Topic: Oil Leak, Pressure Loss, HELP!

[climber11]

Howdy all,

I just completed the assembly of my 350, and it's still leaking oil a bit.  I went for an easy test ride around the block and it seemed fine, maybe 10 minutes.  As I pulled into my driveway, lucky me, the oil pressure light comes on and the engine dies.  Now I can't get it to idle, but will stay running uneasily with some throttle. 

Oil Leak:  How much is too much?  I just replaced all the top end gaskets, no sealant, at the correct torque and pattern.  What's the secret to sealing these things up?

Pressure:  I am wondering if it's caused by too much oil, from the assembly, or possible oil sending valve gone bad?  Any ideas?

Thanks for the great help,
Scott

[Bill Vaughan]

Scott,

I'm not so sure that the oil issue and the rough running problem are related, although it's possible.  The oil light may have come on as a result of a pre-stall condition.  Is the oil light on now (as you run the engine)?  You might have a carb. and/or ignition problem which causes the bike to be unstable at idle, activating the light.

As far as the leaks are concerned, these engines are generally fairly tight once new gaskets and seals are installed.  Can you tell from where the originates?

[climber11]

The oil seems to be coming from a variety of sources.  Mostly around the oil passages on the ends of the head.  So, I am new to this bike, and new to engine building, sorry about the newbie questions.  If I want to pull off the head again, do I need to put in a new gasket, as the other one is leaking?  Should I use some kind of sealant (i.e. grease, gasket maker) to help squish the gaps?  Perhaps just around the oil lines?

The bike ran great before I tore the engine apart, so no electrical or fuel problems, unless I screwed someting up on the install.  What typically causes a "stall condition"?

Thanks
Scott

[Killer Canary]

Doesn't hurt to use a smidge of RTV gasket maker to make sure.
Not to say this is your problem for sure but it isn't rare for the oil pressure switch to act up.

[Bill Vaughan]

I'm assuming that your 350 is a 4 cylinder.  Although my experience lies with twins, since you mention the oil passages at the heads, two things come to mind - seals and copper (sealing) washers.  Honda generally uses one or both at oil passage points.  Your manual should make reference to this or you could verify it by looking at a parts diagram for your bike at www.servicehonda.com/test.

Also, make sure that you've used the correct torque values and tightening order for the bolts.

As far as the stall condition is concerned, when the idle speed dips below normal (as in the engine is about to stall) it would be somewhat normal to expect the oil pressure light to activate since the pressure is likley below normal.  Many things can cause that condition, but it's always best to start with the easy ones (carb leaks, adjustments, timing, etc.).