Oil Leak issues !!

Brad · Apr 7, 2014

fireman1251 said:
According to the tech at my dealer's it is an issue of too little glue applied to the cover.

On the first 2 occasions he fixed it according to procedure, the 3rd time he went nuts with the glue and it never leaked again.

That's exactly right.
If it's leaking at the D's on the gasket, then it's a sealant issue and that all comes back to the mechanic that's doing the warranty work.

Perhaps the mechanic needs to be retrained.

Or you need to find one that can put a rocker box gasket/seal on properly.

outhouse · Apr 7, 2014

Its as easy as popping the seat and tank off, to get to the bolts.

Capt CF · Apr 7, 2014

Thanks all. I'll give it a shot myself and if re-torquing doesn't get it I'll take it to the dealer.

White13Pani · Apr 7, 2014

Its the Ducati Soul.
It wouldn't be a Ducati if it didn't leak oil every week or break down at least once per season.
Welcome to Ducati.

Stw · Apr 7, 2014

White13Pani said:
Its the Ducati Soul. It wouldn't be a Ducati if it didn't leak oil every week or break down at least once per season. Welcome to Ducati.

I have a buddy with a '13 S1000RR ...That has left hand stranded 3 times ... Everybody else in the group ( 2 S1000rr 3 1199's Triumph Street Triple ) has been fault free... So perspective can be distorted sometimes....

Brad · Apr 7, 2014

Especially if one is looking through a glass onion.

Kx450fsm · Apr 7, 2014

Could also be leaking from the mechanic not cleaning the gasket surface well enough. Had this happen on my supermoto when I rebuilt the top end because I didnt clean the mating surface well enough.

Capt CF · Apr 7, 2014

outhouse said:
Its as easy as popping the seat and tank off, to get to the bolts.

Easy?? You must know a trick to reattaching those vent hoses. That part was a charlie foxtrot but other than that, yeah, not much to it. I won't know if that fixed it until this weekend, but they weren't torqued to spec for sure.

TransNone13 · Apr 8, 2014

Capt CF said:
Easy?? You must know a trick to reattaching those vent hoses. That part was a charlie foxtrot but other than that, yeah, not much to it. I won't know if that fixed it until this weekend, but they weren't torqued to spec for sure.

You really don't need to disconnect them, just prop the tank up.

Capt CF · Apr 8, 2014

TransNone13 said:
You really don't need to disconnect them, just prop the tank up.

I wish I hadn't. It took me longer to reconnect those hoses than the rest of the job combined. While I was in there I should have installed that fancy air filter that adds 10 hp.

Capt CF · Apr 14, 2014

ok, got to do some spirited riding this weekend and the valve cover torque job helped, but it's still weeping from the "D's" as Brad calls them on the right side of the bike (the gasket and rubber downward pointing "D's"). It's not as bad as it was where it would sometimes hit the heat shield, but it's shiny and I can wipe off a tiny bit of oil with a paper towel after every ride. Prob not a big deal, but I am OCD like that and it will drive me crazy. What's next? Remove the valve cover completely and reseal?

Brad · Apr 14, 2014

Capt CF said:
What's next? Remove the valve cover completely and reseal?

You have had a bit of a win there

From what you describe, the situation has improved from what was being a clearly defined "oil leak", to become more of an "oil weep".
At least it's more manageable now

But understandably frustrating.

In answer to your question.
Removal of the rocker boxes, followed by a thorough clean up of old gasket sealer/degrease of sealing surfaces with brake cleaner and final reassembly with sufficient gasket sealant will ultimately be a conclusive fix.
The D's are always a potential problem and require a bit of careful consideration/attention.

Capt CF · Apr 14, 2014

Brad said:
You have had a bit of a win there

From what you describe, the situation has improved from what was being a clearly defined "oil leak", to become more of an "oil weep".
At least it's more manageable now
But understandably frustrating.

In answer to your question.
Removal of the rocker boxes, followed by a thorough clean up of old gasket sealer/degrease of sealing surfaces with brake cleaner and final reassembly with sufficient gasket sealant will ultimately be a conclusive fix.
The D's are always a potential problem and require a bit of careful consideration/attention.

That's what I figured. I'm at 5k so I don't think I am going to mess with it unless it gets worse. I'll have the dealer look at it (again) when I need tires or hit my 7500. Tempting to get in there again and see what 2-5 more nM will do, but I guess I'll resist that urge since that would be over spec.

apeluv · Apr 14, 2014

Legion748 said:
I love my Pani but it's gotta be said I'm getting tired of all the issues ! Starter motor ! Engine casing ! clutch ! all solved via warranty but I have this oil leak from the back cylinder rocker cover seal.....Dealer has stripped it cannot find anything wrong.? has resealed it BUT first rideout and it is back again and getting worse...

Has anyone else had this..? phot attached of heat shield with oil spattered on it and the " wet " part of the seal compared to the dry part...

Anyone had same issues or any thoughts on this....Have emailed the dealer Photo's now to " show " the problem...

A little tired of all this !!

cheers for feedback..

Had the same issue twice after the first service. Dealer ended up replacing the engine twice under warranty. Had to break in new engines in again each time. Dealer paid for first services for each engine. Didn't happen anymore after I received the 2nd engine. Good luck

Stw · Apr 14, 2014

apeluv said:
Had the same issue twice after the first service. Dealer ended up replacing the engine twice under warranty. Had to break in new engines in again each time. Dealer paid for first services for each engine. Didn't happen anymore after I received the 2nd engine. Good luck

Ape.. great to see you back on the forum!!!

MikeLee7 · Apr 14, 2014

apeluv said:
Had the same issue twice after the first service. Dealer ended up replacing the engine twice under warranty. Had to break in new engines in again each time. Dealer paid for first services for each engine. Didn't happen anymore after I received the 2nd engine. Good luck

I take it yours wasn't caused by a faulty gasket or improper installation of the gasket?

I had my bike in twice already due to the coolant gushing out. The second time this happened, they replaced all of the crank cases and the heads.

I just had my bike dropped off at another dealer two days ago because I have, (at least similar in appearance), the same oil leak as the OP. Now I'm wondering if my leak could be caused by something else? What was unique to your oil leak issue that warranted an engine change?

I love this bike but I'm not sure if its going to last longer than 10K miles at this point.

thewoot · Apr 26, 2014

Eep, I just noticed I had the same leak today. I have one month of warranty left. Cutting it close!

outhouse · Apr 26, 2014

Capt CF said:
Easy?? You must know a trick to reattaching those vent hoses. That part was a charlie foxtrot but other than that, yeah, not much to it. I won't know if that fixed it until this weekend, but they weren't torqued to spec for sure.

yes I do know the trick lol.

When I didi my evap vent hose mod, I left 3 xtra inches and no clamps.

I also stretched the other hose in place.

Very simple now, on / off with that much needed room to work.

Oil Leak issues !!

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