Oil drip question

[Guest Britcheflee]

I am getting a small amount of oil build up on the top of the ballance pipe (or whatever that flat area is between the pipes under the bike is called) - is is more of an area where dirt and oil collect and is nothing significant at the moment - is this to be expected? Bike is 05 with just over 2,000 miles - checked oil today and was a little over half - not sure what it was when I got it so it might have been low anyway. I notice a small breather pipe in that vicinity - could it just be some oil blowing out from that - it was pretty hot yesterday and I was in traffic and occasionally could smell some burning oil. Should I be looking out for anything?

Lee

[antonio carroccio]

Not sure what the heck this oil comes from.

I am afraid you have to wait the response of Al or Dlaing

[twhitaker]

When this happened on my LeMans you could tell by the smell it was coming from the transmission. It was leaking at the back and I got it fixed under warrantee.

[Guest Britcheflee]

I still have the remainder of the warantee on my bike - do I just go to a Guzzi dealer and present that to them - will any Guzzi dealer honor the warantee?

Thanks,

Lee

[belfastguzzi]

For me, I'm not terribly concerned about it. It happens all the time. Some people have found a couple of different sources and been able to remedy or attempt remedy, but if it's just your 'common or garden' leak on to the crossover box then it is probably like a lot of other leaks – it looks worse than it actually is.

 

Mine does it, but doesn't lose any significant amount of oil over time.

 

I don't mind the smell.

 

The more interesting thing about the vent is that it draws in moisture to contaminate the fluid. Like others. I have put a hose on so that it breathes from under the seat, rather than right where the tyre throws water at it. Might help a bit?

[pete roper]

Lee, while I'm not overly familiar with the breather plumbing on V11's my guess is that the small pipe is simply a drain from the air-box.

 

Crankcase pressure is vented via the large hose from a pipe that pokes up through the top of the crankcase just forward of where the gearbox joins the motor. This goes to the spine where the oil vapor that is pumped out with the excess gas condenses out and runs down the spine, back through another pipe which returns to condensate to the sump. That's that braided line with an elbow on it that you can see going into the sump next to the oil drain plug. The excess gas is then vented from a fitting up near the steering head down a hose to the airbox where it is re-breathed through the motor to consume any remaining hydrocarbons and reduce pollution. The little pipe the drip seems to be coming from is simply a drain from the airbox. It's there so that if for any reason oil vapor is being pumped through the breather system and is overwhelming it's ability to allow th oil to condense out in the spine any that gets pumped into the air box has somewhere to go. Without a drain the airbox would simply, gradually, fill up until the oil level reached the level of the inlet trumpets whereupon it would be dragged into the engine and I can tell you from experience with a previous Guzzi air box design that when this happens, although it rarely does any damage, it is quite un-nerving as the world behind you disappears in a fog of oil smoke

 

If, after a hard ride you're finding that you're getting a drip on the collector box it might be worth, next time you have the bodywork off, taking the hose off the crankcase breather and checking that the ball valve in the pipe is working OK and isn't full of elephant smegma. In cooler climates especially condensation can be a problem and gummed up PCV ball valves can significantly contribute to problems with oil ending up going where it shouldn't.

 

Pete

[Baldini]

Like Belfast - mine always did it. Transmission oil from around the back of the gearbox or the sideplate - could never figure exactly where it was coming from - would build up on the xover box - but not enough to worry about.

 

Since changing to Red Line Shockproof Heavy gbox oil it's hardly noticable.

 

You should be able to tell if it's gbox oil by the smell. If you look around the sidecover & backplate of gbox you'll probably find evidence of oil weep. It seems very common.

 

KB

[Guzzirider]

Our V11 sport makes exactly the same dribble- not worried at all its just a smidgin.

 

Guy

[belfastguzzi]

I don't think that's what Britches is refering to, Pete. I think he means the gearbox breather that is in the vicinity of the crossover box and he's wondering if oil is escaping from it, onto the box. I very much doubt that it is coming from there (oil isn't likely to come out there, not constantly anyway, but moisture will go in).

[belfastguzzi]

Our

V11 sport makes exactly the same dribble- not worried at all

its just a smidgin.

65769[/snapback]

Is that the Royal 'We' that you're using now?

 

BTW it's not a pigeon, it's a puffin.

[Guest Britcheflee]

Thanks,

The oil appeared to be dripping from the bottom of the motor and collecting on the top of the ballance pipe - not very much but enought to be noticable, and on my last ride causing that burning oil smell....I can live with it for now but what I am afraid of is that I will get about 5 days past the warranty expiration date and something more drastic will happen - which is pretty much my luck with these things. I will take another ride soon and check it out again then contact a dealer and see if it is something they could at least take a look at.

Thanks for all your feedback.

 

 

Lee

[Guzzirider]

Is that the Royal 'We' that you're using now?

 

BTW it's not a pigeon, it's a puffin.

65792[/snapback]

 

Well now that H has broke her leg and I ride her bike more than she does I guess its "our" V11 Sport although the Rosso Corsa is obviously exclusively mine.

[docc]

Oil from the bottom of the engine near the junction of gearbox can come out the the drain hole in the bell housing . This could be either front trans seal or rearengine seal ( is it oil or gearoil?).

 

In any case, time to make the warranty claim in event it turnsinto something bigger. My Sport leaked there and munted the clutch at 4000 miles. Later ( 16,000 miles) a wet crossover turned out to be a case crack at the left upper mounting point of the gearbox.

[jrt]

BTW it's not a pigeon, it's a muffin.

65792[/snapback]

 

The muffin man is seated at the table in the laboratory of the utility muffin

Research kitchen... reaching for an oversized chrome spoon he gathers an

Intimate quantity of dried muffin remnants and brushing his scapular aside

Procceds to dump these inside of his shirt...

He turns to us and speaks:

 

Some people like cupcakes better. I for one care less for them!

 

Arrogantly twisting the sterile canvas snoot of a fully charged icing

Anointment utensil he poots forths a quarter-ounce green rosette (oh ah yuk

Yuk... let’s try that again...!) he poots forth a quarter-ounce green rosette

Near the summit of a dense but radiant muffin of his own design.

Later he says:

 

Some people... some people like cupcakes exclusively, while myself, I say

There is naught nor ought there be nothing so exalted on the face of god’s grey

Earth as that prince of foods... the muffin!

 

Girl you thought he was a man

But he was a muffin

He hung around till you found

That he didn’t know nuthin’

 

Girl you thought he was a man

But he only was a-puffin’

No cries is heard in the night

As a result of him stuffin’

 

Bruce fowler on trombone, napoleon murphy brock on tenor sax, and lead vocals,

Terry bozzio on drums, tom fowler on bass, denny walley on slide, george duke

On keyboards, captain beefheart on vocals, and soprano sax, and madness. thank

You very much for coming to the concert tonight. hope you enjoyed it. goodnight

Austin, texas, where ever you are.

[Guest Britcheflee]

Yeah, I would just feel more comfortable having it checked out - particularly as I love this bike so much I doubt I will sell it in the future - unless I become too decrepit to ride - which after playing soccer with the kids on Tuesday think is coming around faster than I thought - NOW my big problem is to find a dealer near Sacramento to take the bike to.

 

Lee