Ironhead Uh Oh, this cant be good.

[FearlessFrisbee]

+1 on cleaning very well. But then, I'd use baby powder on the area to see where it really may be leaking from.

I have found leaks completly on the other side of a cylinder from where I thought it was leaking from.

The powder doesn't lie. And no jokes about the wet spot please.

[Robicycle]

That's a great idea, I will have to remember that in case I need to locate a small crack/leak.

[78ironhead]

Clean it up real good with some solvent or brake kleen, start it up and look at it with a magnifying glass. You can get one at the drug store or hardware store. My 79 has that crack looking casting there too.

[RIDERED67]

Man you just bought the bike, it looks clean and im sure the last thing you want to do is tear it apart right now. If it was mine and the oil was leaking from that crack i would do a quick fix to stop the oil then tear it down over the winter. I dont like to half ass anything but ive come to realize that sometimes a simple fix will get the job done.

Oh and make sure you get a support bracket on your carb before it falls off

[IronMick]

Originally Posted by 83IRONXLX

... what is a JB weld? ...

JB Weld is a two part epoxy glue product that contains steel particles. Buy at Canadian Tire, Princess Auto, Harbor freight, auto supply, etc.

[Chipper442]

If it is a crack,I would recommend staying away from the "quick fixes". JB Weld,will just run down into the case and get on whatever is underneath it,same with green Loctite.

As a welder,I wouldn't touch that job unless the cases were split,and empty,even with a tig welder,you stand the chance of contacting rotating parts with the weld bead. Just my two cents,but I would tear it down now,and do it correctly the first time. You might even find a case half,for less money than what a repair to the broken one would be.....

[sunchild2071]

It bears mention, for the danger level potential.

If you will be cleaning that with brakekleen, and take it down in the future for welding, TELL your welder what you used for cleaning. The welding process, combined with the brakekleen can cause a deadly gas, toxic at under 5 ppm.

There are many slovents for cleaning, brakekleen should be reserved for what it is meant to clean. If you do use it, and wind up welding further down the road, be sure to mention it to the welder.

As I noted in my first reply I might be somewhat alarmist to the nature of your problem, but if it is a crack, some thing caused it. And there may be more, hence my advice of teardown. I tend to like doing things once, properly, and not looking back.

There are other good, temporary, solutions here by some very knowlegeable people. Follow the path you think is best.

[gungatim]

Hard to believe it is cracked there, as others said, there is a casting line there (my '79 has it too), and shouldn't be so much oil pressure there that it is flowing at a "pretty steady trickle". I would heed the advice to check very carefully around the pushrods and lifter block to see where it is really coming from. Sometimes on a house with a roof leak, water follows a very odd path and a leak in one spot often comes from somewhere entirely different. Your bike may be the same. Maybe pull the lifter block and pushrod tubs themselves for an inspection. try and get one of those little mirrors on an extendable antennae (inspection mirror?) and look behind the pushrod tube and lifter area to ge a better look.

Good luck...

[IronMick]

Originally Posted by gungatim

hard to believe it is cracked there, as others said, there is a casting line there (my '79 has it too), and shouldn't be so much oil pressure there that it is flowing at a "pretty steady trickle". I would heed the advice to check very carefully around the pushrods and lifter block to see where it is really coming from. Sometimes on a house with a roof leak, water follows a very odd path and a leak in one spot often comes from somewhere entirely different. Your bike may be the same. Maybe pull the lifter block and pushrod tubs themselves for an inspection. Try and get one of those little mirrors on an extendable antennae (inspection mirror?) and look behind the pushrod tube and lifter area to ge a better look.

Good luck...

+1

[83IRONXLX]

[IMG][/IMG]

OK first of all i want to say thank you to every single person on here who tried to help me out,you guys rock....Yes i was wrong. I ran the bike again and really looked close.

As many of you suspected...

There is a tiny leak coming from one of the two skinny rods inbetween the "pushrods". I searched all over to find what they are called but cant find it.....I now know what a pushrod is though!

The "skinny rod" on the left has a nut at the bottom of it and the oil is coming up from where the rod goes into it...probably a rubber seal I am hoping?

The oil trickles out and down the back and when it gets to that mark in the casting that looks like a crack it kind of sticks to it... looking like it is a crack with a leak. (thats my excuse and i am sticking with it)

I am so damn happy right now cause i am pretty sure this isnt a big problem now right?

What are these rods called and what do they do?
I tried to tighten it with a wrench but it didnt seem to help...any ideas?

The amount of oil pooled in this picture took about 20 seconds of engine idling.

Thanks again everybody, I am going to learn a lot here and I am looking forward to getting my manual so I dont have to be a huge pain in the ass..