Hey guys,

My bike has been burning a bit of oil that I notice while sitting at red lights. A while ago, I noticed dried oil stains on the cam pulser assembly on the left side of the engine block. I wiped them off, but I still see slight oil leaking around the connector. I'm assuming the oil is coming from this assembly or the valve cover gasket. I examined the gasket and I don't see any signs of oil residue. I think my first step should be replacing the o ring inside of the pulser assembly and see if that resolves the leak. If this doesn't work, I'll replace the valve cover gasket.

Is this a straightforward replacement? Do I need to drain the oil with the assembly being located high up on the block?

Thanks for the help!




I'm not sure if you can see, but the opposite side of the pulser assembly is covered in black oil residue. This has to be the culprit.

 

It doesn't look like your valve cover gasket is leaking.

I'd imagine you wouldn't have to drain the oil to replace the O-ring - I've replaced the cam sensor on various cars and have never had to drain the oil.

I'd definitely spend the extra few dollars and get an OEM o-ring though, hopefully that fixes your leak!

 

Dont need to drain the oil; you might still get some residual drips have a towel handy!

 

Definitely going with an OEM oring. Thanks for the advice guys.

On an unrelated side note...is there supposed to be a bolt in that hole on the engine cover by the pulsar assembly? I can’t find the part number.

 

Update: So I replaced the o ring which was definitely worn out. In doing so, I noticed quite a bit of metal shavings on the pulse generator. Is this normal to see since it’s magnetic or am I having excessive engine wear?

I rode after replacing and still see intermittent smoke when I am slowing down/sitting at a red light! There’s an associated burning smell but I’m not experienced to tell what exactly it is. If it’s not constantly smoking, I’m guessing it’s not electrical and leaning more towards a coolant leak. Also found this wettish looking spot below the coolant overflow and and hoses. Any ideas or suggestions on how to diagnose?

 

Water pump seals would be my guess since it is mounted on front of engine on that model (I think, been a while since worked on that model). Does seem to be quite a bit of metal.... particularly that larger chunk on the end... a bit of fine shaved metal (like a fine powder) probably not worrisome but that larger chunk might make me wonder... no telling where it came from though. Normal to get some fine particulate... remember the oil circulates through the clutch housing and transmission with a lot of metal to metal and fiber to metal (in case of clutch).