How to Stop a Motorcycle Oil Leak

by Adrienne Farricelli
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motorcycle image by Bionic Media from Fotolia.com

An oil leak in your motorcycle may be messy for your driveway, not to mention the fact that over time, it may ruin your engine. If your motorcycle is leaking, your first step is identifying where exactly the leak is coming from before proceeding to getting it repaired. Fixing an oil leak does not require you to be a top expert in motorcycle maintenance. With a few tools and some time invested, you may be able to save yourself a trip to your mechanic.

Step 1

Verify the type of leak you are dealing with. Place a sheet of white paper directly under the leak and assess the color. Engine oil will generally be black, whereas automatic transmission and power steering fluid may be red or dark brown. Washer fluid is blue and antifreeze could be green, gold, orange, brown or blue.

Step 2

Flush dye into the suspected system according to the leak detecting kit instructions. For instance, if you suspect the leak is coming from the engine, you must add the dye to the engine oil and let the engine run for some time before being able to detect the leak.

Step 3

Shine the black light in order to highlight the area of the leak. The exact leak location should appear as an area highlighted by the bright fluorescent yellow or green dye. Now, that the exact area is pinpointed the leak can be addressed.

Step 4

Press a small amount of Seal-All® directly to the leak. Allow to dry according to directions. Verify if the area has stopped leaking. Should the oil leak persist, consult a qualified mechanic.

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