leaking from shift lever & weird ticking

Hey all. I have an 82 maxim XJ 750.

I am noticing some dark oil leaking out of the foot shift lever. I'm not sure what would be causing it. Any ideas? What do I have to do to fix it? Occasionally I'll get an oil spot on under my bike from this leak. Is this harmful?

Also, I noticed tonight that my bike has a real faint ticking type of sound. It hadn't made that sound until tonight. I rode about 20 miles earlier and didn't notice it. What could that be?

I'm not sure how much oil is in the machine right now, I couldn't tell through the oil view port. How can I safely add more? Or should I just drain it and start over?

Sorry for the newbie questions, this is my first cycle and I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, but I don't have much mechanical experience.

 

You should put you bike up on the center stand to check the oil.

I find it easier to place the bike on the center stand, start it up, and the turn it off, you can then get a better view of the oils 'settling' and see it rise in the little window.

Did you check the rear brake pads recently?

 

I had it up on the center stand, just couldn't get a good view of the oil. I'll try again and get a flashlight.

Have not checked the rear pads yet. it is on my list, just have not gotten around to it. I know about the delam issues, so I know I'm riding on thin ice when I take it out. It is what it is.

 

Oil is cheaper than a seized engine. I'd drain and replace with the proper amount (owners manual will have that measurement), and give the sight window a good clean while you're at it. You should be able to see the oil in your sight window when the bike is on the center stand or held upright by a friend, it will be almost all the way to the top. You can't take a reading from a bike on the site stand.

Brakes are the single most important part of your bike. The rear delamination check as well as new front lines (they have a 4-5 year lifespan, so check their manufacturing date) need to be done before the bike is ridden anywhere. Stopping is way more important than going.

Welcome to the XJ life, you'll have fun here. Don't be afraid to dig into the mechanics, as it's part of the job when you have a 31 yr old bike because most shops won't (or can't, or shouldn't) work on bikes that old. You'll learn as you go, fear not. The most important part is that the people here will give you a crash course on bike maintenance so you don't get a crash course in hospital stays (or worse). ^_^

 

The oil leaking from the shift lever is probably the shift shaft seal. Turns out that is a pretty common issue on these old bikes (I just replaced mine last week). It's an easy fix and inexpensive. I got mine through the supporting vendor - XJ4ever. Price was reasonable but service was outstanding. You can IM chacal or email info@XJ4ever, just let him know what your issue is and he'll hook you up. You will also need a new shifter cover gasket (I would skip the inner breather housing-to-cover gaskets unless you get in there and they look bad). The worst part about this job is removing the old gasket - take your time, soften it up with some gasket remover from the parts store or another solvent may work, and be careful not to gouge or damage the mating surfaces.

EDIT: in case you don't know; the shift shaft seal is the rubber ring that is pressed into the shifter cover and surrounds the shaft that sticks out.

Not sure about your ticking noise? Might help to have more info - can you tell what area of the motor it's coming from? If possible, take a video, post it on youtube, and give us a link. Then maybe the Wizards can track it down for you.

When I first got my bike I thought my oil level viewing window was just too old and dirty to see through. It turns out it was overfull so I was just looking at a motor full of dirty oil - & GAS!! I had a stuck carb float that allowed fuel to drain past the carb and into the crankcase and mix with the oil. This is bad news and you definitely don't want to run your engine very long that way. Open up your crankcase, maybe see if you can get a little oil on your finger or whatever, and take a bif whiff. If it smells like gas you have carb issues and will need to clean carbs (search for "church of clean"), dump ALL of the oil and start fresh.

Last thing before Bigfitz shows up :lol: - have you checked your valve clearances? This is priority #1 and may even be contributing to your ticking noise.

 

I had oil leaking on my shifter lever pad. it turned out to be the crank shaft seal on the left side of the engine behind the ignition rotor plate.

 

thanks all for the help and suggestions. i plan on doing a full oil change on it soon. i will also look into brake lines as well as my rear drum. this stuff was already on my list, but money is money. i haven't noticed a ticking sound so far today, so hopefully it was nothing. glad to hear my oil leak isn't a huge issue. it only drips occasionally. i'll just keep an eye on it and get a new gasket when i order parts.