Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Front Sprocket Seal Update

This statement will probably come back to bite me you know where.
Anyway here goes.
I was running Klotz 20-50.
I changed the oil this morning.
I had 10-40 Amsoil I got of off Brent last year.
Put in in & went for a 80 mile ride.
The slight leak I had is now almost gone.
Both oils are synthetic.
Any answers would be appreciated

Well I screwed mine up installing the new one... did you do that? Or just try a new oil?

I just put new oil in cause I was due for a change.
I also put a Fram 6017a filter in that I had for a while.
I have been using Purolator PL14612 filters.
Maybe I just answered my owm question.
The fram isn`t suppose to filter that well.
Maybe I plugged up the leak with some unfiltered crap.

could be, like the old egg in the radiator trick... I'm beginning to think it might not be THAT seal afterall, maybe another one nearby, because my seal is now pretty messed up, and I'm not seeing any leak yet...

This is probably a stupid question.
Do you think the brand of oil has anything to do with it?

I'm no oil guru... someone else might know better, like Pappa Dean, he seems to know everything! But my understanding is that, regardless of the weight, synthetic tends to find leaks more than natural oil. Maybe one brand is partially synthetic? Then there's all the addatives... who knows. I never took the time to do my homework on that, I rely on others

no..

Here's a thought - the old oil's thicker - if you've got a partial blockage in your crackcase breather system the thicker oil might be making it worse which'll increase the crackcase pressure. The seal may not have been leaking, the oil may have been blown out past the seal.

The same thing can happen if you overfill the sump too btw.

Matt

I know we discussed this a long time ago, but let me bring it up again.
Krank Vents .
They work very well for decreasing the internal pressure inside the motor and are very effective in eliminating leaks. The HD mechanics use them on all the old bikes and they do a lot of good.
Many of us have installed them with good results.
Check them out, get the Metric Cruiser one if you buy one.
Another advantage is you can put the breather hose so that if it does drip, it actually goes onto your chain and oils it automatically for you too.

I got one of those...

What size do our bikes use?
3/8 or 1/2?

I am sure this won't answer your question, but here is what I know. Amsoil is a 100% syn oil, not sure about the Klotz. Petroleum oils tend to shrink rubber and engine seals, which is why they add additives to compensate for this. Synthetic oils tend to swell rubber and engine seals, so they add additives to compensate for the swelling.

The old oil could have thickened up, but if it is a good syn oil it shouldn't have (unless it had some petroleum in it). Pressure buildup due to excessive oil is possible, but unlikely. The Amsoil 10W-40 has a very low volatity rating (less than 5%) so the oils viscosity shouldn't change more than 10% over its useable life.

Tom

Thanks for the info.
There have been a lot of discussions on oil.
I dont intend to start another one.
But I think I will stay with Amsoil from now on.
Thanks again.

It could have been some seapage from the filter. I've heard there is an odd air flow that can blow oil leaking from the filter joint over to the area of the countershaft seal.

i bet it was the filter. mine had a leak and i had to tighten the filter a bit w/ the wrench.

a leak down there can be hard to trace...

cat

Thanks for all the replys.
The leak has stopped.
So I am assuming<bad word>.that I either had blowby because of the Klotz oil,or I had a loose filter.
Now the only minor problem I have, is should I leave the Fram filter in, or replace with the Purolator PL14612 which I just bought a fresh supply of?
Thanks again guys.
Oh I almost forgot HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY DINQUA.
Sure wish I was just turning 40 again.

for the $6 I'd swap the filter out. Frams suck!
You will need to refill the new filter with oil first too. You will leak a little oil but not much.
Thanks for the B-day wish too!

Yeah I'm REALLY hoping I didn't fubar that seal for nothing... Guess what I am bringing to Pat's?!? Happy B day old man.