Valve Cover Leak

[BillyMac]

I have a bit of a valve cover leak, but not where I'd expect it. I mentioned before I'm very green to motorcycles/k-bikes, and only novice on mechanical work. I figured I'd ask opinions on the possible culprit/fix here before I start throwing time and money at it and rooting around too much.

From the picture below, any ideas/suggestions ? Thanks!

[frankenduck]

Can't  tell much of anything from that picture. :dunno2:

It's most likely leaking along the valve cover gasket somewhere.  DO NOT crank down on the valve cover bolts to "fix" it.  They are "shoulder bolts" and you'll strip threads if you over-torque them.

Take the "BMW" spark plug cover off and inspect to find exactly where the leak is.

[BillyMac]

Tried to enhance it a bit to make it a bit more visible. The leak appears to be coming from the spark plug area. There's a sheen where the two circles are. Previously I had only seen the sheen on the right side, but just recently the one on the left has started.

[frankenduck]

Take the spark plug cover off and track it down.  That cover is just cosmetic and held on by three bolts.

Do you know the last time the valve cover was removed?  Usually they just just start leaking.

[Chaos]

pull the BMW plate off and note if any oil is showing amongst the plugs and wires.  The valve cover gasket is 2 pieces, outer and inner around the nameplate.  I'd just wipe it clean and see if and where it comes back.

The rubber grommets under the bolt heads are what actually hold the cover tight.  The get old and hard and the cover can loosen.  Easy fix, I think they're about 3 bucks each. 

[BillyMac]

Thanks. Going to replace the gaskets here, and the crank case as well as it seems there may have been an old leak, but not an active one on that side, so figured it wouldn't hurt.

On a side note, any cleanser recommendations for cleaning off the old exterior gunk so I can see the results afterwards and possibly trace any other leaks? I want to avoid using anything that will cause damage so I figured I'd ask. It looks like it's been a long time since the PO did any kind of cleaning on the engine if at all.

[frankenduck]

[Chaos]

WD-40 is a surprisingly good cleaner, and fairly harmless to finishes.

[Scott_]

Brakekleen is good as well. A little pricey, but worth it in some situations.