2012 V7c Oil under Bike

[NHMike]

Hi all,

I recently picked a 2012 v7c 1400 miles, keeps me smiling every time I get on it! I noticed a very small drop of oil on my floor, it appears to be coming from a hose that lies next to the evap canister?. See pics.  Any ideas as to where this coming from? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Mike.

[sib]

The cause of your leak can be different, of course, but in my case, the oil that appeared under my '13 Stone came from a loose fitting that returns blow-by oil from the oil separator at the front of the air box to the crankcase.  Screwing in the fitting fixed it (careful, it's an M10 thread going into the aluminum crankcase, so use no more than 10 Nm of torque).  For some reason, MG has chosen a thin fiber washer instead of an aluminum crush washer for this application.

It took me a while to locate the source of the leak, because, when the bike is rolling, wind smears out oil from any source.

[NHMike]

Did you happen to notice small drop of oil on the floor under evap canister? I will investigate further.

Thanks,

[Muzz]

On the Breva, and I assume yours, there is a small slot between the bell housing and the motor. This allows any oil leaks from either the gearbox main seal/clutch pushrod seal or the motor main seal to escape out without having the oil flooding the clutch.

Usually shows up as a patch on the floor first.

[rodekyll]

When I was a mechanic we used to haze the new guy (whoever he was) by pouring oil on the floor under the engine he was working on.  The poor guy would bust flat-rate trying to figure out what was leaking.  If we were feeling really mean we'd start the drip from somewhere on the engine so it would be dribbling into the puddle as he watched.  Then as he was investigating we'd sneak up behind him and add more. 

Funny if you were doing it, not so much if you were the new guy.

So I got one question for you --

Are you a new guy?   

[NHMike]

Yeah, I'm newbie to MG.

This is starting to sound like a normal thing on the v7?

[twowings]

As long as it remains a drop or two and you continue to check fluid levels regularly, I wouldn't be too concerned...in the case of my 2008 Norge, the drain hose for the breather must be emptied every oil change or it will back up into the airbox...don't know if that applies in your case YMMV

BTW, plenty of planes, tanks, jeeps, and trucks helped win WWII for the Allies, leaking fluids all the way to Berlin and Tokyo! 

[oldbike54]

                                                20089 Norge ????

 

 Dusty

[twowings]

I live in another universe and time dimension thanks to modern pharmaceuticals.... .

[NHMike]

As long as it remains a drop or two and you continue to check fluid levels regularly, I wouldn't be too concerned...in the case of my 2008 Norge, the drain hose for the breather must be emptied every oil change or it will back up into the airbox...don't know if that applies in your case YMMV

BTW, plenty of planes, tanks, jeeps, and trucks helped win WWII for the Allies, leaking fluids all the way to Berlin and Tokyo! 

Thank you for the advice, I will monitor the oil level.

[sib]

As long as it remains a drop or two and you continue to check fluid levels regularly, I wouldn't be too concerned...in the case of my 2008 Norge, the drain hose for the breather must be emptied every oil change or it will back up into the airbox...don't know if that applies in your case YMMV

BTW, plenty of planes, tanks, jeeps, and trucks helped win WWII for the Allies, leaking fluids all the way to Berlin and Tokyo! 

The V7's (at least the 1TB models) don't have air box drains, although, amusingly, the maintenance schedule for my V7II Stone's owner's manual has this listed as a scheduled item.  In contrast to some reports here, I've never had excess oil accumulation in the air boxes of either my '13 Stone or my '16 Stone, which I've ridden for a total of over 21,000 mi.  I suspect that some of the check valves in the oil return lines are defective or installed incorrectly (backward).  I also noticed that the check valves in my '13 and '16 Stones look completely different, as though there was a part substitution at the factory, even though they have the same part number listed in the parts books.

[JProdun]

The cause of your leak can be different, of course, but in my case, the oil that appeared under my '13 Stone came from a loose fitting that returns blow-by oil from the oil separator at the front of the air box to the crankcase.  Screwing in the fitting fixed it (careful, it's an M10 thread going into the aluminum crankcase, so use no more than 10 Nm of torque).  For some reason, MG has chosen a thin fiber washer instead of an aluminum crush washer for this application.

It took me a while to locate the source of the leak, because, when the bike is rolling, wind smears out oil from any source.

Same thing happened to me. Checks that hose. Could have a rip or just not tight enough.

[bmc5733946]

http://i86.servimg.com/u/f86/18/91/78/64/image65.jpg
I have repaired two Breva 750s that were thought to have rear main seal leaks.  The actual leak was at the connection shown as #30/31 in the above illustration.  This hose enters the rear of the engine roughly in line with the joint between crankcase and clutch housing.  The hose is of very poor material for the job at hand and loses tension in the crimped area, the hose enters below the engine oil level.  I replaced the hose by removing the crimp to save the fitting as it is not common in the US  and substituting a high quality, high pressure, high temp automotive hose commonly used for automatic transmission coolers with a high quality hose clamp with rolled edges common for fuel injection hose.  This is a hose that has little pressure but leaks when hot and the oil goes everywhere and certainly looks like a rear main seal leak, only when I separated the engine and gear box and found no oil was I finally convinced of the true nature of the leak.  If you can move that hose where it is crimped it will leak.  I have also found that fitting loose where it threads into the crankcase.

Brian

[NHMike]

Thanks Brian, I will check that connection. I only notice this the following day after the bike has been ridden. Maybe a drop or two of oil on my garage floor.

Mike.

[rodekyll]

Yeah, I'm newbie to MG.

This is starting to sound like a normal thing on the v7?

Yes, I'm trying to say that the smallblocks seem to do that and it psychs noobies out -- like the clutch chatter or tappet noise makes them think a sack of rocks is trying to get out of the engine but is completely endearing to those who like the music.  So in itself a little teardrop occasionally isn't a big deal.  It's a matter of volume over time.  If you see an occasional drip and don't see your oil level dropping between changes it is inconsequential.  If you add a half liter between oil changes you've got a problem.  Remember -- that engine doesn't store a lot of oil to begin with.

If you can, duc tape a little catch can like a tomato paste can or similar to catch the drip and ride it.  Check (but don't drain) the catch can daily/every 100 miles/every fillup/whatever does the math for you.  See how long it takes to lose an oz . . . a cup . . .  and decide from there if you have an immediate issue.  Once you have a handle on the rate of loss, you can also monitor (less frequently) for a change.  We don't like change.

But don't panic without the proper data.  That's always a bad idea.