[F4AL]

Hi all,

I spotted an oil leak today after a short ride. Picture below.

Seems to be coming out of the left engine case. The bottom left bolt as a bit oily. I removed the fairing to clean it and the only I place where I found oil was on the edge of the "F4" engine case. I don't know where the front oil leak came from, I think it dripped from the edge of the inner heat-shield all the way to the front.

Does it need a new gasket? Perhaps re-torquing? Should I be concerned?

 

[esq'z me]

The F4 phonic wheel cover has been known to seep at the crankcase seam. Take it off, clean thoroughly, reinstall with a thin coating of gasket sealant. It has a o-ring seal, but sometimes that is not enough.
Also look at the left front corner of your valve cover. Infamous leak point and the hot oil flows down and blows back.
When the bike is on the side stand the oil in the head pools in this corner and seeps out.
Very small amounts of oil make a big mess.

 

[F4AL]

Thanks esq'zme as usual! Just a couple of questions.

Will the cover start leaking oil if I remove it? I mean, do I have to drain the oil before I remove the cover? Also, Is it worth replacing the o-ring seal as well?

Regarding the valve cover, thanks for the tip! I checked it when I removed the panel while I was looking for the source of the leak. The seal of the valve cover was dry on the left side but will double check. Hopefully it is not coming from there, however if that's the case what's the solution? Remove, clean, new gasket and sealant?

I love the bike but I am starting to regret not buying a Ducati 959 instead

 

[silentservice703]

@F4AL - No need to drain the oil to clean and seal the phonic cover. There may be some more residual, but it is a very minor amount.

As for teh Valve Cover leak...or other source, you can clean the area with brake cleaner and then use a dry powder to see the leak source.....oil travels when a bike is at speed.

 

[MV Arthur]

Also, be sure not to overtighten. The torque setting (6 or 8nm iirc) on those bolts is a lot lower than most think. And loctite blue 243 on the bolts. Confirm with manual as I'm gettin old.

 

[The_castle]

I do hope the leak is from the phonic wheel cover but I just went through this issue a week ago and I have experienced this once before. The trace of oil from the front of the fairing is exactly what I observed from my valve cover leak on my 312R. It's now sorted.

So regarding a potential leak from the valve cover, which I kind of think this is because the oil trace is so far forward on the fairing, it's a bit of a faff around remove the valve cover but an inexpensive job if you're a competent home mechanic with a 6 to 60 Nm torque wrench, a three eights universal joint socket, metric alen key set and a metric socket set.
It is possible that you can remove, clean, apply sealant and use the old gasket again. They tend to leak from the front semicircle of which there are four found on the gasket. Sealant only needs to be applied to the four semicircles and about 10 to 15 mm either side of them.
I gather you've downloaded the service manual.
Here is the link you'll need if you don't:

http://www.teamdouble3racing.com/manuals/mv-agusta-f4-750-oro-s-workshop-manual-ed1.pdf

Refer to Section B, page 19 for removal of the valve cover.
I took a careful 8 hours from start to finish but about three hours of that was cleaning areas you don't usually have access to and I also removed the radiator and replaced the coolant.
I estimate that I could complete this job in about two to three hours from start to finish if just focusing on the gasket replacement.

The valve cover gasket part number is 800087756.
The phonic wheel cover gasket part number is 800094626.

I may be totally wrong about the location of the leak but this may serve as a reference to others in the future.
I'm happy, along with others on here, to offer further advice if you wish to take this on yourself.

 

[F4AL]

@F4AL - No need to drain the oil to clean and seal the phonic cover. There may be some more residual, but it is a very minor amount.

As for teh Valve Cover leak...or other source, you can clean the area with brake cleaner and then use a dry powder to see the leak source.....oil travels when a bike is at speed.

Thanks for the info! I think this is something I should be able to do more without too many problems.

Also, be sure not to overtighten. The torque setting (6 or 8nm iirc) on those bolts is a lot lower than most think. And loctite blue 243 on the bolts. Confirm with manual as I'm gettin old.

OK, I will keep this in mind. I have the workshop manual printed so I should be able to follow step by step.

I do hope the leak is from the phonic wheel cover but I just went through this issue a week ago and I have experienced this once before. The trace of oil from the front of the fairing is exactly what I observed from my valve cover leak on my 312R. It's now sorted.

So regarding a potential leak from the valve cover, which I kind of think this is because the oil trace is so far forward on the fairing, it's a bit of a faff around remove the valve cover but an inexpensive job if you're a competent home mechanic with a 6 to 60 Nm torque wrench, a three eights universal joint socket, metric alen key set and a metric socket set.
It is possible that you can remove, clean, apply sealant and use the old gasket again. They tend to leak from the front semicircle of which there are four found on the gasket. Sealant only needs to be applied to the four semicircles and about 10 to 15 mm either side of them.
(...)

Thanks for the detailed info The_castle! That's very helpful although if the issue is the valve cover I think I will leave it for professional mechanic. My issue is not having my own garage and a place to work on the bike. If that was the case will definitely give it a go, however woking on the bike at that level at my building's underground parking is probably not the best idea. The bike will be due soon for its valve clearance check anyway, so I think it can wait. I should be able to do the phonic cover though, that doesn't look too difficult.

 

[Glenno]

The tell tale for the valve cover leak is there will also be oil up high near the header flanges. Also check its not your oil pressure sender leaking. Bottom front left. I have had all 3 leak at sometime or another.

 

[F4AL]

The tell tale for the valve cover leak is there will also be oil up high near the header flanges. Also check its not your oil pressure sender leaking. Bottom front left. I have had all 3 leak at sometime or another.

Thanks For the info, I will check the oil pressure sender for leaks! That might be the source actually...

 

[F4AL]

Quick update on this. Unfortunately due to family commitments, I haven't had time check this problem since I originally created this thread. Luckily, today I had the morning for myself and I took the F4 for a ride. God, that felt good!

As expected, I spotted the usual oil leaks on the left fairing on the way back. After removing the panel, I finally saw where the leak comes from. As some of you already pointed out, the leak comes from the valve cover which drips all the way down to the phonic wheel cover. Pictures below.

It is a bit of a mess in there to be honest. I would strip the whole thing out and give everything a good clean myself if I could, but I don't have a proper space and tools to do it. My mechanic is already aware of the issue and they are going to sort it out next month when the bike goes for servicing and MOT. They will also check valves and replace gaskets. Major service pretty much, it won't be cheap but hopefully I can get the problem sorted for once and all.

Thanks everyone for the advice, you were spot on!

😭😭😭

 

[Glenno]

Mate, Its pretty easy to check the valves and reseal it yourself. Especially with the resources on here.

 

[Peteroo]

Looks exactly like mine right now

 

[Dutchy]

Hhhm,
you know you have an oil leak and still go out for a ride?

You are a braver man than I.... ;-)

 

[Peteroo]

thoughts on this until a tear down?
Why is My Valve Cover Gasket Leaking? - BlueDevil Products (gobdp.com)

 

[silentservice703]

I would not introduce a product into my engine. Pull the valve cover and seal it.

 

[Peteroo]

where can we locate necessary gaskets for this operation? or can we clean, rtv and replace?

 

[esq'z me]

You can clean RTV and reinstall...but they get hard over time. best to get new. Readily available from dealers. Probably on eBay too. Common part to all the pre-2010 bikes and maybe the second gen bikes as well (haven't checked).
Alex has them:

Gasket - Cylinder Head Cover F4 - Original MV Agusta - GP Racing

Sold individually. Please select the correct one for your bike's year. Mfg. Part No.: 800087756 (Up to 2009) 8000B4056

mygpracing.com

 

[Peteroo]

sounds like a clean and reuse situation, i need her done ASAP. are there seals around the plugs too or is that incorporated into the valve cover?

 

[Peteroo]

theres no reference on removing throttle bodies in regular manual or engine manual. anyone have a link/advice if there are any nuances to this? Can i just pull em off the boots once the cables are disconnected and flop em back with all the electrics hooked up?

 

[silentservice703]

Um, page 271 of the Motorcycle Workshop Manual: