Triumphrat

lindsayt · 06-02-2007

So is there a breather / overflow valve / something such as that in the front of the engine cases right above the crossover / balancer on the exhaust pipes? I noticed my bike left some oil when I parked it yesterday, so I started tracking the oil and found it coming from what appears to be a small, round hole in the front of the block. At first I was afraid the hose to the oil cooler was leaking where it enters the engine block, or that my drain plug had come partially loose - but both seem fine, and the oil seems to have come from higher up.

So assuming I'm right and that's a breather / overflow valve of some sort, the next question is, why is it dripping oil? I changed the oil a month and 1500 miles ago, and rode to Chicago and back in two days three weeks ago, and that whole time it never dripped a drop of oil. The oil level still appears to be fine in the sight glass - if anything, just a *touch* high, but certainly not overfilled. It has been quite a bit warmer recently - in the mid 80s (high 20s to 30 for you metric folks) and humid some days, whereas up to now it's always been cooler than that.

It's not something I'm terribly worried about - the bike runs as great as ever, and the oil level appears fine - but at the least, it's annoying, and I don't want to look quite *that* vintage Triumph!

lindsayt · 06-02-2007

Well, at least at the moment it appears to have been a one-time thing - I went out to my bike for a ride and no oil had dripped over the night. I got back from a seventy-mile jaunt about an hour ago and checked oil level by the book (just to be safe) ten minutes after the ride, oil level is perfect, and absolutely no oil evident on the outside of the cases. So it seems to have been a one-time thing. Opinions?

CAPTDON · 06-02-2007

Doesnt sound like a biggie? Wipe it clean & trace it. The over fill (may) have a bit to do with it? :???:

badrufus · 06-02-2007

I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to, but on my T100, there are two galley plugs in the crankcase, positioned on the front, low, and behind the starter. They are large, say 12-14mm OD plugs, with a hex head recess. They sometimes leak oil on my bike. By removing the RH oil pipe and the starter, I was able to gain access to one of the two plugs, remove it, apply teflon tape, and reinstall it. It should have been installed originally with some kind of sealant, but when I removed it, it was clean, no evidence of sealant. I could not remove the starter completely, without either removing the RH header to take it out the RH side, or removing the LH engine cover, to take it out the LH side. I didn't care to do either. I had read that the starter should be removable once you got the RH oil line out of the way, but there was no way the starter was coming out with the header in place. Thus, I only fixed the one accessible galley plug. IF this is what you are talking about and you do decide to try a fix, if you remove the oil line from the oil cooler, you will need new banjo washers and a new o-ring for the fitting under the engine. It is difficult to see the o-ring when you take off the line because it is inside a channel on on the mating side that remains in place. If this isn't what you are talking about, sorry.

Big_Rick · 06-02-2007

I was going to suggest the galley plugs as well. They were leaking on my T100 and since it was still on warranty, I just had my dealer do it while it was in for something else. Not a hard fix, but a real PITA to get to.
Just clean off the bottom of the crankcase with some grease cleaner and go for a ride. You should be able to see where it's coming from then

P.S. the crankcase breather runs into the airbox. If you look under the airbox there should be a clear inspection tube hanging off of it that will fill with oil if you're blowing any off through that.

DWIT100 · 06-02-2007

I removed both plugs on my bike and re-installed with teflon tape. No leaks since. I did have to loosen and pull forward the header pipes to be able to remove the the starter.

badrufus · 06-02-2007

I'm kinda glad to hear it wasn't just me. I had read all this info saying that you could undo the oil line and then just pop the starter out on the RH side. Maybe they changed something with the 2005 T100s? Weren't the 05 T100s and Thruxtons the first 865's? If so, that could account for the inablility to pull the starter out on the RH side without removing or loosening the headers.

Motley · 06-02-2007

I managed to remove my starter (to fix those darn leaks) without having to loosen or remove the headers. You do need to undo the oil return line though.

decobike · 06-03-2007

I just developed this problem myself but I'm still under warranty. Should I try to fix it myself or let the dealer do it? If I ride it to work all week and then trip it down to the Twin Cites on Thrusday I should be ready for my 5000 mile check anyway. Also, it'll be helpful to have this thread on page one tomorrow in the daylight when I can check out the problem more thouroughly.

badrufus · 06-04-2007

Definitely let the dealer take care of it. It's a PITA job, you're on warranty, and if you do some searching (Advanced search, look under oil leaks, oil galley plug, and the like) you can find the info to back up your complaint. Several riders have had this repaired by their dealers. They basically have to get access to the galley plugs, remove them, clean them, and reinstall them with Teflon tape. Not a big deal except gaining access. If they remove the starter on the LH side, they will have to remove the LH engine cover and so will need the proper gasket, and if they remove it on the RH side, they will at a minimum need new washers for the banjo bolts on the oil return line and an new o-ring for the same line. On older models, it was possible to remove the starter on the RH side without removing the headers, but on my 05 T100, it was not possible unless I removed the headers, so I just repaired the one accessible plug. Let them do it. Major PITA job if you can't pull it out the RH side easily.