This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

2004 FE450 oil leaking at case halves

aerotech11

aerotech11

Joined Sep 2014
29 Posts | 0+
Mesa AZ
So I found my oil leak. Appears to be coming from the lower forward area of the case right at the seam. I looked around here but only found the same issue with a 650. Would this be the same as my 450? I also found my engine breather hose has a split in it and lots of oil up in the hose between the airbox and carb. Cleaned all that out but don't know why it was there. Is this normal? If anyone has a fix for the oil leaking from the case half short of splitting the case I would appreciate it. I did post this in another thread but though it would get more visibility here. Seemed more appropriate anyway.
 
usually the 650 because when the big end goes the con rod clouts the bottom of the cases. this just can't possibly happen to the 450.

split it, clean it and then assess it? it will be repairable.

regards

Taffy
 
Bro.... we used a product called SEAL ONCE (rtv type tube $23 in NZ) on an external leak on our 25Mw generator. worked well for two years so far.
I have also sealed up cracked case on XR200RE and a cranckcase join like yours on a DR350 and both have remained leak free for 12mnths.
used breakcleen to clean surface, smeared product into crack/ join. allowed to cure. rode on.
Best solution is to find cause of leak not treat symptom but to get rid of the unsightly mess temporary it will work. (assuming its just a discolouring oooz rather than a drip. although DR was dripping an sealed ok, its not best practice).
product description said it will work THROUGH water and resist oil.
Hope this Helps.
 
Thanks guys for the advice. It is dripping but ever so slowly. No real change in the sight glass. Is the oil in the air box near the carb unusual or nothing to worry about? Also I just put a fresh battery in and the starter is still very weak. Is it possible the starter is bad or should I be looking elsewhere? Thanks
 
You stated in another post that the bike is also hard to kick. Sounds like it may be that the autodecompression device is worn. This is a wear item.

How many hours on this bugger?

Try pulling in the handlebar mounted manual decompression lever, hit the starter, let it spin a few times and quickly release the lever. What happens.

Use a completely charged battery. What kind of charger are you using?
 
The oil in the intake tract is normal. It bothers some. You can always do a "breather mod". Nice thing about venting the crankcase to somewhere else besides to the carb is that in the unlikely event you flip the bike over upside down your cylinder and carb will not fill up with oil.
 
Thanks for the response Husabutt. The bike has around 2200 miles on it according to the speedo. When I pull the manual decompression lever in the starter spins good but as soon as I let it off quickly while still holding the button it seems like the starter is having a hard time trying to turn the motor over. Seems like it spins then bogs down spins and bogs down etc... like there is just not enough power to turn the motor over quickly. My charger is a Shuemaker. I completely charged the new battery and same thing. What do you think?
 
check your valve clearances carefully.
check your auto decomp is functioning properly.
 
2200 miles is probably a 70-80 hour motor which is quite low. There really should not be anything wrong with it. I would not expect the autodecompression device to be worn.

The battery is the first thing I would inspect. It needs to be a high quality Yuasa YTZ7S or equivalent. If your battery is more than one year old and it has not been connected to a 5 step charger (like an Optimate 3 or 5) when not in use then it is suspect. If your battery is two years old or more then it just needs to be replaced. These batteries are so small they do not last long at all.

If you have a fresh YTZ7S fully charged with a high tech charger (5 to 7 step) and it still spins slow try adjusting your valves next. Do a search of this site for the 1/6th turn method. Search for a You Tube video on it also.

If you are still having problems then next thing I would look at the autodecompression device spring. Your spring may have become unpreloaded, slipped a little or just was a bad spring from the factory.
 
Last edited:
you need one of my modified auto decomp springs.

check the valves are seating well - they won't be.

go to DVSK.

regards

Taffy
 
Thanks for the advice Husabutt. I will check those things you recommended and get another battery. I should be good with my charger though.
Taffy. Send me one of your modified decomp springs and what do you mean my valves won't be seating well? Do I just need to adjust them or go deeper? Thanks guys for all your help I really appreciate it.
 
aerotech11 said:
Oh yeah I was going to ask Taffy. What is DVSK??
Click to expand...

dual valve spring kit
on the left ktm dvsk, on the right oem single conical spring
2014%5C01%5C19%5Cbikepics-2634173-800.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
Husabutt, you mentioned a good charger earlier. What would you recommend? I looked at mine and it is just a battery charger and does not maintain or test. It is an old car battery charger with manual shutoff so if I left it on there it would probably ruin my battery. Thanks
 
Tecmate ? Optimate 5 VoltMatic
OM5VM.jpg


If you want to save a little money you can sometimes find a Optimate 3 (older model) on ebay or Amazon.

You will need this type of charger to fully charge (and maintain) your new YTZ7S. Before you install the battery be sure to fully charge it as these batteries are purported to have a bit of battery memory and if they are not fully charged the first time it may never accept a 100% charge thereafter.

Always keep the charger plugged in when you are not riding or you will be spending all of your disposable income on batteries for your Berg.
 
Thanks Husabutt. I will order one of those bad boys right now. I appreciate your help.
 
You may want to also get the quick connect that attaches to the battery terminals for easy connecting.

Its easy enough though to just attach the charger positive lead to the positive battery terminal and the negative lead to the bolt on the starter bracket.
 
The one I just ordered comes with that quick connect so I can leave it on the bike and just plug in the charger. Thanks for the info. You have been a great help.
 

Similar threads

M
2004 FE450e drains battery while riding
Replies
0
Views
116
MarvFPV
M
W
For Sale 1995 FE600E in Michigan $1600 with clean title
Replies
3
Views
541
woodsryder
W
F
FE570 low idle issue, outside of the usual suspects! (I think)
Replies
1
Views
418
rikschipp
R
S
Hello and 07 FE450e things to check?
Replies
15
Views
1K
BERGOROADRACER
BERGOROADRACER
T
570 engine rebuild help!
Replies
5
Views
519
TurboYoda
T

Register CTA

Register on Husaberg Forum! This sidebar will go away, and you will see fewer ads.

Recent Discussions