Hi folks have spied a small oil leak on my 749 it seems to be dripping onto the top of the exhaust then onto the ground anyone have any idea as to where it could be coming from I though possibly it could be oil filter area but it seems to be tight enough hope you can help me out thanks David.
Could be coming from a few places. Is the oil the same colour as in the engine or is it black? (burned). Firstly, check the oil fill cap is on tight (simple things first always). If the oil is coming from the left of the bike, and is black in colour, check its not just excess chain lube that has got very hot. If its not black, check its not fluid leaking from the slave cylinder but you should notice a drop in clutch functionality if this is the cause. So if it is definitely oil... Cam cover gaskets do leak, as do filters as you mention but rare. Only way to track it down is to take the fairings off and have a look with a torch as it will show up anything that isnt right. From that area I would be checking its not coming from the oil cooler (stone damage?) or its connecting hoses (loose?) or one of the oil feed lines (braided hose going to the heads with a banjo). After that the cylinder base nuts have a sealing o ring which can leak oil which appears out of the recesses in the side of the cylinder head. I had this myself and it was a head off job to fix. Oil can even leak from the seal behind the clutch so best to take your time and give it a good look over.
With the bike cold clean the suspected and surrounded areas. Have you recently changed anything, if so check and clean that / those area. Run it up again ideally only the paddock stand, then look again with your tourch. Once you've identified the area then you can take it from there. Filters and oil sump plug sound the obvious bet so make sure they are seated and tourqued corrected. But you must identify the area and not use guess work.
Thanks for the info I have had my Ducati for about7 years now its never really given much bother hence this is why i ask the question about the oil leak. I must say apart from the fuel pump relay going & a water leak thats all i have had to sort out. Looks like its all the fairings off to check thanks for the input folks its due belts so that will be my job over christmas.
Give yourself plenty of time if you are just getting going with your Ducati s engineering. Of its starts to get difficult, stop, have a cup of tea and then re access.
Probably not this but the crank case breather has an awful habit of leaking but that is usually shown by oil behind the rear cylinder.
That oil behind rear cylinder sounds about right as I say its a very small leak really a few drops when the bike is sitting ticking over seems to be fine other than that.
If its at the base of the breather then maybe yes, if the cylinder base or head gasket has gone (does happen) then it should be clear if you use a torch to inspect. I had oil coming from the cylinder base nuts which tracked down under the side covers, collecting at the base. Take it for a short ride then inspect. If its the head gasket then you might see oil in the coolant or water in the oil. Oil tends to only come from the breather if overfilled or if the bike is wheelied.
I'd venture a guess it's excess lubricant from the chain. You may want to check whether you can trace it thus: lubricant gets onto front sprocket > sprocket cover > lower left engine casing > rear bottom of engine casing > front bottom of engine casing (lower point of the engine when on the sidestand) > drips onto lower exhaust link pipe > drips onto inside of front left fairing > drips onto floor. To check, remove left fairing and sprocket cover before a ride, clean properly left side of engine/sprocket/underside of the engine, replace fairing and sprocket cover, go for a ride, remove fairing and check again.
Keeping your bike clean will always help you identify where the fault is from. You don't need to be anal but look at all the top race teams, the bikes are immaculate and this is one of the reasons why.
Leak found & fixed sump bung washer,my bike/bikes are always kept clean & tidy the chains are cleaned every 3 months then redone with spray grease. I do ride them as much as possible they are not for sitting about but I do look after them Thanks for in input folks.
