Cracked Case: Symptoms and Questions

[EBOD]

I've noticed that my son's bike (a KLX 110) is leaking oil. It seems to be coming from underneath the engine, right about where the shifter is. I haven't taken a detailed look at it yet (I'm terrible with a wrench and I'm scared about what I might find), but my fear is that he somehow managed to crack his engine case. Accordingly, I have a few questions, as follows:

What are the symptoms of a cracked case?

What else could the oil leak be (and how severe is it)?

How hard/expensive is a cracked case to repair?

If it is a cracked case, should I be mad at Kawasaki? My kid is a beginner. He falls a lot, but his falls aren't really that hard. He doesn't get any air (so he couldn't have landed a jump on his cases). Similarly, he doesn't ride over any nasty rocks that could have hit his case.

If I should be mad at Kawasaki, how do I go about trying to have them help with repair costs? My dealer seems slimy, so I don't think they'll be too much help. I am a loyal Kawasaki owner; I have three green bikes and I plan to buy a fourth, for my younger son, in September. I have also sold at least two of my friends on Kawi's

Any thoughts/answers are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

--EBOD

 

[IrishEKU]

What year? I would physically look for a crack. How much Oil does it drain? IE a puddle or just a smuge? Check the shifter, it could be from the shaft itself. Many a housing has been damaged from a light layover.

 

[The^^Rock]

I cracked the left crankcase cover on my XR250. Did it by hitting a rock. It was loosing a bit of oil as well. I got it fixed by getting it welded at a high performance car mechanic shop, was cheap as well, $30 Aust.

Ring up your dealer and ask them if they know of any places that do it.

Good luck :)

 

[bigred455]

Probably just the shaft seal.

 

[David Trustrum]

Yeah at first I was going to say it has thrown a chain in a past life but you imply it is pretty much new so I’d guess the shaft seal too.

Check it isn’t over filled & spewing out a breather.
Give it a thorough degrease (find a decent degreaser they make the world of difference) so it is spotless & start the bike up to identify where it is coming from. Loose sump plug perhaps?

 

[EBOD]

Hey, thank you for the information. I still haven't investigated further (I'll post when I learn what it is for sure).

If it is a shaft seal, is that a big deal? Can my kid still ride it (so long as we keep the oil level up there) or do I have to fix it immediately? If I do have to fix it right away, how much should I expect to pay w/out getting ripped off (it seems shops can tell I am not mechanically inclined a mile away)

Thanks again!

 

[David Trustrum]

If it is coming from there & it is not pouring out then will be alright for a while but I wouldn’t leave it too long or more wear may cause it to gush out a bit quicker.

Often it is easy enough to replace the seal in situ with fiendish use of self tapping screws to purchase on the seal but you have to be soo careful on such a small seal, but the proper way to do it is pull the shaft out the other side case. It can be checked for straightness as well.