Newish bike, engine bolts seeping oil, what do you think? [pics]

[bavarianmw]

Hey guys, I didn't lock the bike up for winter yet, as I mentioned in another thread. I have not been using the fz1 as much with our colder weather, and she has been sitting around more lately.

So, I have these engine bolts that have been seeping oil, very slightly, on my 8 month old FZ. I noticed this over the past 4 months or so, it was so slight that I decided to just "keep an eye on them". I have already made sure the bolts are tight, by hand. I was thinking up until now that they had a rubber seal behind them that might have been damaged during assembly.

Fast forward to today and with the bike sitting more lately, I see a relatively large amount of seepage (compared to before) when I took her out today (see the pics below, it's the top bolt slightly, and the bottom one, obviously). I stopped at the Local Yammy dealer to order the bolts, and learn that there are metal washers underneath those bolts and not a rubber seal...

My questions, sorry for the long backstory are, should I just replace the bolts tighten to spec, and keep on keeping an eye on these? Am I okay to just remove these bolts and replace them , one at a time? What is behind them? Could there be a problem beyond a simple bolt/washer failure? I am under warranty still, but would rather not leave the bike at the dealer, unless necessary. I am very anal about taking care of it, am I being dumb to not let the professionals look at it?

The bolts/washers were $8, so it's not a warranty issue for me if just a washer is my problem. What do you guys think I should do? Thanks in advance!! --MW

 

[bavarianmw]

Here is one of the full size pics, those came out kind of small... --MW

big seep pic

 

[super googan]

First thing I would do is just loosen all 3 bolts ( just a little ) then slowly torque them to spec. Just a fraction at a time for each bolt moving between the 3 ,so your slowly increasing the torque evenly.

You could also try a small dab of RTV copper sealant between the washer and bolt head.

Could also pick up some gasket material and make a washer gasket or try to find a washer gasket that fits.

 

[Erci]

How is your oil level? When fully warmed up, then turned off for 3-4 minutes, on the center stand.. is it between the 2 lines? (the glass on the right side)

 

[bavarianmw]

How is your oil level? When fully warmed up, then turned off for 3-4 minutes, on the center stand.. is it between the 2 lines? (the glass on the right side)

Definitely between the two lines, I check a lot, and checked today. The level has not noticeably changed ever. Either before my switch to rotella synthetic 500 miles ago, or after. Again, this is the most seepage I have seen, and only this appears to be 3 drops total? No puddles or anything under the bike.

I think I might be being super anal here. I checked the torque recommended on those bolts, and the manual says 10nm... That is not too tight, eh? I got to get to my buddy's garage with the torque wrench! --MW

 

[Evitzee]

Not a serious problem, I would do the retorqueing as mentioned earlier. Not much oil is seeping so you aren't going to see any drop in your level. How much seeping are you getting, ie, if you wipe it clean how many miles does it take to get back to your picture?

 

[Erci]

Definitely between the two lines, I check a lot, and checked today. The level has not noticeably changed ever. Either before my switch to rotella synthetic 500 miles ago, or after. Again, this is the most seepage I have seen, and only this appears to be 3 drops total? No puddles or anything under the bike.

I think I might be being super anal here. I checked the torque recommended on those bolts, and the manual says 10nm... That is not too tight, eh? I got to get to my buddy's garage with the torque wrench! --MW

You're welcome to stop by if you want to check torque on the bolts.

 

[bavarianmw]

Not a serious problem, I would do the retorqueing as mentioned earlier. Not much oil is seeping so you aren't going to see any drop in your level. How much seeping are you getting, ie, if you wipe it clean how many miles does it take to get back to your picture?

Thanks for the reply. This picture is after not riding the bike for just shy of two weeks. I wiped it clean today and will keep an eye on the amount it seeps going forward. I'm thinking I can get the torque measured by Thursday.

 

[bavarianmw]

You're welcome to stop by if you want to check torque on the bolts.

Awesome, thanks for the offer, Eric! It's funny, you are a mile down the road one way, and my other buddy is a mile the opposite way. I think he has a torque wrench that goes to 10 nm, but I will text you Thursday if he doesn't, or he is busy or something.

 

[Kpd1031]

My 2012 also seeped oil from those three little bolts from the first day a bought the bike. Being of the "ride more, worry less" mindset, I left it alone and just wiped it clean before every ride. Then one day I went to wipe it clean, and there was no oil. That was 2000 miles ago, and it hasn't leaked since. Don't know why, and to be honest, I really don't care. I will say this though. I would be real careful playing with those bolts. They hold one of the bearing housings for the generator. If you mess those up, you can have much bigger problems.