[lemon]

Noticed that there was some oil in the (Ducati CF) underpan after I took the bike for a short ride today. After closer inspection, I noticed that there is a small oil leak originating somewhere under the bottom of the left side cover, near where the shifter pedal and drive connect to.. Didn't have a chance to investigate this further - bike was hot and I burnt my fingers trying to see where the leak starts..
I'm planning to take it to Riverside Ducati for a check-up ASAP but was wondering if anyone had any idea as to what can be causing this.
I owned the bike for less then a month and didn't ride it much with bad weather and all. PO took a great care of it with records to prove it. Bike currently has less then 3k miles on it (it's a '99). Is this normal for Ducs to leak oil, the way Italian cars do? Or do I have a sign of a potentially serious issue here?
Thanks in advance!

Dimitri

 

[lemon]

Here's a picture where I outlined the area where oil leak is present.. If anyone has any idea as to what could cause this, pelase let me know.

.
Thanks,

Dimitri

 

[ducman851]

Countershaft seal comes to mind. Its the only thing under there that could easily leak, unless the seam of the case/cover joint is leaking. Pop the sprocket cover off and take a look.

 

[lemon]

Thanks for the suggestion, John. I called Riverside Ducati and scheduled appointment for next week. Service adviser suggested that maybe the leak caused by chain being lubricated recently and excess is dripping off.. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Dimitri

Countershaft seal comes to mind. Its the only thing under there that could easily leak, unless the seam of the case/cover joint is leaking. Pop the sprocket cover off and take a look.

 

[ducman851]

Thats another possibility, hey just pop that cover off. Clean it up, go for a short ride and see if it returns. If not then cancel your appt.

 

[ducman851]

The small one that covers the sprocket and chain

 

[test-reg]

Countershaft seal comes to mind. Its the only thing under there that could easily leak, unless the seam of the case/cover joint is leaking.

Theres the gear selector seal too... I'd be hoping for that, it'll be _much_ cheaper to fix, I _think_ you need to split the cases to replace the countershaft seal...

The other thing it _might_ be is the "known problem" rear cyclinder base gasket leak - have a good look below where the rear cylinder exhaust comes off the head - they had a problem on earlier bikes leaking there, and they changed the base gaskets. I'm pretty sure they had that fixed by '99 tho...

One other suggestion, are you sure its oil? I could be the clutch slave cylinder leaking...

cheers,

big

 

[lemon]

Looks and smells like oil.. I'll pop the sprocket cover off as soon as the weather gets better to examine exactly where the oil is leaking from..
On a side note, is it usual for Ducs to leak fluids, a la Land Rovers and older Italian cars? Or am I the "lucky" one?

Theres the gear selector seal too... I'd be hoping for that, it'll be _much_ cheaper to fix, I _think_ you need to split the cases to replace the countershaft seal...

The other thing it _might_ be is the "known problem" rear cyclinder base gasket leak - have a good look below where the rear cylinder exhaust comes off the head - they had a problem on earlier bikes leaking there, and they changed the base gaskets. I'm pretty sure they had that fixed by '99 tho...

One other suggestion, are you sure its oil? I could be the clutch slave cylinder leaking...

cheers,

big

 

[barbarabee]

Mine was leaking there (01 M900), and I took it in for it's 6000 mile service...they ended up replacing the base gasket. I just got it back on Saturday. I cleaned it up (they didn't) so now I'm keeping an eye on mine to see if it leaks again.

I thought it was the chain lube at first, too.

 

[CRASH!]

August is looking like June did here in Boston. July was the only decent weather we had.

Report calls for another week of same. Good luck Lemon.

Does your bike have any warranty left? I bought my '99 used in '01. It had been first registered just 18 months before I bought it (at Dunbar Eurosports in Brockton). I had one warranty claim on it: failed brake light switch on the lever. Al at Riverside took care of it when I went in for an inspection.

If it's the countershaft seal it'd ge good to have warranty coverage. Cylinder base gasket isn't too bad, but still a couple of hours of labor I'd guess.

 

[lemon]

Yup, August feels like a late September with rain and all. Wasn't able to ride much because of this.
As far as warranty goes, I don't believe bike is still covered as I bpught it only a month ago. So hopefully there's nothing major as I'm already quoted $260 for 3k mi service by Riverside Ducati.. Speaking of them, they offered me a service agreement that would cover bike's 6k mi services all way up to 18k mi. It costs close to a thousand bucks and I'm not sure if it's worth getting. It's not an extended warranty (I wish) but a service plan extension that means that every 6k mi service they'll do free of charge.. Any input on that?

Thanks,

Dimitri
'99 M750, leaking oil

August is looking like June did here in Boston. July was the only decent weather we had.

Report calls for another week of same. Good luck Lemon.

Does your bike have any warranty left? I bought my '99 used in '01. It had been first registered just 18 months before I bought it (at Dunbar Eurosports in Brockton). I had one warranty claim on it: failed brake light switch on the lever. Al at Riverside took care of it when I went in for an inspection.

If it's the countershaft seal it'd ge good to have warranty coverage. Cylinder base gasket isn't too bad, but still a couple of hours of labor I'd guess.