Small, but persistant oil drip

GRRR. I'm loving my bike to death but just like my little Beagle Mac, it likes to piddle one little dot of oil on the ground. If I put the bike on the side stand, it's about the size of a quarter. If I put it on the center stand, it's the size of a dime.

I recently had to fish some chain guide out of my gearbox so I disturbed the gasket. I replaced the gasket with a new one from Chacal but the leak persists. Is there anywhere else in that general vicinity that the oil could be coming from? Did I HAVE to use Permatex on the gasket? If so, what kind do you recommend?

 

Why not use some black RTV High Temperature Gasket Seal? I find it can seal when nothing else works. It's easy to dig out later. It's often acceptable in lieu of a paper (or other material) gasket.

 

I generally "glue" gaskets to their cover but not to the motor, makes reuse easier.

Almost without exception I use Permatex/NAPA High-Tack spray gasket sealer. Lay your gasket out on a fresh paper shop towel or hunk of cardboard and spray the one side. Once "dry" in about 10 minutes it is the stickiest stuff on the planet and will stick RIGHT THROUGH oil. (There's a cover on the Norton that cannot be installed without a tiny bit of oil running across the mating surface. This stuff seals it tight every time.)

Stick it to the cover, smear the other side with silicone grease, MMO, motor oil, gear oil, whatever you want and button it up.

I use the same technique for the valve cover gasket but apply the sealer with a brush after spraying some into a cup.

 

Check your oil drain plug. The crush washer on them goes bad with re-use, especially if some Neanderthal over torqued it.

When they first start they only leak when warm, hence a little spot and if you let it sit a month the spot never grows.

 

Ah, MiCarl, that is exactly what is happening and of course I've changed the oil twice so far. My filter did not come with a new crush washer so I had to re-use the one I had. Good call!

My DeLorean uses similar crush washers for it's drain plug. I'll see if I have any extras hanging about and whether or not they fit.

 

I had a nagging small oil leak on the bottom side of my XJ650. Took me a while to track it down. but even with a new crush washer the synthetiic oil would get by the drain plug. Wrapped teflon tape on the drain plug, no leaks ever now.

 

Another fine idea. Thanks!