Another Oil Leak Question

[gatling]

My Tiger with 800 miles on it leaks oil a bit.  I thought it was from the oil plug, but it is tight.  When I got underneath it, it looked like it was coming from the pan seal (the one that seals the die cast pan to the block) on the left side of the engine.  I tightened those bolts a bit (they were already pretty tight).  I'll see if it is still weeping a bit tomorrow.  Any other suggestions?  This started after the dealer changed the oil at the 500 mile check (I think).  I just noticed it this morning.  This evening when I got home, there was a little bit of oil on the pan, but not enough to drip.  Could it have just been overfilled or something?

[tyrebyter]

As a general rule, never tighten screws a bit. All screws are installed to a specific torque and over-torquing can be the source of a future leak rather than a cure for the present one. At 800 miles, your leak is not likely due to loose fasteners or seal wear which leaves you with some flaw like a gouged shaft or improperly installed seal. I'd have the dealer look at it if you trust them.

[geotiger]

I too have a leak on the left side (shifter side) on my 05 tiger with ~5600 miles that has been weeping for a couple months now.  



I posted about this on triumphrat.net and had a reply that it might be an o-ring where the water pump and case meet.  I am going to have the dealer check it on my 6000 mi service.

[gatling]

After tightening the screws a bit (I know, it's supposed to be to a specific torque, but have you ever checked how many torque wrenches are out of calibration?), and wiping this puppy down, the leak appears to have gone away.   I did 500 miles today (round trip to a business meeting in San Luis Obispo) running at 80 to 90 most of the way, and there is no oil seepage anywere.  So, I now have 1300 miles.



This is one sweet bike.  After riding around for years looking like I was mating with various sports bikes, this concept of a comfortable high performance machine is really a lot of fun.

[tyrebyter]

While I am an ardent supporter of torquing everything (and calibrating measuring tools), I can't argue with success. Hope it continues to work out for you.