Case leaking tranny oil! AGH!!!

KaTMandoo

Member
May 16, 2001
84
0
:( Ok im going to try to explain this and see if you guys can help me out and lemme know what is causing this...

If your looking at the case from the front of the bike behind the pipe, there is a gasket seal that is leaking red oil, i dunno if its my gas(i use WP2 oil in my gas so it is red) or my tranny oil leaking. its not dripping really but im losing about 5 ounces for every 1 hour of riding I do(i rode for an hour each time twice today). I also dont know if its just overflow of sometype. How major is this and is this something like, dont ride my bike til i replace the gasket seal?

Also my oil level drain plug thing seems to be stripped.....i tighten it but it just doesn't tighten all the way, its not leaking, but it doesn't get really right at all......no matter how much you turn it, but its not loose either, is this supposed to be this way or is something really stripped in there?

Otherwise i had a great riding today on our track, its still a flat track(no jumps) but we're working on that, we are going to soon berm up the corners too, but im ggetting good practice on hairpin turns and stuff..

anyways,thx in advance for any adv ice..

KaTMandoo
 

jeb

Member
Jul 21, 1999
633
0
I need more information to even hazard a guess. You say it's using 5 ounces an hour but you don't say 5 ounces of what. Please clairfy. Also, the gasket you're talking about. Is it a line that goes down the middle of the engine front to back or are you just talking about around where the pipe flange mounts to the engine?

Okay, I'll take one guess. ;) If it's just around the pipe flange, it's just spooge. You can try to put high temp sealant in the flange prior to mounting the pipe to stop that from dripping down the front of the motor. Sounds like you need to work on the jetting to stop some of that spooge, if that's what the problem is.
 

KaTMandoo

Member
May 16, 2001
84
0
Ok i got some pics...

I went outside and took some pictures of the leak for better specification, i know my post was kinda vague it was late last nite and i was super tired, heh.

Anyways here are the pictures, maybe these can explain it better..

http://personal.bna.bellsouth.net/bna/t/r/travis9/Zoom3.jpg
this first pic kinda gives you the idea of the angle im going to take the next picture from...

http://personal.bna.bellsouth.net/bna/t/r/travis9/Zoom4.jpg
this picture is the actual leak..

Also, anyone have any ideas on the oil level plug? Thats kinda got me worried too

thx
KaTMandoo
 

Strick

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 8, 1999
1,782
2
Yank the pipe. You really need to get in there and take a look. I can't be of any guidance on the oil level bolt. I never use mine. I drain my oil, and refill with 780cc of fresh. Occassionaly I will check the amount of oil that I drain, and it is always the same; 780cc. I am just guessing that I can't get that extra 20cc out of my crankcase on my 300.

Let us know what the leak is all about.
 

DanS

Sponsoring Member
Dec 6, 2000
203
0
Are you using ATF in your tranny? If you are change it and use something like Moble 1 15-50wt or some other motor oil for bikes that is not red. If it is still leaking red after this you know it's fuel related. It could just be spooge from the exhaust. Is it the oil drain bolt or oil level check bolt that is stripped? If it's the oil check bolt see how much of the threads are stripped in the case. Mine was stripped when I bought it. The stock bolt only has about 1/4 inch of threads but the threads in the case go farther in. I got a bolt that was longer than stock but short enough not to protrude into the engine. I torqued it to spec and have not touched it since. I change my oil the way Strick does. If you're not leaking gear oil but you are still losing it you could have a bad crank seal. If that was the case you would have a fare amount of smoke coming out the tail pipe and the plug would be black. Hope this gives you a direction to go.
 

KaTMandoo

Member
May 16, 2001
84
0
Ok, after riding pinned out in 5th gear today, i noticed ALOT of smoke coming out of the exhaust after stopping and turning the bike off, its never smoked like this.

Also, while riding today I noticed that my back brakes seemed to overheat....I was riding and they were working fine, and then all the sudden they crapped out on me, and wouldn't work and they were hot as sin! I rested for 5 minutes and then they worked fine again, i noticed that i was using them hard though so they could have been it.

anyways, thx for the advice. Im taking it over to a friends house tomorrow who will probably know what is wrong with the leaking, he has been working on 2 strokes for quite a while, although never a KTM, mostly yamahas.

KaTMandoo
 

jeb

Member
Jul 21, 1999
633
0
Okay, thanks for the pictures. Here's my guess although the arrow you put on the 2nd picture keeps me from being sure. The cover behind the arrow is your powervalve cover. It's suppose to have a rubber gasket at the bottom which appears to be missing. My 380 and 250 leaked spooge out of there from the powervalve even with the gasket. The best way to seal it is to take the cover off, replace the paper gasket and silicone the rubber gasket. Makes it harder to take apart later, though.

It sounds like you need to bleed your rear brake. You might as well do the front one, too. Brake fluid gets old and soaks up moisture. The more moisture it contains, the easier it boils and makes the brakes fade. Use Motul DOT 5.1 fluid for higher heat resistance. Flush out all the old stuff.
 

KaTMandoo

Member
May 16, 2001
84
0
Ok thx Jeb, i took out the arrow and you should be able to get a better look at it now.

http://personal.bna.bellsouth.net/bna/t/r/travis9/Zoom4.jpg

I have no clue what that rubber gasket thing is that you are talking about. Do you think you could get a picture of one on a bike and show me maybe? Is it something i need to go order from the KTM dealer or is it something I shouldn't worry about? This leak kinda has me worried, but im not losing massive amounts of oil so I dont guess its that bad. Anyways, thx for the input.

KaTMandoo
 

jeb

Member
Jul 21, 1999
633
0
It still looks to me like you're missing that piece. That would certainly explain a lot of fluid loss out of there. I can't send you a picture as I don't own the 250 or 380 anymore and the 400, 125, and 200 don't have the same parts. Go to your dealer or call them and ask for the rubber gasket that fits on the bottom of the right side power valve cover. The power valve actuating rod runs up through that rubber piece. Also get the green paper gasket that you can see in your picture under the power valve cover.
 

KaTMandoo

Member
May 16, 2001
84
0
I'm just now getting around to ordering the parts and I was noticing that in my engine parts manual, i dont see a gasket or seal for the powervalve cover. However I do see something that says Gasket for Control Cover, and I was hoping this was it. Im pretty new at this engine stuff, so thats why I asked before I actually ordered the part. I also dont see anything in the parts manual that says anything like a rubber gasket that Jeb mentioned. Maybe that was only on the 250 engines and not the 300, i dunno.

sorry for all the menial questions, but im not a 2 stroke guru by any means =] heck i dont even really know where the powervalve is(although i have a good guess)

KaTMandoo
 

FMX_novice

Member
Jan 5, 2001
161
0
Your brake fade might not be the result of boiling hydraulic fluid, but maybe just the friction and heat caused be the pads and disc rubbing from a lot of use. Once the brake disc gets hot the pad cant stop it because the heat turns the pads into dust. If you watch a Formula 1 race and watched a driver go from 7th to 2nd gear you can literally see 4 clouds of black dust come up from the brakes. On a dirtbike it isnt really visible but all i can say is if you lock up your wheels you wont have quite the braking performance but your disc and pads wont suffer brake fade or wear nearly as fast. Locking up wheels when going more then 3rd gear or leaning into turns is not recommended unless your very skilled with those manuvers.
 

KYHU

Member
Jun 12, 2001
84
0
Originally posted by FMX_novice
Once the brake disc gets hot the pad cant stop it because the heat turns the pads into dust

:think Actually, FMX_novice,the fact that the pads turn to "dust" is indepedent from the temperature of the discs. The pads are pushed against the rotating discs, which causes a friction. That friction between pads and discs is the force that slows you down when you brake and is what "eats" the pads.

david
 
Top Bottom