My bike is leaking... (now with pics)

[KLR600]

Out of the fuel breather pipe

I went on holiday last week for a week and left my bike in my friends garage while I was away. The bike was used everyday for work before I went and was fine before I went on holiday. It hadn't been started in about 9 days when I got back, it started on the button as usual and I took it around the block and parked it on my drive and thought nothing more of it.

I came back later to do something in the garden and noticed something had leaked out of the fuel breather pipe. It smells like fuel but looks like it's a mixture of petrol and a bit of oil. I rang my Dad and he said it would just of been the old fuel in carbs or something and not to worry.

I've since been using the bike everyday for work as usual and it seems to ride 100% normally just as before I left but it's still leaking the same petroly/oily mixture out of the breather pipe. It's not massive amounts but I'm keen to get it to stop leaking as it was fine before I left to go on holiday and I'm slightly worried it's a sign of something bigger about to implode or something.

Like I said, it was absolutely fine before I left it standing and it's still working totally as normal but it's just leaking a bit now.

Does anyone have any ideas about what it could be?

Thanks
____________________
Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[hmmmnz]

follow the breather pipe back up and find where its coming from.
is it the tank breather, air box breather, cylinder head breather??? (not sure if it has a c.h. breather)
check where its coming from, and then you might be able to figure out why its leaking
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[KLR600]

I'm pretty sure it's the tank breather as when I've sometimes been a bit enthusiastic at the petrol pumps it's the same pipe that the excess fuel drains from.

EDIT: The bike is a 1997 Yamaha XJ600N
____________________
Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[hmmmnz]

well if it is the tank breather, then mabee you rubber gasket on the filler cap has a hole or tear in it and is leaking out through the drain hose,
im no up with the xjs but is worth having a look at that
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[TUG]

looksl ike your gunna have to trace it back and take sumthing apart, i'd think that theres a oring thats split or something similar, have a quick look and see if you can fix it, and take loads of pics so we can help better
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[KLR600]

Thanks, I'll definitely check that out when it stops raining

I'm more concerned with the oil that seems to be mixed in with the petrol coming from the pipe though

The oil is at the correct level so I'm a bit stumped really.

EDIT: XlonewolfX - Will do when the rain stops!
____________________
Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[TUG]

deffo need some pics of the lot, i'm not up on my xj's either so i cant help specifiacly but if we had pics it would be easier
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[Polarbear]

If its oil and petrol coming out of the same breather pipe you definatly need to trace where the breather goes to.

Petrol could be the overflow from the tank or from the carberettors (a stuck float)

Oil could be the crank case breather (too much oil, pressurised crankcase) but I can't think where you would get and oil/petrol mix in a normal situation.
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[BanditsHigh]

Oil and petrol seems to suggest the air box drain pipe ... you'll get some oil collecting from the engine breather tube, and the petrol could be some blowback from your carbs.

Otherwise it'd mean a hose from the tank and from the air box are joined somehow, thereby leading to the mixture you have.

Hope you find the problem ... Barry

[TUG]

hows it running? does it feel flooded? might be a stuck float like bandit said, just rock the bike to get them un stuck or whack the floats thats what i got told to do when i had a leaking carb problem. it worked.
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[krebsy]

Is it the hose on the right hand side of the bike? That's the breather hose for the airbox and mine used to drip oil and gunk wvery now and again if there was too much oil in the system. The excess would get forced up into the airbox and would then bleed off. Happened also if the bike got really warm. if the oil level is a bit high then drain and re-fill and maybe check the air filter for oil fouling...

When I fitted the 4-to-1 to the Divvy, the breather hose (which previously hung clear of the exhaust) lay with the end of the hose resting on the new exhaust and dripping goo onto the new chrome. Hasd to leave the hose hanging vertically which also meant that every night I chucked a bit of cardboard under the engine to carch the drips to avaoid fouling the tires with oil on the floor.

K.
____________________
What's my New Year's resolution?

1280 x 1024.

[KLR600]

Right...!

Armed with a camera and some tools I took the tank off just now. Here's what I found:

First of all I traced the pipe back up to the airbox.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/Untitled-4.jpg

So I checked the air box and filter.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/IMG_9992smaller.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/IMG_9988smaller.jpg

Bit of oil in there, all of the shininess is oil

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/Untitled-2.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/Untitled-3.jpg

The filter looked to be ok but the foam pad at the bottom had a bit of oil in it.

This is what the oil level is.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/serenaur/Untitled-1-1.jpg

It's been higher than that in the past with no side affects.

The pipe comes down to the right hand side of the bike so it sounds like krebsy had the same problem.

Any ideas on what's causing this then? The oil level seems ok and as far as I'm aware it's not getting really hot although there's no temperature gauge so I can't be sure.

Am I worrying too much about a minor problem here? The bike runs absolutely 100% normally but I can't help but have a niggling feeling that it's just going to lead to something breaking further down the line. It's just annoying because before I left the bike standing it was fine and this problem seems to have come from nowhere.

Thanks for all the replies so far
____________________
Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[TUG]

um, i dont think your filter should be covered in that liquid. looks like its flooding and filling up then draining out, clean the filter up and rock the bike to try and free the float up a bit and replace and fire it up and see if it leaks again.
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[hmmmnz]

no dramas mate, thats kind of normal when you over fill the oil, all the pressure forces it up the engine breather and into the airbox,
nothing at all to worry about,
just clean out the air box, and filter, job done.
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[KLR600]

[TUG]

well if its not the filter then it must be the float height wor a worn needle, or its sticking open.
____________________
Haz ER-5, innit!

[iooi]

Check the main breather pipe from the crankcase, bet its a bit gunked up.
Mine does this from time to time, always when you are parked on a nice clean spot where it shows up....

I find a bit of kitchen roll, rolled up and placed up the bottom of the overflow pipe, stops the drips, but you can tell when airbox needs cleaning as it goes black/brown from soaking up the oil.
____________________
Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[krebsy]

Can't see the pics but from the description it sounds like too much oil in the engine. there is a slim chance I think it could be duff piston rings (don't quote me though) so best bet is replace or clean the filter, drain the oil, change the filter and then re-fill with exactly the amount it says in the book/on the side of the engine next to the filler. Fill it mostly up, run it a tiny bit then top up with the last 200ml or so.

Strip off the breather tube and flush it through with a blast of degreaser then water. Make sure it's clear. Any excess should then drip easily and cleanly out of the breather pipes and not foul the filter.

K.
____________________
What's my New Year's resolution?

1280 x 1024.

[funnyboi1216]

looks like the filter is bent a little....might want to invest in a new one just in case that is what is effecting the problem