ER-5 oil leak

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had this issue before, I have the bike above in 98 trim and it's got a little bit of a leak from an odd place. Here is a pic: (when I get home)

Basically the bolt in question is the cap for the oil pressure tester tool, the bike doesn't leak when left stood, fire it up however it starts to weep and drip.

Has anyone encountered this before and how did you fix it? Also I should mention it has the same engine as the gpz500.

Thanks!
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Haz ER-5, innit!

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

Pic now up so it makes sense lol.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

Nemo · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 30 Apr 2010 Karma :

Could it not be worth draining the oil, cleaning the surfaces and using a new washer?
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Previously owned: Kawasaki KH125, Suzuki GP125, Suzuki GX 125, Honda CB125 TDC '83, Honda ntv 600, Kawasaki ER5, Kawasaki ZZR600, Aprilia RSV 1000 Mille
Now own: Ducati 848 evo

lihp · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Karma :

New plugs and washers have been done.

My thought was excess oil pressure caused by stuck pressure relief valve.

Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

1/ What state are the crank-case breather pipes in?
Any breather pipes clogged, kinked, trapped?
If you 'pull' any of them with the motor running, do you get excessive 'blow' from the vent?
2/ Has the sump plug been over tightened at any point?
You can often get a crack in the casting you cant see under oil weepage, that opens up when motor gets warm.
Those would be my top two checks.
Crank case pressure is in the crank-case; by-pass valve relieves pressure in the pumped supply; that would normally show on a gallery joint, such as the base gasket. Possible, but wouldn't expect oil from around drain plug.
Also, a stuck relief valve more commonly sticks 'open' causing low oil pressure; often caused by the oil filter clogging, and not being replaced frequently enough; oil circulating unfiltered and 'crud' in the oil gumming the relief valve there.
If it is high crank-case pressure... worryingly points towards worn bore/rings and 'blow-by' from combustion pressure getting into the crank-case. Is it a mega high-miler? Does it burn much oil?
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lihp · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Karma :

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

Only way to test the relief valve is by dropping all the oil so thought I would just ask but it seems like a rare problem as even on the ER5 owners club there's not an apparent mention of a leak from said place.

I need to go into kawasaki to see if they have headstock bearings as I noticed they have gone when I washed the bikes front wheel so will ask about a relief valve while I'm there plus I'm friends with the mechanics there.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

StormCrow · Scooby Slapper Joined: 15 Mar 2010 Karma :

Ah. The Bolt That Should Not Be Removed... Laughing

Have a poke around on EX500.com - that's what it's known as on there. It's a plastic(?) 'bolt' that serves, as you say, as a diagnostic aid for Kawasaki. However, it's a terrible design, is hollow (as a typical banjo bolt) and snaps very easily, and is known for leaking a lot when disturbed.

I *think* that the suggested solution is to replace the bolt, alongside presumably a new sealing washer or o-ring (I forget which it uses) - personally if it were my GPZ I'd probably replace it with a bolt instead and plenty of sealant - the bastards are known to keep on leaking... I don't believe it serves any purpose other than for the above reason, so I guess replacing with a proper (if maybe slightly shorter?) bolt would be a better fix.

That or chemical metal... Wink

lihp · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Karma :

TheManWithThe... · Brolly Dolly Joined: 30 Aug 2010 Karma :

I have a leak in a very similar place on my ER5 (53 plate).

I thought it might have been a leak from the clutch, but rebuilding it and replacing the gasket didn't stop it.

On mine, it looks like the leak might be coming from the water pump cover, so i'll be doing some exploration mechanics in a few weeks time when i have some spare money for replacement gaskets/seals for anything that might have perished/split.
I'll let you know how it goes if you haven't solved it yourself by then.
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MBK Nitro 50, Sold. Kawasaki ER-5, Honda ST1100
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StormCrow · Scooby Slapper Joined: 15 Mar 2010 Karma :

331X2 · Crazy Courier Joined: 10 Jul 2013 Karma :

At the risk of the PO going spastic due to not reading his thread previously or having ever owned such a bike, where exactly is it leaking from? I'm assuming around the washer/seal due to not getting enough torque on the bolt?

What does it seal up against? Machined face or paint? What kind of seal is on there (material and design )? Definitely no hairline fractures or scores on the face?

Not sure of the specifics but trying to break it down to the fundamentals so us lower echelon types can understand Thumbs Up

Edit: Sentence restructuration...

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

It could be possible that its from the water pump, I'll check tomorrow, thanks for the suggestion!

As for when it leaks etc, it only does it under pressure, so when the engine is running, and it doesn't do it straight away, it only does it as the pressure builds up. I believe the bolt circled above is on a machined face so no paint there.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

331X2 · Crazy Courier Joined: 10 Jul 2013 Karma :

What kind of seal is behind it? Washer, o ring or some kind of compound? Is there a torque value in the manual for it? Its easy to be over cautious with plastic on metal.

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

There will be gaskets behind the covers and a washer seal behind the head of the banjo bolt. Still haven't found the leak properly yet and I've just seen a thread on here with a similar problem.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

Thank you for everyone's help! I've found the leak now, it's actually coming from the casing above the bolt for the main gallery so it's the water pump casing gasket which is to blame not the bolt of doom Laughing

After jet washing the bike to make sure there was no oil dripping then after that, returned the bike to its side stand on a dry patch and set myself up (torch and an ear bud lol). Put the choke on and fired it up, I waited for about 15 secs and then I saw it come down from behind the cover onto to top of the bolt! I was so happy but wanted to double check, wiped it all down again and this time poked the ear bud right inside and fired it up again and sure as anything, there it was.
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Haz ER-5, innit!