few days after the bike is parked after a ride and then it stops.

Anyone experience something similar? Any ideas where this oil could be coming from?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
 
#5 ·
Just asking, had you recently srpayed your engine with the Victory Black and Silver enhancer?

I had done mine prior to my trip to Vic Shop and they found some drips that looked like oil on the primary cover. Guess I had over done the spray and it took a while for the stuff I didn't remove to work itself off the engine.
 
#6 ·
The bike is totally stock in the engine area. No changes have been made to the airbox. Also, the bike has the stock air filter and I recently gave it a look and it did not appear to be too dirty. I don't believe the stock air filter gets oiled and I certainly did not oil it. I have never used any cleaner on the engine other than soapy water. I will do a bit of searching for the "dreaded porous head" issue and hope that this is not the cause.

I agree that this is a very high location to have oil leak problems. I'm wondering if there is some sort of crankcase breather that enters the air box and brings with it some oil mist that is collecting and dripping. Perhaps even a leaky breather hose or leaky connection of this hose to the airbox. If it cools down a bit, I will try to look for the source of the oil that is collecting on the left side cheese wedge.

Thanks and keep the ideas coming.

G'day,

Vinish
 
#8 ·
Agree with Travis #2 post, could well be the carter breather hose going into your air box ....

Andre
@
TaPaTaLk
 
#9 ·
breather hose goes into frame at back of motor.
go for a ride hit it hard a few times and come home take tank off.

You could even get a hold of Kevinx or Rylan and ask them.

Please keep us informed
 
#11 ·
I have not yet done any reading on "porous head" but it sounds bad so I'm hoping that is not the problem. I did a small bit more investigation tonight. The reason the oil is dripping from the bottom of the left cheese wedge is that a small amount of oil is collecting in the hollowed out/indented inside of the left cheese wedge. With the bike leaned to the left on the side stand, the left cheese wedge becomes a tiny bit trough-like. It can hold a tiny bit of oil in this inside indentation until this oil overflows the indentation and drips down onto the shifter and left floorboard bracket. So this raises the obvious question... where is the oil coming from before it enters the cheese wedge?

Behind the cheese wedge was the wedge mounting bracket. It had a light misting/coating of oil on its surface. Above this was the device into which the sparkplug wires connect. This is probably the high voltage coils or an equivalent. This device had oil on it and on the top of it (it has a flat top surface). By this point, it is well above any part of the engine so the good news is that if the oil is coming from above, dripping down onto the coils, and then dripping further down onto the cheese wedge, it would seem unlikely that it is leaking from a "porous head" but more checking is needed.

Later this week, I will try to investigate further. The problem is that once the oil is wiped up from the cheese wedge and other parts, more is not forming while the bike is sitting idle so I will have to ride it to learn more. I will also have to remove the tank to see more clearly into these areas.

Any thoughts based on this bit of new info would be appreciated.

G'day,

Vinish
 
#12 · (Edited)
I don't have my bike handy Vin but the IAC gets it's filtered air from the frame airbox above that area I think and the engine breather tube slips into a rubber grommet in that area of the frame too. Perhaps the engine breather tube has come partially out of the grommet causing the problem or one or both the grommets are swollen from age. Click here see grommets #6 (2 each) and plastic tube 8
 
#13 · (Edited)
At first guess without and other supporting info I'm going with Joe on the ventilation. I've run into it on my last bike but only when it was very hot out and the bike run hard. Oil vapours that condensed as soon as they hit the cooler air in the air filter chamber. A light film was normal but sometimes there was easily a teaspoon in there. At rest on the side stand the oil will drain/drip on the left side.

Worrisome but normal. Keep the line open. I haven't noticed it on this bike but I moved since then and we don't get the temperatures that extreme (+90F) anymore. When it hits 25(80F), I head for the basement. (or an air conditioned re-hydration centre)
 
#14 ·
Thanks, guys. I will look at the bike soon with those ideas in mind.

G'day,

Vinish
 
#16 ·
I have been much more attentive on this bike when I changed oil. But on the 900 Kawasaki and the RSV if the oil is over a certain filled level (about 1/2 way up) they would push oil up into the breather. Then they would leak and drip down the side or in the case of the RSV it leaked on top of the motor and also out drip tubes under the bike. So oil level is my thought of place to look.
 
#18 ·
Good out of the box idea but, unfortunately, not the issue for me. I do all my own maintenance and have not sprayed any lubricant into the lock since I owned the bike 1.5 years whereas the oil leak began recently.

Hmmm, if spraying the lock with a lubricant is a maintenance item, perhaps it would be better to say that I try to do my own maintenance but don't always get it all accomplished :)

G'day,

Vinish
 
#19 ·
Maybe the "porous head" problem might be pushing the panic button a little too fast.....I'd go after the loose breather or broken tube first
 
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#20 ·
Hence post #2 & post #8
Ha ha

Andre
@
TaPaTaLk
 
#21 ·
Just a thought. I had Kevin do my cams last October and had the same issue. Spoke to him and he said I had a little too much oil in it. Told me 4 1/2 was a little too much.
 
#23 ·
On the lock lube front. I would use a silicone spray vs any oil based product like WD 40 or the like. Oil will do a couple things we really dont want. Oil will get gummy and foul the switch up in cooler temps, it could cause arching across contacts.
 
#24 ·
My 2012 CCT had a porous rear head. It never dripped or leaked a drop. Rylan Vos found it while he prepared my CCT for cams in the Summer of 2013. It couldn't be seen without the seat and the tank being off. It was a dime size damp spot on the left rear of the rear head. Even then, if Rylan didn't show it to me, I'd likely never have found it.

Others who have had the porous head issue have had oil dripping. My dealer at the time, Randy's Cycle, Marengo, IL replaced the head over the Winter with zero cost to me. That was over the 2013/2014 Winter.
 
#26 ·
I had the same issue last year.. Oil level a little too high. When I changed the oil, I was careful to watch the amount I added. Never had a problem after that.
How do you know what the right level is? Do you guys mean that you put in 4, then add it little by little until dipstick shows full, or there's some other way to tell besides dipstick or waiting to see what blows out the breather?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
#27 ·
put in 4 qt. Start bike let it warm up. Now shut off wait 5 minutes.
Now check and add but add only a 1/4 more not to the full mark.

Remember bike straight up and down. Screw in dipstick and unscrew it to read level of oil
 
#28 ·
LOL Filled mine to about half way between add and full. Last time I checked it, the silly thing had made oil. It is right up at full now.
 
#32 ·
If your serious
you know you have to stand the bike straight up and down to check oil.
You screw in dipstick and then unscrew it to get the reading.

If you're making a joke I don't think its funny
 
#34 ·
I have same bike and had the same problem.

Tech said it was from filling to the full mark.

There's a breather hose or something above it near the air cleaner i guess and it accumulates there then runs down to the cheese wedge and drips. Wipe it all off as good as you can and then only fill until slightly below the fill mark (approx 4.5 qts).
 
#36 ·
Thanks, ostbob. I have not had a chance to do anything with the bike yet but maybe in a week or two. As you note, it is not urgent, just a smidge of oil dripping.

G'day,

Vinish
 
#38 ·
I agree which, coupled with my busy schedule for the next three weeks, is why I'm not giving much priority to fixing the problem right now. Oh, and I don't want to ruin my wife's only turkey baster :)

G'day,

Vinish
 
#39 ·
Just trying to help. :wink
 
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