oil leaking from timing belt cover

[thotiana]

So... There seems to be oil leaking from my timing belt cover? There shouldn't be oil in there right? Does anyone have any insight as to wtf is going on?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and even more if you respond

[bigrich8]

Hi,

Similar to mine. I have not investigated yet but I would say it's the camshaft seal

[thotiana]

Thanks. I'm looking around (on the internet, in this forum) and I've found that there are elegedly 3 seals inside the timing belt cover that could be leaking. 2 camshaft seals and the crankshaft seal. What I haven't found are the parts numbers for these or what they actually look like. Im tempted to sell my bike as I need to hit the road soon so I'm very reluctant to meddle with the timing belt situation,hence me not knowing what they actually look like. So if anyone could enlighten me with a description, pictures or something of the like I would be so grateful. I see some components being sold together from inside the belt cover and I wonder if among these components are the seals I need

[thotiana]

Alright so I've found a part for what should be the "camshaft end oil seal" which is a little rubber seal.i think this is what I'm looking for? 91209-371-003

As for any kind of "crankshaft seal" I've had no luck thus far

[grand rouge]

Check out a motorcycle parts site such as www.partzilla.com

And just a thought.... What is your history with your machine? Has oil been leaking for a while? Is oil level correct? I ask last question because I purchased a GL 1200 that was leaking from many seals. Drained oil. 6.8 quarts came out. Capacity is 3.4 or so.... 4,000 miles and one shifter shaft seal later......not a leak...of any kind..anywhere.

Seals....if not available with the honda specific part number, knowing the seal dimensions will...in nearly every instance will serve to get you a proper seal

[thotiana]

Hey,
Yeah I've been looking on parts sites I'll try that one though. Just having trouble finding crankshaft seal though not sure if I'm using the right terminology. Just got this bike have hopped on a couple gl1100 along my way while rambling around the country and rode without incident but unfortunately this one blew whichever seal in timing belt cover after about 150 miles. No leak before that, at least that I noticed.

[thotiana]

opened it up. Oil is definitely coming from the crankshaft (the one in the middle?) I still don't really understand wtf but there seems to now be oil leaking from the bottom bolts of each of the valve covers and white smoke coming from the exhaust. I have more studying to do but I think the oil seal for the crankshaft is at the back of the crankshaft? Any insight or tips would be very helpful thanx my dudes

[winguyjo]

in the partzilla diagram, under the "crankshaft" section it's part 13 ... honda part number 91201 371 005 front crankshaft seal.
sounds like you have a leaking valve cover gasket (not a big deal), a head gasket issue as well , and who knows what else.

[thotiana]

thank you so much. The oil appears to be leaking from the bolts and not the gasket which I find to be quite peculiar.

[thotiana]

Also I checked all the spark plugs and none of them are squeaky clean as to suggest a head gasket issue

[thotiana]

To be clear, the crankcase has to be split for me to replace this seal?

[Rambozo]

To be clear, the crankcase has to be split for me to replace this seal?

No, it can be pulled and installed once the timing pulley is removed.

[Maz]

thank you so much. The oil appears to be leaking from the bolts and not the gasket which I find to be quite peculiar.

The bolts on the valve covers have their own rubber seals, which harden with age. Don't try to tighten those bolts to cure the leak....they are shouldered and will only tighten til the shoulder bottoms out. If you try to tighten them more, they will snap.

Maz

[thotiana]

To be clear, the crankcase has to be split for me to replace this seal?

No, it can be pulled and installed once the timing pulley is removed.

Just curious. Do you know this from experience? Cuz the diagrams I been looking at say the seal is at the opposite end of the crankshaft as the pulley and that the cankcase has to be split to remove the crankshaft. I'm very reluctant to remove the timing belts without know for sure that that's as deep as I have to go

[DenverWinger]

There is no seal on the back end of the crankshaft. Just a roller bearing. The rear end of the crankshaft does not protrude from the engine block so no seal is needed there.

The only crankshaft seal is on the front of the engine, behind the timing belt cog pulley which has to be removed to get to the seal.

[Rambozo]

Just to be sure we are talking about the same thing. Number 13 in this diagram.
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda ... crankshaft
And yes, they are not available from Honda anymore so you will have to get it from a bearing house. Something like this, but I would go for a better quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Crankshaft-Rear- ... B07KRLSRHR
If you do not have a Honda factory service manual, I would strongly recommend you get one. You can find them on ebay all the time.
You will need a tool to pull the seal (sheet metal screw often works great) and an installation tool to make sure you have the seal in square. You can usually make one from the right size PVC pipe, but it helps to have a lathe to get the diameters right and perfectly square. If you want it to be leak free the first time, take your time and do it right.

[DenverWinger]

The CycleMax site shows a price in their on-line fiche, which usually means they can get one. Unavailable parts show a price of $0.00. Worth checking out.....
http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche.com ... /%20PISTON

[thotiana]

Thank you all so much for the insight. I'm currently awaiting the arrival of my much needed seal in the next couple days. In the meantime I'm searching for and studying guides on removing and installing the timing belt(s), as well as, crankshaft seal replacements. There seems to be a general lack of resources on doing this specifically on this machine I've just been getting an idea of what I'm doing from car articles about replacing front crankshaft seals. So yeah I'm about to dig through my shop manual to read and re=read the applicable sections but any pro tips or links to how-to articles I may have missed would be glorious and much appreciated. Thanks again.

[Dirtrack650]

I picked up a barn find 83 1100 now with 104K miles on the clock. Crank seal started to weep a bit so I put AT-205 reseal in the oil. Worked great, no problems with the clutch at all, and no more spotting on the garage floor after a long day in the saddle. The stuff really works as long as there's no damage to the seal. Put some in the GL500 to stop a leak behind the fan, worked great on the application with no clutch issues.
http://atpautomotive.com/featured/re-seal