ATC110 leaks oil like a sieve!

[mullet]

I picked up a well used 85 ATC110 a couple months back. It always starts on the first pull, has good power for a 110, doesn't smoke at all, has good compression and all that jazz. But the sucker leaks oil like crazy! The leak is originating between the head and cylinder.

This weekend I tore it apart expecting to find a piece of gravel between the head and cylinder or a bad gasket or no gasket or something... Much to my dismay everything looked great! I cleaned the surfaces up and put it back together, and it is leaking just as bad as it was before I took it apart (if not worse). To give you some idea of the rate its leaking, its about a drip a second while running.

Does this mean the head is warped or what? I can't locate the precise point of the leak because essentially there is a drip of oil hanging off every cooling fin. Any ideas on how to fix it? I started calling the trike "soup kitchen" because he is relegated to sleeping outside in the cold as I don't want to bring it into the garage where he will have an accident all over the floor. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Vealmonkey]

So, you said you put it back together, but you didn't say wether or not you used new gaskets. Did you use new gaskets? If not, that would be a good indicator of why it still leaks the same. There could be several reasons why it was leaking. But I bet the trike doesn't have one of 3 rubber gaskets in it that it is supposed to have.

[mullet]

Got me! I didn't have any new gaskets on hand, so i just re-used the gaskets that were in it... 3 rubber gaskets? I know there is a rubber gasket on each side of the cam chain slot (on the left side of the cylinder), but don't believe i saw a third one? Sounds like you may have found the culprit...

[Vealmonkey]

You should only have a single rubber gasket around the cam chain slot. But, there should be rubber cylindrical gaskets around where the supply and return drain holes are as they run through the cylinder. Check your shop manual or a parts microfiche and you should be able to see what I mean.

[mullet]

Will do. Thanks Veal!

[Nubbinz]

Or you can just wipe it off real good and put Honda bond anywhere you need a gasket or think you do. Just don't overdo it so it squeezes into your engine. You would be amazed with the things I've rigged up with a little silicone...