Finally warm enough to get out and investigate the contaminated moly on the final drive splines and found a smallish oil slick under the engine. I have a really mucky residue on the r/h (facing forward) upper quadrant of the oil/water pump. The oil filter cover is slick with fresh oil and clearly the source of the drip but probs not the leak.
I’ve scrubbed the sump, filter cover and water pump with degreaser and will dry that  off and spread some talc around. I’ve seen the posts about leaks around the l/h bottom quadrant but nothing for the opposite.

Views please on possible sources of the leak.

Is there a realistic track from the water pump down to the sump or have I got two issues (the oil filter cover bolts are tight but it will get the talc treatment too).

Last trip was a 200 miler and oil in the sight glass has gone fron 2/3 full to 1/3.


Prepping for a Feb trip so guidance appreciated as a big job may need me to change focus to the other bike. Cheers 

My memory's £0.02p says that the cover needs resealing.

Dai wrote:My memory's £0.02p says that the cover needs resealing.

Thanks Dai, I’d be a very happy bunny if thats all it is, but isn’t it just water in the outer half?
I have a pump on my spare engine and may refurb that while I’m at it. 
You Dragonning?

Yes and yes. Have to admit, this is likely to be my last Dragon. All the fun and adventure has gone out of it, mostly due to the Nanny State's H&S rules. The cost of getting across the Irish Sea doesn't help either. Conwy MCC can't have a bonfire because - heaven forbid! - someone might be under the influence of alcohol and within fifty feet of the fire. Campfires were banned years ago, again because of the same stupid H&S rules. In forty years I've done 34 of them; 34 in 38 if you take out the Covid years. I have a large collection of Dragon badges, empty whiskey bottles from the goodie bags that are still covered in mud and slate coasters from various years. Will I be sad to quit? Sort of, but not much given the above.

Ta. Does your first yes mean you’ve changed your diagnosis on the cover seal?

 I’ll get it off anyway, cos I have nowhere else to go with it and I’ve never inspected the impeller, shaft or seals. 

On your second I agree about the ferry, would love to come to Ireland but its almost as silly money as the IOM, so I’m taking the Busa to France this Summer. Hopefully we’ll catch up in Feb. 

All feeling a bit daunting atm as I probs have to get the swingarm off as well to understand what has contaminated the splines. This is the first time the K has felt like I have a mountain to climb since I brought it back to life, shame as its such a brilliant ride.

The one time I had oil round the engine like that turned out to be very little oil, quite a lot of coolant and even more cow droppings. Given how easy it is to remove the pumps, I'd think about replacing the gasket on the oil pump side.

It was inevitable that I would be back. 
Took the pump off, 70k miles and it was the old style nut in shaft. Seals completely brittle, metal parts exposed and shaft scored more than .5mm deep. New shaft, gear, impeller and seals kit. Job done all back together. I have the older style pump without the u shaped groove, so I haven’t bunged that up.



The pressure light has the normal flickery glow at tickover and cold but as it warms up past needing the cold start lever the light comes full on. Oil disappears on start and drains back to sump when cooled.

Please test (kick the crap out of) my assumptions:

1. Given that the light is out at tickover and above during warm up and only comes on after about 10 minutes I assume the switch is working?

2. Given that oil disappears as normal when running and returns to sump as normal when cooled then the pump is circulating (some) oil?

3. Given that oil isn’t cascading from the pump faces then as 2.?

4. It’s -3c here atm, could that have a bearing (20w50 pure dino)?

5. The water temp guage is working so presumably I have routed the sensor wirings ok?

6. The new impeller and shaft turn without issue but they don’t spin freely by hand, could that reduce pump efficiency? (I did disassemble them both a couple of times but couldn’t really see anyway to do it differently - do they need running in?

6. Having scoured all the relevant posts I could find - do I even need the the tell tale?

I can’t get the bike into my workshop atm and, see 4 above, I don’t really want to strip the pump out and refit on speculation (the sidecar subframe makes the job a bit of a chore, especially when the metal tools cause frost bite).

Any thoughts on possible causes please? 

TIA.

In Canterbury's winter climate I'd be using 10w-30 or 10w-40 for the November through March riding season. Those grades are easier on the engine for cold starts/winter running and keep the engine cleaner.

The telltale light's flickery glow is a fault symptom. My first consideration would be that the oil pressure warning light is indicating the oil pressure switch could be gummed up, its internal electrical connections or wire connection to the instrument cluster could be faulty. Remove the switch, clean it, test it and replace it if necessary. 

Here's an explanation with an appealing and rhythmic It goes there, it goes there refrain suitable for dancing while diagnosing. 

Thanks Laitch

Stu - did you push the big gear down hard, or did you push it down hard and then give it a tap from the back side to ensure it turns freely?

Yeah did that a couple of times to different depths (cos I over egged it on 1st fit). Settled on getting the gear teeth flush with the pump face. TBH no position made it operate any freer so I just did what seemed sensible. I’ll do the switch test and clean and work out the wiring route for a potential replace (the old one feels pretty brittle), which I should have done anyway . I think I can only spare a couple of days before I need to switch focus to getting the Busa prepped for the Dragon instead. I’ll miss the Ks heated grips tho’.

Trust me - stuffing wires down through the oil pump is quite easy but you will need to take the front cover off. There's a big hole on the back side of the casting where they run through - dead easy to see when lying under the bike. Have a pair of thin long-nose pliers to hand just in case the wire decides to get hooked up on the casting.

Had to do that when I put the pump back on, just never thought to check the where the other end routed first.

Next to the r/h switch connector block. It's a small black single-way connector about an inch long. The connector block is unobtanium so I'd switch it for a 3.6mm 'Japanese' bullet connector.

Oh yeah - you'll have to take the HES cover off too.

Dai wrote:Next to the r/h switch connector block. It's a small black single-way connector about an inch long. The connector block is unobtanium so I'd switch it for a 3.6mm 'Japanese' bullet connector.

Oh yeah - you'll have to take the HES cover off too.

And...HES cover has a paper gasket.

Thanks Olaf, continuity test on the under tank connector and switch end (disconnected) says the lead is sound, so hopefully won’t have to go in there again. Not entirely sure why it routes that way anyway so I would probably run a fly lead up the left side of the bike and render the oem redundant. Onwards tomorrow with the switch clean and test.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:

And...HES cover has a paper gasket.

Oops. Forgot about that. I've replaced mine with gaskets cut from 2mm rubber sheet.

Bought a new pressure switch just to get one variable out of the way.  Had to guess at a torque setting, and given that it came with a crush Ive gone for common sense and will recheck after the test ride. 

But so far, the light comes on with ignition and stay off after start all the way up to operating temp. The new switch has also got rid of the tickover speed light flicker so it obviously was overdue.

Thanks as ever for the guidance folks 

If you've got any brake cleaner lying around, soaking the old switch in it might recover it. OTOH it might not

Ferries booked. Price is up 12% on last year... over £200 return now.

crazy price. I don’t blame you for calling it a day.

My plan is to test as is, clean and retest as a learning thing (and maybe recover a decent switch) using the procedure Laitch posted earlier up the thread.

See you in a couple of weeks.

PS do you have a view on the torque? I’m about to go out a set it to 17nm (if i’m not already there).

Finger-tight plus 1/8 turn. Or if it still feels soft, another 1/8 turn.

in which case I’ll defo quit while I’m ahead. Used a gentle ratchet yesterday (gulp).

45 mile run yesterday. Looks nice and dry underneath.  I have a 700 miler in a couple of weeks so hopefully that’s job done.
Thanks all. Stu