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Possible OIL Leak

rmezei

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Hi Everyone,

I have an NC750X 2017 this year I bought it and I already have 14K on her... love the bike very much. Last two weeks or so there were two occasions where I could smell some burning oil or something, very faint... so I looked tonight under the bike in detail and I noticed 2 drops of oil, on part of the engine like some sort of rundown from a higher up point on the LEFT SIDE of the bike as you sit on it... so in other words on the side that's leaning with the side stand. I am not too worried at this point as it seemed to have been very little, like two drops and it doesn't even make it on the floor - I know because I checked for this all summer and I've looked at it underneath before. It had an oil change recently... do you all think that maybe they overfilled it? I need to learn how to check the oil with the dipstick better but I can never tell it properly, I prefer the window type oil check level.

Anyways, should I be worried? I thought HONDA's are so well put together I shouldn't have to worry about gasket leaks?

Thanks for any input,

Rob
 
[SUB]​[/SUB]Inspect it closely to see if it may be coming from the countershaft (front) chain sprocket area. It's common for flung chain lube to collect there and drip out. If so, it's not a concern.

If you suspect the engine oil was possibly overfilled, check the level per the procedure in the owner's manual. The level need not be dead on, so don't worry too much about the accuracy of your level check.
 
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It’s too far front to be chain sprocket

It’s like up high and near the radiator almost near or behind water pump perhaps ? It’s behind a big fat tube that goes in the rad

But it’s not coolant

Is there some seal between water pump and engine block or something?

The other thing I thought maybe they cleaned the breather tube and sprayed all around but not sure because it seemed fresh oil
 
Hi Everyone, I'm back to this thread. Kampus you were right (it was residual blown oil making a false pinpoint earlier) - but after 2 days of tracing the engine and trying to find out where it coming from I think I have it narrowed down to where my suspction was to begin with. Please someone tell me what the part in the attached picture is indicated by the RED ARROW (water pump)? Also, in attached picture GREEN ARROW you will see oil droplet, it's so minor but overtime it down go down the engine block a little and piles up in a bigger droplet that eventually ends up on the exhaust. It fooled me before thinking it was the main gasket because it was running down the block.

It is really coming from the part indicated by GREEN ARROW, I'm fairly sure. This is the water pump right?

Finally, I am pondering tightening a bit more the bolts indicated by the BLUE ARROW.

Thanks to all for the help.
thumbnail_IMG_1754.jpg
 
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Any feedback anyone?
Is this perhaps normal ? Slight weeping ?

Maybe with the colder weather ? Or perhaps engine overfilled at last oil change ? I’m not sure ... the oil level seemed ok but on the higher mark hard its hard to tell ...
 
Any feedback anyone?
Is this perhaps normal ? Slight weeping ?

Maybe with the colder weather ? Or perhaps engine overfilled at last oil change ? I’m not sure ... the oil level seemed ok but on the higher mark hard its hard to tell ...

Engine oil leaks are not normal. The question is whether it's a problem. I'd say at the present leak rate, it's not a problem, just an annoyance. Overfilling of the crankcase is not the cause here. The leak is way up on the cylinder head. If oil was filled that high the engine couldn't even run. If the oil level is a concern, suck some out the fill hole with a syringe and a piece of tubing, to set the level between the dipstick marks. Or pull the drain plug for a few seconds to drain some oil, put the plug back, then set the level correctly by adding oil to the fill port as needed.
 
That is the water pump from what I can see in your photo. Some water pumps that I have encountered on Hondas have a drain hole to allow occasional coolant seepage from the mechanical seal on the coolant side of the pump. They also have an oil seal on the other end of the impeller shaft. Sometimes the seal leaks. Both seals are currently leaking on my CRF250L but the leakage is so minimal that I will not be doing anything about it in the short term.

By all means check the bolts pinpointed for slackness but do not overtighten them. I suspect however that they are not the culprit. It is not unheard of for the water pumps on NC's to have issues but it is not a major issue with the motor.

I believe a search will turn up similar issues. Try looking up under water pump leakage.
 
That is the water pump from what I can see in your photo. Some water pumps that I have encountered on Hondas have a drain hole to allow occasional coolant seepage from the mechanical seal on the coolant side of the pump. They also have an oil seal on the other end of the impeller shaft. Sometimes the seal leaks. Both seals are currently leaking on my CRF250L but the leakage is so minimal that I will not be doing anything about it in the short term.

By all means check the bolts pinpointed for slackness but do not overtighten them. I suspect however that they are not the culprit. It is not unheard of for the water pumps on NC's to have issues but it is not a major issue with the motor.

I believe a search will turn up similar issues. Try looking up under water pump leakage.


Thanks for the input, as a matter of fact I did do some searches last night and saw that it is common for water pumps seals (both the one that stops the coolant & oil from mixing with each other) to weaken and sip some oil. There is a weep hole there and it's possible it's coming from it due to bad oil seal, but it's almost like sweat, not real leak.

Does this mean this is something I could fix when the water pump needs replacement??? I am not going to touch it now, will leave it alone - perhaps this is also due to the colder weather, not sure, seems to have started when it got colder.

Thanks.
 
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I am not sure if the seals and impeller shaft are sold separately. On some models they are, but I have a feeling that the NC pump is sold as a unit. I have seen pumps lasting a very long time in this condition. My former FJS600 was such a bike. Afaik the subsequent owner still has not replaced the pump despite mileage of 60,000+ miles and the age of the bike, 15years.

I believe You are correct in your assumption that it has become worse with cold weather especially in relation to coolant seepage. That was certainly the case with my FJS and I would often see a small amount of leaked coolant appearing after the bike sat up for a very cold night. I believe what happens is that the coolant cools more than normal as it contracts inside the rad, drawing back slightly more volume than it would normally do in warmer weather. Then as the day warms up or the bike is started, a little more coolant escapes under pressure before the seal and impeller shaft heat up sufficiently to form a good seal. One just needs to keep an eye on coolant level in the header to make up for any seepage over a long period.
 
I am not sure if the seals and impeller shaft are sold separately. On some models they are, but I have a feeling that the NC pump is sold as a unit. I have seen pumps lasting a very long time in this condition. My former FJS600 was such a bike. Afaik the subsequent owner still has not replaced the pump despite mileage of 60,000+ miles and the age of the bike, 15years.

I believe You are correct in your assumption that it has become worse with cold weather especially in relation to coolant seepage. That was certainly the case with my FJS and I would often see a small amount of leaked coolant appearing after the bike sat up for a very cold night. I believe what happens is that the coolant cools more than normal as it contracts inside the rad, drawing back slightly more volume than it would normally do in warmer weather. Then as the day warms up or the bike is started, a little more coolant escapes under pressure before the seal and impeller shaft heat up sufficiently to form a good seal. One just needs to keep an eye on coolant level in the header to make up for any seepage over a long period.


It's probably not very unusual, it's such a small amount. I do not see it on the floor of my garage ever... I just happened to see it now because I smelled a droplet once hit the exhaust and I know what burnt oil smells like. I'd be curious if anyone else has this happening on their NC's.
 
I will eventually if it doesn't stop but it's very minor and I will monitor it for now. I have extended warranty until 2020.

Hello ALL,
I finally took my bike in and I was told the parts needed are on back order until August, I cannot have my bike in the shop for 2 months, that's ridiculous. I am going to go ahead and order the full assembly of the water pump part # 19200-MGS-D30, online.

Can anyone confirm this is the one for NC750X DCT 2017? I am fairly sure it is. I was told if I bring them the water pump full assembly they will honor the warranty labor and fix it. I think this should stop the leak I was seeing from behind the water pump and it should include the whole package, o rings everything I need.

Thank you,
Rob
 
I think they would order the parts, then schedule the repair once the pieces come in. They don't really want to keep your bike in the shop for no reason, do they?
 
Hi @rmezei ,
I am from turkey, I have same problem with my NC 750 X (2014), I changed o-rings in honda service in turkey but it didn't work. problem is going on. probably you need to change the water pump. It is not a chronic problem for NC but some times it can be seen some honda's. another forum, I corresponded a guy knowing a lot of detail about NC. his answer below;

I think it is very unlikely you will damage your engine if it is used with care, obviously you need to check the oil level and make sure it is staying clean and not suffering coolant contamination, which would usually make it turn "milky" or white/sludge.
Similarly it is worth checking no oil is getting into the coolant. Take off the radiator cap (when cold) and check there is no sign of oily liquid on the top of the coolant. Also check the level in the coolant bottle, make sure it is not going down.
It does really need fixing, but if it has been like this for some time and it is not losing significant amounts of oil or coolant it should be fine until you can fix it properly.
 
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