Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech misting of what appears to be oil on the engine

My America just turned over 12k the other day and I have suddenly started getting a light misting of what appears to be oil on the engine. Any opinions? There are no leaks on the garage floor and oil consumption isn't a factor. Could it be a gas drip from the vest hose or a gasket? Any and all comments are welcome.

What area of the engine?

mostly on the lower drive, both sides and in front of the heads.

Look at your valve cover gasket. Sounds like something is happening high up when in operation. If you have a dirty look or feel at the gasket, try tweaking it down a bit.

Also take a look at both ends of that vertical chrome breather tube on the front between the jugs and see if the bottom O-ring might be leaking. Lower crankcase pressure tends to produce a mist where upper engine leaks tend to produce defined runs or trails of oil.

Look at the cooling lines too.

and the cooler....

I cleaned the bike up yesterday and took her out for a spin today. Came back and found the leak at the rear right cam cover at the seal. I also have a ever so slight leak at the clutch cable holder guide. Lower speed and RPM did not produce any leaks. However, speeds of 65 to 70 MPH and normal to agressive shifting did produce a leak. I don't have a tach so I'm not sure what the RPM's were. No more misting now - it is a full leak. Everything on the front side of the engine is dry and the lower half appears to be solid as well. Looks like a new seal is in order for the cam cover. Is there anything that I should be aware of when I replace the seal or is it as strait forward as it seems? Also, any ideas on the clutch cable holder?
Thanks for the help

I have not done the clutch cable seal.

The gasket may not be bad on the valve cover. See if you can tighten it first. Just a little. I thinks it calls for 9 pounds so not a lot. You have to pull the tank naturally to do it. Thats easy, one bolt one pingle hose and one vent hose. You will be looking right down on it.

The clutch actuator seal can only be done by removing the clutch cover. You have to pull the spindle out to remove the old seal then fit a new one and replace the spindle which is quite tricky but you will see how it works when you pull it out. You might as well get a new gasket for the clutch cover while you're at it as they usually fall apart if its quite old. The gear changer seal can be replaced anytime but it might be worth ordering one in case that fails on reassembly. One other thing to check is where the spindle comes into the clutch cover there is a bush that is pressed in and acts as a bearing for the spindle. Mine came loose once and I had to strip the cover off to sort it which I did with some bearing adhesive (not sure of the brand). I knew this as the actuator was wobbling all over the place. You might want to make sure that is firmly situated.