Oil leak on a new V7 II Special

[Gioco]

I have a MG V7 II Special bought a few months ago with 3K on the clock. Still in warrently. Today a leak from the engine appeared after a 2 hour ride. Towards the end of the ride when I believe the oil had been leaking, the engine started making a strange dinging noise and for a few seconds, the oil indicator lamp lit, after disappearing again. I attach a couple of photos. Any ideas of what this might be/coming from?

[Clancy]

I can see oil all over the breather valve on top of the gearbox.

Probably been over filled.
The V7-II (6 speed) gearbox uses a lot less oil (0.5 litre) than the V7 (5 speed) gearbox (1.0 litre).

Drain the gearbox and measure how much oil is in there.
You'll have to open the filler cap as well when you drain it as there is quite a vacuum lock.

[jackson]

I can see oil all over the breather valve on top of the gearbox.

Probably been over filled.
The V7-II (6 speed) gearbox uses a lot less oil (0.5 litre) than the V7 (5 speed) gearbox (1.0 litre).
Drain the gearbox and measure how much oil is in there.
You'll have to open the filler cap as well when you drain it as there is quite a vacuum lock.

Yep!  What he said.  Very high probability that it was overfilled.  When Guzzi made the change to the gearbox, apparently some mechanics didn't get the message or look up the change in capacity.

[oldbike54]

 That doesn't answer the strange "dinging" noise . I would also check engine and trans fluid levels .

 Dusty

[pete roper]

Craig's bike I overfilled because it didn't drain fully before I added the new oil. First of the new six speeds I'd done, lesson learnt. Drain it warm and take the filler cap off, don't rely on the breather to let air in. Even slightly over filled and they will blurt some out.

The oil light is a separate issue, as is the weird noise. What does the engine oil smell like? Have you been checking the oil regularly? How did you break the bike in?

Pete

[SeanF]

Bought with 3k on the clock, so we'll never know about what break-in process was followed. New info!   


Have a look at the evap control plumbing & cannisters. Maybe they've been farted around with.

[Gioco]

Thanks, some very useful info.
One clarification: I bought the bike new (0km) and it has 3K km now, so I did the break in. Everything was normal about that, after I did the first 1K km then did the break-in servicing at an official Moto Guzzi dealership here in Germany. Never pushed the bike hard during the first 1K km, neither later (that's my first bike after I got the riding licence last summer...).
From what I am reading it appears that there is a possibility the mechanic might have overfilled the gearbox oil during the servicing after the break-in? Am I correct in understanding that this oil leaking, under this hypothesis, is not 'a big deal' and does not indicate something series broken with the engine to be repaired?
About the 'dinging' noise I heard from the motor: it was not a strong dinging, sounded more like a ticking noise from a sewing machine, added to the normal engine noise from before. I only heard it for the last 1 or 2 minutes of my ride yesterday, when the oil lamp also briefly lit and I first figured there might be a problem with something. I was hearing the noise only when engaging the clutch and going on a gear, in idle mode while waiting at the traffic light there was no noise.
Do you think for my problem I should visit the dealership (25km away), given also that the bike is in warranty? I am not capable of doing even minor 'repairs' on my own, have no experience with that.
Thank you all!

[jackson]

Take it to the dealer.  It's under warranty so let them deal with the problem.

[oldbike54]

 The oil light coming on is worrying . Nothing to do with the gearbox being over filled . Have you checked the engine oil level ?

 Dusty

[chuck peterson]

That's serious...let the dealer investigate

[Gioco]

I just returned from the dealer. Indeed the leak was gearbox oil. The mechanic there drained the gearbox oil and replaced it. The old quantity was about 560 ml (warm), so he said it was good. He also replaced the breather valve/bolt on top of the gearbox.
I have been checking the engine oil otherwise, and we checked the level again - it was good. I rode about 80km today and the motorcycle did not make anymore strange noises, neither did the oil indicator light ever went on again. So perhaps the strange dinging noise and the oil lamp was something casual/unrelated to the oil leak.
On my way back from the dealership there was no more leaking of gearbox oil... let's hope it never comes back again. At the end, it was not entirely clear to the mechanic why the leak appeared, he just mentioned something about the pressure/temperature and suspected perhaps the valve, but said he has not seen this before.

[LaGrasta]

Aside from proper maintenance, wash that thing. You're giving us a bad name; only 3k and it looks like it was left out in the rain. 

[Gioco]

The rain is the only washing that thing ever sees. Without it, it would look worse