A motorcycle crankcase that has an oil leak can quickly become troublesome and even dangerous for the operation of your engine depending on the severity of the leak. It is therefore not to be overlooked when it occurs.
However, there are several issues that can cause this leak problem and you should best identify them in order to make the decision that best matches the problem you are having.
Good thing, that's exactly what we're going to do here in this article by going over the various issues that can cause a motorcycle crankcase to leak oil. We will advise you on the most appropriate repairs for your problem.
If you ever faced a motorcycle crankcase that was broken and you either did not want to or simply cannot ruin yourself in parts, we advise you to take a look at our article on how to fix a broken motorcycle crankcase.
Diagnosing the severity of a motorcycle crankcase that has an oil leak
You will understand by reading the introduction of our article, the first important thing to do will be to diagnose this loss of oil and it is therefore crucial to know where it comes from. For this, you have to do different manipulations.
Here, we will show you a simple manipulation that it is possible to do with an element that we almost all have in our home, especially if we have small children, talc.
This method consists of applying talcum powder to a motorcycle crankcase that has an oil leak, then wiping with a clean cloth to remove it. There will therefore only be talc left in the places where the oil leaks and where the talc will have clung.
If you don't have talcum powder or this method didn't work for you, we'll let you take a look at this tutorial which explains all the ways to do this diagnosis at home.
A gasket problem can explain a motorcycle crankcase that has an oil leak
Now that we have made the diagnosis, let's take a look at the case where it shows that the crankcase gasket no longer does its job due to degradation over the years which means that you have a crankcase in front of you. motorcycle that has an oil leak.
To solve this problem, you then have two solutions. The most expensive, but also the easiest if you ever feel uncomfortable removing the crankcase from your motorcycle, is to take it to a mechanic.
The second option requires a little more control since it will require completely disassembling the leaking motorcycle crankcase in order to change the seal. If you don't know how, we will direct you to our article which explains. Once done, put the new gasket back in place and put it back together. You should no longer have a problem with a leaking motorcycle crankcase.
Have you put sealant on your leaking motorcycle crankcase?
This second case is quite similar to the first, but it is in fact a complement. Indeed, the purpose of the seal is to prevent having a motorcycle crankcase that has a leak, but sometimes, it happens that when it is alone, we still have leaks.
Therefore, there is a simple solution, joint compound. In short, it is a glue that will allow maximum adhesion of the seal between the engine on one side and the crankcase of your motorcycle on the other.
If you don't have one, we recommend that you apply some. For this, you must of course remove the crankcase from your motorcycle. Then make sure that both sides where you apply the paste are clean.
Then apply a thin layer on each side (no need to add too much) fairly quickly, because the joint compound sets fairly quickly. Put everything back in place and you should be fine. All you have to do is remove any excess dough.
Completely change the oil pan
We will discuss here the solution that you surely want to avoid in the event of a leaking motorcycle crankcase, completely change the crankcase. Fortunately, this solution is rarely considered!
In fact, most of the time, you shouldn't have damaged this part unless you fell on this side of your motorcycle. Again, it may only have a few cracks that can be patched.
For this, you will have to apply a special product which can be found in motorcycle stores and which after a few hours of drying will have completely filled the crack and will allow you to start again.
But it cannot be ruled out that you have completely broken your crankcase. In this case, we will redirect you back to our article on changing the crankcase that we told you about earlier in this same article. Finally, if you don't feel comfortable doing this repair, you can always go to your regular mechanic. At last, if you want to change your bike, take a look at our guide.
