Your thoughts please

[Zoton]

OK.
We begin;
2004( March )1150 gs adv ( fast black ) and loved.
Bought second hand this year from Rydales with naff all miles on the clock, pre-owned by BMW group,( not used for off road skool )
Cant remember the initial milage but was around 1500 when bought.
Milage now 6700
No tours just hooning and commuting, some small trips @5 miles some 300+jollys.

The problem:
oil leaking from rocker cover oil cap.
Ive had oil dumped over boot / leathers - and filled back up by bmw assist using car oil to get me back home from B'ham, He cleaned the oil seat and ruber and needed only 200mil to get back ( 130miles )
Rydales then did a oil and filter change FOC.

I have had 3 new oil caps,and new rocker cover.
Recent 6k servise ,200miles later oil residue over cap reported it and showed the servise dept , Week later cleaned it and went to birmingham nec , came back showed Mr crampie ,more oil ,thats when I got my new ( 3rd ) cap and 0 ring yesterday .
Today oil back on rocker cover .Took it back to rydales.
Now it's not a great amount It of oil but enough so you can see it run down the cover and leave a residue so you know its happened. doesnot need filling up apart from the usual,it has not had oil since the servise .
The only guys who have fitted the cap are the BMW tech's and mr crampie.

Now I have no complaints about Rydales before ya ask , they are having it for a few days next week to stick some miles on it to see it happen,Any ideas what the hell its going to be, anyone else had the same ?
The one thing thats bugging me is the first servise was at 1200miles ?
Any ideas.
Sorry bout the spelling i'm thick..

 

[Gas'd Off]

A persistent Gremlin?
Are you absolutely sure the oil is leaking from the cap?

 

[Zoton]

Where else could it be ?
That seems to be where it runs out from and oil residue sits on it, due to wind flow when riding I cant see where else it could blow in from.
When it happened in birmingham oil went over my leg and plug socket.
Not been that bad since though.

 

[Gas'd Off]

Not seeping out the base gasket and getting blown around then settling on oil cap? Just guessing here! If cap and rocker cover already been replaced then logic suggests it must be coming from somewhere else?

 

[Mouse]

Has the rubber O ring that sits behind the filler cap gone missing?

 

[Lou Can]

Might be of no use, but have you had both seals changed - the main O ring on the cap and the insert in the rocker cover ?

Had the insert leak on mine much as you describe, and despite replacing the O ring it was persistant. Finally tracked it down and sorted it for a measly couple of quid.

Worht a try,

LC

 

[Zoton]

Might be of no use, but have you had both seals changed - the main O ring on the cap and the insert in the rocker cover ?

Had the insert leak on mine much as you describe, and despite replacing the O ring it was persistant. Finally tracked it down and sorted it for a measly couple of quid.

Worht a try,

LC

Yep insert on rocker cover changed also b4 the hole rocker cover was replaced.

good one init !

As an afterthought, I asume the engine works under pressure, could it be running high,( can ya tell i'm not a technical god ).
What might cause it ?

 

[T900]

has the crankcase breather been checked,
if its blocked or resrticted it will cause pressure to build up internally and
will force oil out through the seals,
if the breather is okay, make sure the back pressure is not excessive.

 

[RayS]

Oil Leak

Zoton
Not sure it will help, but I had exactly the same thing on my 04 GSA in France this July. I took it to a BMW dealer in Dijon who replaced the two O rings and the oil filler cap. He was very careful with the O ring for the plastic insert in the rocker cover, making very sure it and the groove it fits in were very clean and dry before refitting the insert.
This cured the problem luckily and we carried on to the Alps and the Stella. BMW repaid me for the cost of the French dealers work and also replaced my Rallye2 trousers because the left leg was covered in oil.
Good luck
Ray

 

[Gas'd Off]

Another thing to check is the drain plug under the airbox. It is similar to the oil cap and it is underneath on the nearside just behind your leg. When over filled oil will get blown into the airbox and when you remove the plug the oil will dribble out. If that seal is gone then maybe it is being blown around from there?

 

[roly]

hi zoton, don't worry about the spelling ,mines even worse. i not thick thou. just can't spell, lost all me hair over it . is you oil cap original. cheap and leakproof.but gets stolen. i had a nice looking one , no names mentioned, (crap) oil everywere. replaced base and cap o ring , bingo .

 

[Zoton]

hi zoton, don't worry about the spelling ,mines even worse. i not thick thou. just can't spell, lost all me hair over it . is you oil cap original. cheap and leakproof.but gets stolen. i had a nice looking one , no names mentioned, (crap) oil everywere. replaced base and cap o ring , bingo .

Been there and replaced at the start.

Thanks 4 your replies .
Will let ya know what it was as soon as I know.

 

[pomm001]

As suggested in an earlier post , i would get the dealer to check the breather system ,kinked hose ? if the cap and all O rings are present and correct.
Where the cap is situated on the engine is in a reasonably 'quiet' place and without some crankcase presurisation wouldnt have thought it should leak.
He should be able to fit a gauge into the crankcase area an take a reading.
If you had done 100k miles then you could expect this as the blow by from the pistons, but as its only a 'youngster' not

 

[Steptoe]

Fit the fillercap holder ( the part that fits into the cover) with some silicon sealent

 

[Blue Sweeper]

I had a similar problem on the way back from a Morocco trip, started leaking oil on the way back in Spain. I thought that it was leaking from the rocker cover. Took the bike into CW Motorcycles on the way back home and they knew what the problem was straight away. Changed the faulty leaking oil presure switch there and then, topped up the oil, steam cleaned the bike. Problem gone and it was done under warranty.