Rattles & Leaks

[Nico]

There seems to be so many with some sort of problem showing up so lets find out just how many of us have them.

Cheers. :doctor:

[fugaziiv]

what about none of the above?

[Nico]

Sorry,
Forgot to put that one in, don't know if I can get back in to add it??? :sick:

[andyw]

Not seen it mentioned any where but I've had my clutch fluid changed twice already as it goes dark in colour (looks like contamination with really fine black particles) - needs doing again (1200 miles done now), I'm going to ask for the hose to be changed as well this time.

Add to your survey?

[BJAM]

My clutch fluid container is black as well after 900 miles. Same thing happened on the Ducati 996 but not the ST4s. Not sure what causes the fluid to darken - Andy, did you get yours changed under the warranty? Let us know what they do to the cables. Thanks

[sbkmike]

My clutch fluid is also very dark. What causes this, I think, is that DOT 4 brake fluid is very hydroscopic, (aborbs moisture easily), and with a combination of the heat from the engine/clutch assembly, cooks the fluid. The container is quite small compared to other hydralic clutch bikes I've had in the past. I figure if the container was larger, it would take longer to discolor. If the clutch works OK, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not worried about mine, it's probably nomal.
The whole deal is easy to bleed anyway. Change the fluid if shifting becomes difficult, because it's hard to tell when the clutch gets spongy at the lever.

[fugaziiv]

i was just picking on you, no big deal....

[andyw]

BJAM666...yes the fluid was changed by the dealer without charge, not been back yet re the hose but it was their suggestion that they would change it if the problem continued. From their comments this is not normal and despite comments above I beleive that this is caused by poor hose quality....brake/clutch fluid will go dark with age but not over the space of two weeks and just a few hundred miles.

[Madjohn]

A very small leak on the water pump. Not that worred just yet.

[rjk]

Slight clutch rattle that I can easily live with. Otherwise PERFECT. :Punk:

[grip96]

Found some oil underneath right side of motor. Removed belly pan, I can not pin point the leak. I cleaned the bottom of the motor with brake cleaner went for a little ride no leak. Is it possible that the dealer put to much oil in the motor, and the oil found a way out?

[jimbo77]

Just keep a close eye on it. Some have reported minor leaks solved by re-torqueing some bolts. Myself, my bike is in the shop as I write this trying to diagnose a leak on the left side, somewhere in the vicinity of the gear shaft seal, or maybe front sprocket seal.

[andysv1k]

Ive got an oil leak from the front cylinder which should get sorted on the 4k service.

Also had water leak which made the engine case nice and green!

Andy.

[Finley]

I have the clutch rattle/knock, oil leak from the front cylinder camchain tensioner, clutch fluid is very dark(still works ok so not worried) lost the cap saftey clip,
and thought I had got away with the coolant hose leaks untill last week when the rad to waterpump housing hose started leaking, tightened the clip and seems OK on short rides so far(funny that it had not long had its 4000 mile service :o )

[bvihovde]

Only som slight surging at 3-4000 rpm (partly fixed at service), and I have adjusted the idling once. Other than that, just perfect! :D

[jrl305]

When I got to Daytona on Friday, I noticed a couple of green drops on the right coolant hose. In the morning, there was a drop of coolant hanging off of the radiator seam right next to the hose. I loosened the clamp, twisted the hose back and forth and retightened the clamp. It's ok now. No noises, oil leaks, vibrations or parts falling off. At 5000 miles my clutch fluid is getting a little darker than the brake fluid but it's still transparent.

[bradleydickson]

Hummm, well let me add in my troubles and hope for some feedback other than "Call the dealer."

1. Clutch fluid is dark. Haven't changed it, but will mention it to the dealer for possible change when in for service (since someone mentioned it was covered under warranty). A buddy suggested (and would make sense given the clutch rattle) perhaps the discoloration of the fluid is due to a leaking hydraulic seal in the engine case of the clutch assy. Perhaps it's motor oil mixing with DOT 4. Then again, I'm also satisfied w/everyone else's opinion that it's saturated and dirty fluid or poor quality hoses.
2. Clutch rattles. I've been worried about this as long as I've heard other people talking about it. I figure this is going to be a "major recall" type of thing given the complexity of rebuilding the lower end and/or main bearings which people believe to be the source of the rattle. I will fully support efforts of this group to have Suzuki rectify the problem.
3. Fuel Injection. This this the serious one. Symptoms: Starts half of the time. If I can get it to start, it usually runs real rough as I feather or rev the throttle to get into 3k-5k RPM range to get the motor going. After I park (>20min.), I have fuel dripping out of the charcoal vapor canister (located in right-side of tail section) onto rear tire. Once started and running rough, coughing tons of blue (I know this means fuel) smoke (almost as bad as a 2-stroke). Strong odor of gas, running real rich, and so is my tire! Once I get going, I can keep it operating at 80mph+ w/little to no problem. Usually fine when starting up cold, problems when trying to restart after a short stop.

I haven't done anything w/the air filter. It all started right after I got a tank of Shell fuel. No check engine light. 9k miles in 5 months. Mostly commuting and roadtrips. I can count the number of wheelies on one hand. Regular oil changes, washes and lubes. I've asked a few guys who know bikes and motors, and they all diagnosed fuel injection sight unseen. They said, "take it to the dealer!" Something I don't want to hear. I purchased this new bike so I wouldn't have these types of problems. I rely heavily on the bike for commuting purposes (I live in the California S.F. Bay Area - my 40 mile one way trip takes 45 minutes, otherwise would take 1.5 - 2 hours each way) and don't want to surrender to the dealer indefinitely. Also, one of the guys (who rides a GSXR1000) said not to get Shell gas, he claims it even states this in his owners' manual. Has anyone heard this? I thought I read my owners' manual.

1. Has anyone heard about this Shell gas note?
2. This should all be warranty work right?
3. Given my milage/usage, while it's in the shop should I just have them do the 12k mile valve adjustment?
4. How much longer (meaning shop hours) should that take?
5. I am very happy with the performance, but wouldn't mind the cost of putting in a K&N air filter, is that an easy thing to have the dealer do? (I'm afraid that my air cleaner is destroyed given the fuel through the motor i.e. PCV and EGR valves and airbox) Are there other modifications i.e. remap TPS or issues that may arise from this minor change?
6. If worse case, the dealer says I need to change the computer, is this the time (given above, I'm already very happy w/performance, but I don't mind the cost) to add a PowerCommanderIII box? Does this replace the computer - is the computer a PCIII? Is it reasonable to "bargain" with the dealer that since they are already in there changing the computer, that I'd buy the PCIII from them and have them install it at that time, including remap etc. w/o non-warranty charge. Meaning no R/R charge? Also note, given I'm satisfied w/performance, I may one day want aftermarket cans, just to be louder, am I jumping too far ahead by installing this box and possible remap w/o spending the $700 for cans? (even though I'm ready to do K&N and possibly a PCIII [free install is why I'd do this] I don't think I'm ready to do the $700)
7. Can anyone think of anything else I should be armed with before calling the dealer?

Thanks so much everyone.
-Brad Dickson
03' SV1000S Silver

[rjk]

Brad....call your dealer and have them pick it up! Worry about the other mods later. Air filter is simple to replace and does not require any other mods at all. PCIII will only really help if increasing air flow in and out. Clutch rattle has nothing to do with main bearings...wouldn't worry about that unless it isn't the clutch after all. As for Shell gas...I use it without any problems and no, it isn't in the manual to not use it, unless the Shell in your area is mixed with something else not recommended. Valve adj. not recommended until 15k.

Others may have a better idea of what is wrong but it sound major to me. :doh:

[jrl305]

Sounds to me like you got some diesel fuel mixed in there. Blue smoke is indicative of oil. Empty your tank and fill it with gasoline and see if it starts to clear up. If your tank wasn't empty when you filled up at shell the bike will run on a gas/diesel mix but not very well. It has to be hot and you have to keep the revs up. If you had an empty tank and got ALL diesel, it wouldn't run at all.

[bradleydickson]

Well guys...a bit of an update. I called a dealer who went straight to schedule an appointment for next week. I asked for 5 minutes of his time to possibly diagnose symptoms over the phone, he agreed. After I mentioned the fuel injection, possible computer, new tank of gas...he interrumpted me. He claims, "unfortunately, due to a poor design of the fuel overflow hose being the highest point on the bike (right at the filler ring) and the exhaust vapor canister being the second highest (in the tail section) if you happen to overfill your bike, fuel that overflows into the hose can can get stuck between the two points causing all sorts of weird things." First he ask, "Are you mechanically enclined?" He advised me to get a hold of a shop manual/service type of book to get a schematic/diagram of which hose goes between the two features, simply remove it and blow through it to get the raw fuel out. "Reattach and you'll be ready to go!"

Thinking back, maybe a overfilled the fuel a little. I mean, not by much (it was gushing all over the tank!), but it may have been a little (<0.25") more than I usually go.

I haven't tried this yet...losing 3 hours of my day in a car in commute traffic doesn't lend itself extra time to work on the bike. One more day of the car then I can get to looking for this infamous hose. Maybe it's a long shot, anyone have (or know where I can get a hold of one soon?) a few pages of service manual with this diagram?

Man, I'm crossing my fingers on this one. I'd much rather be the first guy with overfilling problems rather than the first guy with F.I. or computer problems (sorry in advance to the first guy).

[Bish]

You can find the Service Manual here (http://www.edubs.net/bikestuff/sv1000/sv1000_2003ServiceManual/).

and the bit you want is here (http://www.edubs.net/bikestuff/sv1000/9_Emission_Control_Information.pdf).

Cheers
Bish

[Timothy]

Nothing so far! We will see at the 4000 mile service AND when I have found out just HOW buggerewd the bike is after the spill!

[rogfog]

None yet - hope it stays that way !!

[ReiL01]

Clutch fluid extremely dark (getting changed shortly).....slight water leak (tighted a hose clamp/fixed it)...other than that..once again near perfect machine!! :niceone:

[brokenleg]

My clutch rattles very slightly. Noticed some oil on the undertray. Cannot find the cause? Still checking.

[BHsv]

I must be lucky. Had none of these problems!

[cyber_ninja]

Not got any of the above, but the paint is flaking around the screen (Blue bike, showing silver underneath).
Makes me wonder if all bikes were painted silver first and then had a thin layer of blue slapped on top!

[svtlrtls]

I don't have any problems so far.

[Viking]

Not got any of the above, but the paint is flaking around the screen (Blue bike, showing silver underneath).
Makes me wonder if all bikes were painted silver first and then had a thin layer of blue slapped on top!It's just the primer. This coating is often light in color since adding pigmentation will reduce the adhesive properties of the primer. If the "silver" (primer) color starts wearing off you should get the bike resprayed.

Erik

[dougie111]

what problems do i have?.....simply it's FUCKING SNOWING!!!! :cold:

[durtal]

I think I don't have any problem for the moment (touch the wood)

[ywr969]

:oops:
i clicked "more than one" when i thought it said "none of the above."
i don't have any of those problems, & mine's a 2003 nekkid.

[llama_boy]

No problems other than a little surge in the 3300-3400rpm range. Seems to only happen before the bike reaches normal operating temp so I don't consider this a problem.

[Maui]

Still not sure if I have the "rattle" or not. Sometimes I hear things in neutral... Most times not

[tlstwin]

I still get the occasional smell of antifreeze while riding. No signs of fluid anywhere except one time in the garage. There was a small pool of antifreeze under the bike. I traced it up to the little weep hole tube that comes out of the water pump.

I called the dealer and they had no clue as to why it would leak. I know the TL's had a water pump seal go though. Not sure if I want to do this myself or let the Suzuki guys deal with it. It is out of warranty, 23,000 miles on an 03 SV1000S since Aug 03.

[chewy22]

Non of the above ( lucky Bastard ) Nop its a good bike the SV

[2WIN]

I think I don't have any problem for the moment (touch the wood)

Me niether! KNOCK on wood!

[Maui]

SHHHHHHH.... You never say the "K"-Word around an SV... What are you trying to jinx yourself and others????

Hey everyone... If you develop the "K-Word" you can blame 2Win for jinxing us...
:oi:

[Tundra Tom]

Ahhh, the "K" word has been uttered. You shall be tortured by the Spanish inquisition.
For what it's worth, (like most everyone else on the forum) my SV has been flawless. Rub the wood oh so softly..... :rofl:

[Maui]

Was flawless... 2Win jinxed you...

Na Na Na Na Na Na.... :wallbash:

[utah]

Wasnt this something we could have used in the PRO AND CONTRA ON YOUR SV ?

[hsracer]

another vote for "none of the above"

[tlstwin]

Mine ended up being a little split by the upper left hand mount. The mount pulled away and caused a core to split a little. Got it fixed.

[Team Smoke]

I just went over 3k on my SV1Ks and zero problems.
It always starts and runs great.....yeah maybe a little clutch rattle......my 02 650s did the same.....no worries



mike

check my mods and
suspension settings at Team Smokes website

[Yoshi]

my has hick-ups not bad just every so often , need to do the TPS adjustment (I'm lazy ) also the left rad hose has started leaking going to try a new clamp first before replacing the hose. still love the SV and the little stuff is just part of owning a bike