Hello guys,
so i bought a GS500F in october, it was checked by a service, but we noticed that the oil is leaking out of the engine, but the guy who checked it said he had no idea why was that, and it should not be a problem until the engine led pops up on the handlebar. But nowaday i have managed to ride some (around 100kms) and whenever i stopped an oil drip was under the engine, and also you can see the oil coming out. But the ride works properly, but i'm quite concerned about it. Do you have any idea why could it happen, or what could be the problem?
https://s24.postimg.org/wffr9vbzp/15878077_1191402517582306_1169208761_o.jpg Here is a picture of it. The black dirt is what is coming down with the oil. And also you can see the oil in the head of the bolts.

The light comes on when there is inadequate oil pressure.  Typically when the oil light comes on, you should cease operation immediately.

Telling you that the oil leak isn't a problem until the light comes on is like telling someone who is bleeding profusely not to worry as long they don't see "a bright light".  Once the light is there, it's too late to do anything.

Leaks on lower engine parts are mostly the fault of bad gaskets.  In this case I'd suspect the oil pan gasket of being damaged.
Might be due to overtightened or just a defect.  It won't be that hard to change yourself, but it may be a messy job.


If your mechanic said A) he doesn't know what is causing the leak and B) it's essentially alright to just ignore it, then he is a terrible mechanic.  I would find a new place to take my bike immediately.

Watcher hit the nail on the head here. Definitely take your bike to a different mechanic. How would he know its okay to ignore a problem if he can't tell you exactly what that problem is?

The best way to pinpoint an oil leak is to judiciously clean the engine in the area of the leak and then dust it with baby powder (talc). Then go for a ride. The source of the leak should be very apparent in the powder. Replace the appropriate gasket.

Thank you guys for the advice.
I checked the oil level (cold temperature) and it is almost at max level, and as far as i know when the oil is hot it expends so the level would be higher, right? So does this make sense or not?

Years ago when I got my GS there was an oil leak from the cam chain tensioner... was pretty bad it would drip at times and it took a bit to get that sorted. I kept an eye on the oil level and it never seemed to lose any.

Fast forward to now and I've got a tiny leak towards the front of the engine on the clutch side that I'm going to tend to eventually. Again, been checking the oil level and it hasn't dropped.

What I've found over the years of owning my bike and reading on this forum is that the oil level drops when riding hard for a long period of time. I'd go for a longer ride in the summer, highway speeds etc and that's when I'd notice it dropped a bit.

All that being said, it still would be good to fix. 

Oh and +1 to what Watcher said about the oil indicator on the dash. The service that told you what they did is full of bunk 

Quote from: denavdesign on January 11, 2017, 12:37:19 PM
Thank you guys for the advice.
I checked the oil level (cold temperature) and it is almost at max level, and as far as i know when the oil is hot it expends so the level would be higher, right? So does this make sense or not?

Technically yes, the oil expands a bit when it is hot, however when the bike is warm, the oil is circulated through the engine rather than all in the reservoir, so if you check the level while the bike is hot, it will read very low.

The indicator on the dipstick is meant to be read with the bike cold, so the oil being almost at max level while the bike is cold is exactly right.

well depending where you're leak is, a temporary fix, or if its between the two transmission halves [seriously nobody wants to replace those "Gaskets"..] I have found if you use the smallest needle you can possibly find, drain your oil as if you're doing an oil change. source the area of the leak.

pull the plunger out from the needle and squeeze some red RTV silicone into the top, no worries about trying to get it to the end, when you put the plunger back in, its pretty slick stuff and will squeeze down with little resistance.

now take your needle, and insert just the very tip of the needle into the crack, and squeeze some in, you might have to "move down the line" of the leak but squeeze only just barely enough, dont wanna squeeze it into the case or anything... play with it on a piece of paper or cardboard to see how fast it comes out. so you get an idea. now let the RTV setup/go off according to the tube before you go an fill with oil/run it. I have stopped up 2 oil leaks this way.. will it last forever? who knows.. but my GS is cursed so I don't expect much. 

Guys, i have managed to make a video of it, i hope you can clearly see the issue. Please watch the full length of video, and then focus on the timestamps in the video description. The oil level (cold temp) is still at F .
Thank you in advance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H__3Js2RsM

OHHH THAT'S THE OIL PAN GASKET.

Easy, buy the oil pan gasket for the 05 [there are differences between the early ones and the newer ones]

warm up oil a little by running the bike, remove the headers/exhaust, and drain the oil. remove all the bolts from the pan, pan will come off and you will see the old gasket, remove gasket, replace with new one. torque down all the bolts.

for the torque and pattern, I tried to google it for you to find the "OEM" pattern, but couldn't find anything, but from my experience over the last 5 years of torquing things down. my provided image below should be right about right.. and wont cause you to crack or break anything. but know for sure that the bolts are 10ft lbs, or 120 inch pounds. if you have a smaller torque wrench.

http://imgur.com/a/5sWKZ