Currently I have a zx9r lump with a shortened sump and baffle plate installed.

Wherever I take my BEC out for a BLAT, I seem to accumulate a fine coating of oil on the sump and engine at the nosecode end of the engine and the engine oil goes down. Now there is a crackcase breather on the top, but I never seem to see much oil on the engine around this area.

The engine does get used, redline on a regular basis.

What I do not understand is where the oil is coming from. If I was burning oil (and I am told that the zx9r will push oil past the piston rings at high revs) but if this was the case, why would I would get a film of oil in the engine bay?

Other possible thoughts are - pin hole in the rewelded sump? (loosing oil under 60bar pressure when the oil is hot and thin), or pin hole in the baffle gaskets (again loosing oil under 60bar when hot and thin).

In the garage the car does not drop oil at all, even when at operating temps.

Any thoughts ot is simply that the engine is on the way out?

Cheers
Craig

It could just be oil mist coming out of the breather and circulating around the engine bay, then again you'ld expect everything to be coated. Venting the breather out of the side of the car temporarily would soon exclude that as a cause. How about giving the sump etc a thorough cleaning then coating in talcum powder and going for a short drive (the idea is the talc "coagulates" the oil so you see the leak rather than just getting a fine covering all over the engine). It's not going to be oil getting past the pistons- if it did it would go into the combustion chamber and you'ld just be followed by a slightly blue fog.

Otherwise is the oil drain plug at that end? Frequently people don't bother replacing the copper crush washer so it leaks when the engine is hot and the oil is thin. Again a puffer bottle of talc should help show that up after a quick clean.

Thanks Ben, I will try those and see what happens.
cheers
Craig

u2u sent

Thanks Heather, U2U replied to.
cheers
Craig

Well thanks for all the insight folks. Manged to put talc all over the bottom of the engine, and it looks like there may be a small leak on the exhaust side of the sump -between the clock, baffle plate and sump. Will have another look at the weekend.

cheers
Craig