oil leak

[js]

I put on a new set of tires and found an oil leak, crack sidecover behind the brake.

[Danger4u2]

Scuff it out with sand paper, and J-B Weld it.

[BDI]

FREEZE!  Drop the JB Weld and step away from the motorcycle.

[kaw rider]

or playdoe
or you can buy my used one, before i install my clutch cover.

[Platypus]

FREEZE!  Drop the JB Weld and step away from the motorcycle.

HAHA....I have a JB weld plugged hole on my WR's clutch cover..it's been like 6 years and no problems.

[KXcam22]

Best stuff is "metal mend" or similar.  It is a high temp aluminum epoxy that you apply like braze with a mapp gas torch but melts below the temp of aluminum so you can't screw it up.  Polishes out nicely.  I always have some in my tool box. Saw it once at a M/C show, guy was drilling holes in engine covers, soldering them up, then polishing them until they were invisible.  I saw a similar product on the net,  something 2000, but can't recall the exact name. Cheap too (actuall cheaper than JB weld). Cam.

ps here is the link I found

http://www.aluminumrepair.com

[Hillclimb#42]

Alumalloy? or something like that. I saw that infomerrcial. I had this problem with my 250. I'll give you a little heads up. If you get an aftermarket cover, alot of them have no way to check oil level. One that I got had a screw as a level check, but eventually it stripped out. The one I have now has no check, which I am now used to. Whenever I wonder how much oil is in it, I drain and fill.

[KXcam22]

Something like that.  I also used it to fix the busted aircleaner stud attachment web in the carb on my skiboat and soldered up the broken gunnels on my 12' aluminum fishing boat.  Normally it is finicky welding on a carb body but it was easy. They demo soldering alum beer cans together which I know is very hard normally.  Cam.

[5dracing]

There's a company in Central PA that sells alot of this type welding supplies. There name is Proweld in Mill Hall Pa. 570-748-9518. I've seen the demonstrations at our School Maintenance meetings. they even sell that putty that you see advertised on tv.

[don46]

Why not pull it off and have it welded? I've welded a couple of them, it's not easy but I'm sure if you took it to a Pro it would be a piece of cake. I have tried the epoxy route to, that didn't last.

I bought some of those rods at the fair one year, yep I was going to weld aluminum, it sure didn't work for me like it did at the fair, in fact I think I still have some of those rods, maybe I'll try it again.

[Hillclimb#42]

 You have to be careful with that damage. The clutch barely has clearance there. The hump that is inside the cover will wind up rubbing the pressure plate when engaged. I would also think it would be better to have the back side clean and not have any oil to burn. It has to be a precision repair because the brake pedal rides there and the pressure plate is on the other side. So it has to be filled and smoothed back out to be right. The big problem is that hammering on it to get it back to shape will probably weaken the aluminum right there. I always say " it doesn't hurt to leak a little oil, it only messes stuff up when you run out." Seriously though, a shiny new anodized cover looks pretty killer on your KAW..... 

[don46]

Where do you find a "shiny new anodized cover"? Short of building one yourself.

You will have to remove the cover to have it welded, since it's aluminum it will have to be super clean. The crack you have is common to the K5 that has been laid over, Mine doesn't have it, but at least 3 that I have bought have the same problem, I've repaired 2 of them and will do the last one when I get it off. A good welder can fix it as good as new, and a little time on your part, you won't even know it was cracked. 42 is right, you can't have to big a knob on the inside, it will have to be ground down flush, no big deal.

If it is your intention to keep the bike, I would either replace it or get it welded up.

[KXcam22]

I took mine off an pounded the dent out for clutch clearance.  Don I had to use Mapp gas to make the alum epoxy work, propane wasnt hot enough.  How's this for ironic,  I was the one yapping about the alum stuff and I just remembered that mine had a tiny crack once and I used a bit of JB weld inside. Oops. Cam.

PS been on there 10 years so I guess it works good!!

[BDI]

The cover should be taken off then the dent heated with propane torch. I would clean the cover and crack with brake cleaner first to remove oil. Then I would heat the dent so I could pound it out from behind to make it flat again if you do not heat it you run the risk of nocking out a big piece and making a hole. Heating it will also help to cook the oil out of the crack so it can be welded. Then I would tig weld it or have it tig welded by some one who could. Then I would grind and refinish the weld so you could not tell it ever happened. There is a difference between fixing it properly or scabing it, if all you care about is if oil comes out then you could just smear some rtv on it who knows it might last for six years.