Oil dripping from magneto wires

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tudorvintiloiu

tudorvintiloiu

New Member
Apr 19, 2010
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Romania
Hi guys,

Has anyone encountered this problem before? There is oil dripping from where the three wires come out of the engine (magneto).
I have never opened that cover. The gasket seems to make a good seal, because there is no oil dripping anywhere else aroud there. Just from where the wires go in.

Is this serious? Is there supposed to be oil in there? What should I do?

Thanks,

T.
 
Cabinfever1977

Cabinfever1977

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Mar 23, 2009
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There is not suposed to be oil in the mag cover.

You may have a bad crankcase? seal,if you are sure the oil is coming from the mag cover and not from the muffler gasket or muffler.

A few others had the same problem.
 
tudorvintiloiu

tudorvintiloiu

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Apr 19, 2010
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I'm going to open it and see what's going on, but i'm sure it's coming from the mag.

Is the seal salvageable in these cases? Would I just have to push it in a little as i've read around here, or you think it's toast?

Thanks,
T.
 
Humsuckler

Humsuckler

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Jul 28, 2009
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you might be able to get all 4 screws out of the cover and lightly break it loose from the stock gasket but alas no worries bro, a $5 tube a silicone sealant will seal it up better than stock anyway ;) (make sure its gas/oil resistant on the package tho)

the seal you might be able to push back in place as long as the magneto hasnt torn it up but better to leave it alone if its not falling out or non exisitent.

if you remove your magneto, be careful you dont loose the woodruf (timing) key when you pull it off. put a tarp down or a t shirt or something to catch it in case!
 
GearNut

GearNut

Active Member
Aug 19, 2009
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Also, be sure to mark the outside face of the magneto rotor with a sharpie pen so you can re install it correctly. No joke! It is all to easy to put it on bass ackwards and if that happens, it will not run.
 
2door

2door

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Sep 15, 2008
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Littleton, Colorado
If you have oil inside the magneto cover, not just around the outside, then its a good bet your crankshaft seal is a gonner. If that seal is bad it usually causes some poor running conditions, same as if you had a vacuum leak at the carburetor or intake manifold. To get a good look at it you'll have to remove the magnet (rotor) and I found a tool that does a great job. Ace Hardware and others sell a puller designed to remove faucet handles. It fits the rotor perfectly and makes removing it a snap. Like was said previously, watch for the small woodruff key that indexes the magnet to the crank. Don't loose it. If you decide not to use a puller be careful trying to pry the magnet off the crank. You can actually bend the crankshaft because it is only about 5/16" diameter at the point where the magnet goes. Use care and not too much brute force.
Replacement seals are available from several of the sponsors you see down both sides of this page. Good luck.
Tom
 
tudorvintiloiu

tudorvintiloiu

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Apr 19, 2010
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Thank you, everyone for the great advice. I opened the mag cover and everything was clean inside. So I guess the seal is ok. But I can't explain the leak.
The exhaust gasket is ok too. I'll inspect it closer later today.

Thanks,
T.
 
BarelyAWake

BarelyAWake

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Jul 21, 2009
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Fabian said:
I'm just thankful for all the oil dripping from my engine; at least i get to travel to and from my destination with reliability

My engine spews out copious quantities of hideous filthy goo, at every corner, just like it's been dragged out of the black lagoon (coincidentally, the new name for the BP enhanced Louisiana everglades) and i need to change into a spare pair of jeans, when arriving at my destination.

There's a good saying service mechanics of World War 2 radial aircraft engines used to swear by, and it relates directly to our 2-stroke bicycle engines.

If it ain't leaking any oil, it doesn't have any!
This pertinant advise has me arriving at my destination every time, even if i'm covered in filth and grime.

Fabian
Click to expand...


Honestly - the only two places one of these HTs should leave deposits is from the carb's backblow (un-reeded two stroke ofc) and the exhaust - but even the exhaust won't drip if the proper mix ratio is used.

Any, and I do mean any other deposits anywhere on the engine is a bad sign, that gaskets aren't intact and/or the proper torque hasn't been applied, perhaps even warped or otherwise malformed gasket seating faces, bad bearing seals, bad bearings/bent shafts and other problems. Far from being just dirty - it could also be a sign of a massive vacuum leak, causing a dangerously lean condition that no excessive mix ratios will compensate for - it'll just postpone the inevitable. The one obvious exception would be chain lube splatter ofc.

A filthy oily engine, specifically our wonderful HTs says only one thing - neglect. ALL leaks should be taken as the warning they are and the problem found and corrected.

BTW - those radial airplane engines often had external rockers that needed to be manually pre-oiled before flight, it wasn't a savaging system - it used the oil once and blew it out into the slipstream... so it's not an accurate comparison even with the farthest stretch of the imagination. Later with savaging systems that old saying became a sarcastic joke, still not even really comparable as two strokes have their oil in the fuel and while a oil pan or valve cover leak with a four stroke is vaguely annoying - a drippy two stroke could only be leaking from unforgivable places.
 
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tudorvintiloiu

tudorvintiloiu

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Apr 19, 2010
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Thanks people. But the thing is that I haven't been able to identify the leak that originated this thread. It hasn't happened since, either.
Indeed my engine leaks from the air filter and a drip every now and then from the exhaust.
I check all the nuts and tighten them regularly. 200+ miles on it and it just keeps running better and better. I love it! :)

Tudor
 
BarelyAWake

BarelyAWake

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Jul 21, 2009
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o_O

It disappeared never to be seen again? Sweet! Odds are it wasn't even leaking then, that it was a splash from the road or elsewhere *shrug* such things don't tend to heal themselves lol

Unless you've built a Christine... but that's a different movie :p

Good to hear yer enjoying the ride & it's treatin' you well (^)


BTW - a little bit of a drip frm the exhaust from time to time is perfectly normal with your average mix ratio, particularly if yer still using a "break-in" mix.
 
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tudorvintiloiu

tudorvintiloiu

New Member
Apr 19, 2010
41
1
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Romania
Someone mentioned a saying about engines.. Please allow me to add one to the list:

"Never worry about any unidentified strange noise you might hear, or unexplained problem. It will either go away an its own, or become worse - in which case you'll know what it is."
 
F

Fabian

Member
Sep 9, 2009
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Australia - Melbourne
With enough heat going into the system on a 38 degree day (100 degrees in the American scale) nothing can stop component warpage, then combine little or no airflow over the engine with wide open throttle for long periods at low speeds, the situation gets even worse.
Throw in a high amount of miles covered on a weekly basis, and it becomes pointless to clean the engine.
After a month of use in a high milage and a highly loaded scenario, the engine looks no different to that of being dragged out of the black lagoon.

You just accept you're going to get filthy, after attempts to try and stay clean fail miserably.
In my situation the adage of those WW2 service mechanics rings true to my ears: If it ain't leaking any oil, it doesn't have any!

In light use, and light engine loading, it's quite possible to maintain a clean engine, regularly scrubbing down the exterior.

Fabian
 
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F

Fabian

Member
Sep 9, 2009
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Australia - Melbourne
I'm quite well versed on the old radial engines.
The newer generation of radial engines developed through the second world war leaked their fair share of oil, or simply burnt the stuff in prodigious quantity, particularly with a cylinder missing.

The saying:

If it ain't leaking any oil, it doesn't have any!

comes from the American (round engine) service mechanics of the second world war.

Fabian
 
Humsuckler

Humsuckler

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Jul 28, 2009
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those old radial's were referred to as a total loss oiling system. it just drew from the tank like a regular fuel tank and blew it out with the exhaust pipes :)

id pay a shilling to have been alive to see a WW2 plane in service riddled with bullet holes and covered in oil from the cowling back.
 
K

kennessey

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Mar 15, 2010
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Humsuckler (or anyone), I was reading this thread hoping to get some answers for my bike when I read your post about the timing key. I am replacing a magneto as well and I think I heard something fall out of the magneto casing. At first I thought it was a screw as there were several under the bike now I am suspecting it was the timing key but since i haven't seen one before and don't know where to look I am not sure if that is the case or not. can you describe where it is and what it looks like. Any one have a pic?
 
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