Noob's first K bike oil change = drippage

[Sebsi]

Did my first oil and filter change @ 3K miles. I did not have a new plate gasket and reused the old one, nor did I remove the drain plug. I'm now leaking a decent amount of oil. After removing the plate screws I noticed 2 were the same length, and one was shorter. I did not note their location properly when removing them, so it is unlikely they got installed where they came from.

I also did the FD and tranny and those are fine.

Sorry to crowd up the list with such a lame post, but I'm interested in whether the reused gasket was a bad idea. It looked fine.

Seb

1993 K1100RS

[motodude]

I've never worked on an 1100 so I may be a bit off, but...

Did you remove the O-ring an clean it?  If it is still in good shape, still pliable, it should be okay to reuse (I usually replace them but many do not).

Are any of the threads stripped?

All the screws should be the same length so it should not matter where they go (unless an 1100 is different).

You'll want to catch the oil in a clean container so you can put it back in.  Drain it through the drain plug, it'll be easier.  Remove the filter cover and clean everything (the mating surface on the engine, the O-ring, the groove the O-ring sits in).  I usually coat the O-ring in clean motor oil before (re)installing in the groove.

When tightening, keep in mind that the steel screws are going into aluminum and it is possible to strip them.  Use the allen wrench that came in the tool-kit.  They are short for a reason, it helps to keep from over-tightening fasteners.

Hope this helps,
Tom

[Sebsi]

Thanks Tom, that's my plan.

Seb

[Sebsi]

FWIW, I drained the old (well, new) oil, installed a new crush washer and O ring, cleaned everything as well as I could, and gave everything a bit more tightening. No more drip.

Seb

[Chaos]

I reuse the same o-ring for 3-4 changes.  If you notice a flat side it's time to change it.

[motodude]

FWIW, I drained the old (well, new) oil, installed a new crush washer and O ring, cleaned everything as well as I could, and gave everything a bit more tightening. No more drip.

Seb

Awesome!  And, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Tom