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Think I found it - Oil leak at push rod

10K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  High on Octane 
#1 ·
Late last year when it went to the shop the 1st of 2 times, they pointed out a fluid leak at my clutch slave. Turns out the slave was trashed and I replaced it. I noticed signs of wear on the push rod and its seals and replaced them all. This was between trips to the shop - and I was not running the bike since something needed checking on.

Bike went in for the 2nd go, came out and I had the oil woes described here an in my other threads. Since there was no running I never found this issue.

Seems the source of my troubles is a leak from the push rod and not any area touched by the service shop. I need to do a little more cleaning to be 100% sure. But in my quick look there sure seemed to be fresh oil on the rod end that was seeping down around the sprocket and down to the side stand.

Since the push rod and it's seals are brand new I'm a little mystified. I've got another set of seals that I plan to put in place
-But are there any tricks to this?

I didn't think a push rod should be any mroe complex than sliding it into place. Is there anything else in there that could fail and result in a leak?
 
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#2 ·
Thanks but mines leaking on the slave side (left) of the bike. Not out the right side through my clutch.

Seems my orings aren't sealing things off, which I find odd since they have about 150 miles on them. So I'm wondering a bit if somethings off...
 
#4 ·
The push rod didn't have any burrs or nicks on it did it? Excessive wear?

Does your pushrod spin all the time? If so you need a new bearing in the pressure plate, and maybe it pushing the oil out by spinning.
 
#6 ·
ducpainter said:
The push rod didn't have any burrs or nicks on it did it? Excessive wear?

Does your pushrod spin all the time? If so you need a new bearing in the pressure plate, and maybe it pushing the oil out by spinning.
just was i was thinking.... but only because I F-ed up my bearing changing plates....got a new one from lt snyder (along with his book) and did it right the second go
 
#7 ·
The clutch slave is an Evo unit so it doesn't have the stock set-ups o-ring.

The pressure plate bearing has 6k on it. It's one that comes with Speedy Moto plates. I had the plate off a while ago and checked the bearing of any signs of binding. It spun freely w/o any signs of binding/grinding/roughness. But at 6k, it wouldn't kill me to replace it.

The current push rod is less than 200 miles old. When I got it I didn't note any burrs or damage - but I didn't look over it with a magnifying glass either.
I have not pulled it from the bike as of yet to look for signs of wear.

The old one showed signs of wear - but it was 24k miles old, so that's kind of expected.

What's a good way to check the rod for spinning?

brad black said:
it's usually the sealer between the cases and alt cover gone bad. remove the alt cover and regoop it.
Care to go a little more indepth for me?
 
#9 ·
Any particular way to tell if the leak is from the push rod and its seals vs. the liquid gasket?

Or should I just look at cleaning up, then replacing my bearing and push rod seals to see if that's a cure - then take it from there?
 
#11 ·
They, being the gasket? When you say behind the slave - You're referring to a leak where the cover meets the case in that nook between th cut out for the sprocket and wher the slave bolts on, correct?

If that was the source - then what about the oil on my push rod? Seems more logical that oil would be ther if it was leaking past the push rod seals.
 
#13 ·
The bike can be run with the slave removed.

I think this is a job for the aerosol powder.
 
#14 ·
they leak thru the join between the alt cover and cases above the pushrod tube into the pushrod tube and then out. i have no doubt that it's coming out along the pushrod, but it's probably the alt cover sealant gone bad. at a guess it'd be a 19 times out of 20 thing ime.

if you remove the slave and turn the pushrod you'd know if the pressure plate bearing is seized.
 
#15 ·
Guess I gotta clean it all up and see what I can see.

IF it's a leak from the cover to the case - think that would cause a loss in oil pressure? I've been having an issue with the bike not making pressure while at idle when it's hot.
 
#17 ·
I had the push rod out. It's not been turning, from the slave side I can spin it in the pressure plate with just my thumb and middle finger pretty easily.

The rod had oil down the whole lenght from the slave side until it widened out again.

Sound like the case seal?
 
#20 ·
Well, I just put my clutch slave back on and saw something 'odd' that lends weight to the idea that the seal between the alternator cover and the main case has failed.

Once I bolted the slave back on I crouched down to be close to it and gave the lever a couple squeezes. And I'll be damned, but at the seam between the cover and the case just in front of the center line of the output shaft - I could see something moving. Yep, it was almost as if the pressure from the slave pulling on the cover was pulling it away from the case just a tiny bit. :(

So it's looking like she needs a re-gooping. Guess I should get my to-do list ready for the shop.
 
#22 ·
yuu said:
Well, I just put my clutch slave back on and saw something 'odd' that lends weight to the idea that the seal between the alternator cover and the main case has failed.

Once I bolted the slave back on I crouched down to be close to it and gave the lever a couple squeezes. And I'll be damned, but at the seam between the cover and the case just in front of the center line of the output shaft - I could see something moving. Yep, it was almost as if the pressure from the slave pulling on the cover was pulling it away from the case just a tiny bit. :(

So it's looking like she needs a re-gooping. Guess I should get my to-do list ready for the shop.
you know, that's amazingly obvious, but i never even considered it. that's why they leak there over time - the intermittant high load applied by the slave. it's a lot of load too - try getting the clutch to release by pushing the rod yourself.

maybe they need an 8mm bolt behind the slave there with it's higher torque loading, not a 6mm.

i love learning new stuff.
 
#23 ·
I've got the stainless springs in the clutch too - I barely think I could compress teh spring a millimeter with my bare hands, so I can imagine there's a lot of force at play.

It's such a simple explanation - but I definetly had a "Well duh" moment there. At first the notion that that large seal with all its bolts would fail seemed a bit out there. But after this and thinking about how many thousand times that area has to take the strain of the slave pulling on it, it's kind of a wonder that it held up for 8 years.

yeah a couple 8mm back there probably would have been a good design revision... a few years back oh well.
 
#24 ·
I have been trouble shooting this damn bike. Changed everything from slave, pushrod, oil seal, pressure plate , clutch , basket, I put a 40 dollar gasket under stator. It still leaks. . clutch cover helps if I go open it slings on tire and pipes. I guess I'll have to put it in shop. I hate when I can't figure something out and have to pay someone..!!!!anyone have any idea what else it might be. I might have that little black thing that is on tip of pushrod under the piece that slides in to bearing in the wrong place
 
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