Do you guys know what the part marked with the arrow is?
Seen from the RH, right above the RH Upper Engine Support Bolt marked on the diagram.
I seem to have a leak from there on my 2013 RTL.
If so jc, it looks to me like your arrow is pointing at the Right Hand Rear corner of the Rear Cylinder Head.... That's certainly the Rear exhaust header you can see just there, and it goes across from the RH side rear to connect up to the back of the Rear Cylinder Head.
Is it an oil or a coolant leak you're seeing?? If your leak is down any lower than that join, it could be a head gasket leak; if it's right at your arrow, it's probably the rocker cover gasket.... I do hope it's just a minor leak if it's either of those, cos neither is particularly easy to fix, but the head gasket's the worse prospect!
There again, you haven't ever over-filled the oil reservoir, have you?? Excess oil from that usually ends up in the air intake, a big part of which is just ahead & above of your arrow, so maybe it's just overflow from that due to any oil excess being pumped up into the air intake! That's usually just a clean-up job (painful enough tho)! Here's hoping!
Thanks,
It is a V-Twin.
The leak appears to be from that cover's gasket. So, right below the arrow, and it seems to be thick as oil.
Knowing me... yes, I might have overfilled it but the leak's been going on for a while now.
It used to be a small drop every now and then. Recently I ventured into changing my rear tire at home and the first ride after doing it I noticed a larger than usual drop while I was pulling out of the garage. Maybe just what was on the pan since the bike had been parked for a few weeks.
How do I clean an overfill mess? I'd like to give that a try first since I have all my tupperware off anyway.
Sounds like a 'take all the lower pans & trays off, then get in there with some de-greaser followed by some (low pressure) cleaning spray' job to me!! You might also need to pull apart the air filter housing & trunking, intake etc to clean out all the oil build up trapped in there.....
If you've ever over-filled the oil reservoir or even just kept it right up to the 'Full' mark ALL the time (instead of just safely somewhere in between the 'Full' & the 'Low' marks! ) you'll probably be amazed at how much oil has ended up trapped in the air intake & ducts, etc, and how far it can go/how long it can hang around still dripping outta stuff!! There are threads & posts around showing you how & what to use to put an 'oil vapour' type trap into the crankcase vent line, BajaRon has some pretty good filter media available that works well!! Sorry, I don't have a link, but a search should bring it up fairly readily.
And yeah, what starts out as a 'small drop on the ground every now & then' can really be just the first sign of a fairly extensive pool of vented/leaked oil sitting in there somewhere just waiting for the right set of conditions to let it 'suddenly' dump a lot of oil somewhere you don't want it!! But it ONLY LOOKS sudden, when in fact, it's probably been slooowwly building up in there somewhere for a loooong time and it's just that you've only recently hit the 'can't hold it any longer' point! These Spyders have lots of places they can & will catch & store significant quantities of oil/coolant and build up that pool/store, leaving it there lying in wait to 'suddenly' ambush you after you finally get around to doing something like.... saaay, changing the rear tire & in doing so, changing the 'normal' angle your Spyder sits at while it's in your shed/on the driveway Only now the oil/coolant/whatever pool has been sitting there for so long that it takes another few days or even a week or so for it to actually slooowwly extrude from its hidey hole & end up appearing as drips/dripping onto the ground!! Do you really need to ask me how I know this??
So I wouldn't be sweating it too much just yet, not unless you've truly suddenly started using more oil (& these V-twins DO use oil!) &/or coolant and it's now running hotter than it used to... Don't buy yourself any trouble unnecessarily - this is most likely just a small leak that's caused a build up of oil that's now reached its over-flow point, so cleaning it all up properly is very likely to resolve your 'drip' problem for the next year or so... and fitting that c/case vent vapour trap might even resolve it permanently!
But if you have truly suddenly started using a heap more oil....
Ps: if you value your Spyder, DO NOT EVER use a Hi-Pressure Sprayer anywhere under the tupperware, around the suspension &/or driveline, or near the dash!! Come to that, the paintwork probably won't appreciate it either!! Hi-pressure sprayers will easily force damaging grit & crap past seals & gaskets, and they're often responsible for far more damage than you might think!! Low pressure spray is the way to go, & by that I mean not even full bore garden hose type pressure, especially if you've got a jet nozzle or similar on the end of the hose! If the spray pressure feels the slightest bit uncomfortable when directed at your skin, it's probably too strong for safe use on your Spyder!!
Last edited by Peter Aawen; 05-15-2020 at 09:59 PM.
Reason: Ps:
Sounds like a 'take all the lower pans & trays off, then get in there with some de-greaser followed by some (low pressure) cleaning spray' job to me!! You might also need to pull apart the air filter housing & trunking, intake etc to clean out all the oil build up trapped in there.....
If you've ever over-filled the oil reservoir or even just kept it right up to the 'Full' mark ALL the time (instead of just safely somewhere in between the 'Full' & the 'Low' marks! ) you'll probably be amazed at how much oil has ended up trapped in the air intake & ducts, etc, and how far it can go/how long it can hang around still dripping outta stuff!! There are threads & posts around showing you how & what to use to put an 'oil vapour' type trap into the crankcase vent line, BajaRon has some pretty good filter media available that works well!! Sorry, I don't have a link, but a search should bring it up fairly readily.
And yeah, what starts out as a 'small drop on the ground every now & then' can really be just the first sign of a fairly extensive pool of vented/leaked oil sitting in there somewhere just waiting for the right set of conditions to let it 'suddenly' dump a lot of oil somewhere you don't want it!! But it ONLY LOOKS sudden, when in fact, it's probably been slooowwly building up in there somewhere for a loooong time and it's just that you've only recently hit the 'can't hold it any longer' point! These Spyders have lots of places they can & will catch & store significant quantities of oil/coolant and build up that pool/store, leaving it there lying in wait to 'suddenly' ambush you after you finally get around to doing something like.... saaay, changing the rear tire & in doing so, changing the 'normal' angle your Spyder sits at while it's in your shed/on the driveway Only now the oil/coolant/whatever pool has been sitting there for so long that it takes another few days or even a week or so for it to actually slooowwly extrude from its hidey hole & end up appearing as drips/dripping onto the ground!! Do you really need to ask me how I know this??
So I wouldn't be sweating it too much just yet, not unless you've truly suddenly started using more oil (& these V-twins DO use oil!) &/or coolant and it's now running hotter than it used to... Don't buy yourself any trouble unnecessarily - this is most likely just a small leak that's caused a build up of oil that's now reached its over-flow point, so cleaning it all up properly is very likely to resolve your 'drip' problem for the next year or so... and fitting that c/case vent vapour trap might even resolve it permanently!
But if you have truly suddenly started using a heap more oil....
So, after a nice clean up I narrowed the leak down to this one bolt on the front cylinder's valve cover. It's the one right next to the gas tank.
I can see bubbles coming out of it. But it's not from the large valve cover gasket but in between the bolt's head and the black washer which I assume is rubber.
Could it be just a lose bolt?
Remove bolt, clean. If there is a rubber ring, replace. Torque to spec. Watch it close, let it run and see. Peter is fantastic at explaining things. A good strong light and patience. Good luck!
What part is this?
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Is it oil or coolant? How much does it leak? ....
That's certainly the Rear exhaust header you can see just there, and it goes across from the RH side rear to connect up to the back of the Rear Cylinder Head. 
yes, I might have overfilled it but the leak's been going on for a while now. 
You might also need to pull apart the air filter housing & trunking, intake etc to clean out all the oil build up trapped in there..... 
Do you really need to ask me how I know this?? 
Originally Posted by Peter Aawen
