73 cl350....need help!

[need4steed]

just picked up a 73 cl350, and the story from the past PO was that he was doing 70mph and he heard "ping" and then he had oil all over his right leg. the oil came from the area near the dip stick. What could have happened? could it just be a simple gasket blew and i need to fix that? i can still get it into gear, and it turns over just fine. any idea? thanks

 

[Hannibal Smith]

This is what I learned from decades of "PO's".......

What they say or claim is irrelevant. You have just purchased a mechanical beast, and determining faults/fixes is now up to you. Of course, some PO input is required, but by the sound of this "ping and oil on my 501's" you need to start pulling some shit apart.

I would not be turning it over until I had at least pulled the clutch cover, or any cover where this oil burst forth at 70.

I have no idea what it could be, and speculation will not change the fact that you have a lifeblood issue on your new bike. Take some pics, and some real mechanical experts on this site can guide you through it no problem.

 

[need4steed]

thanks. i was going to tear into it no matter what, but i just wanted to see if anyone had a heads up on what to expect. going to tear into it this weekend and take TONS of pictures. stay tuned...have a ton of pictures this weekend. thanks

 

[Hannibal Smith]

Hopefully nothing major, but these kinds of things are usually not any where close to what is originally thought to be the issue. As long as the massive rotating bits (pistons/rods/crank) is fine, you should be ok.

It seems that 9 times out of 10 (on Japanese stuff) that problems come from a PO's or mechanic's "fix" like foregoing the use of a cotter etc. Italian stuff......all bets are off.

I solved the mystery of my latest bike's fork tube issue......you could plainly see the screwdriver scuns from an attempted seal removal. $9.00 tool, vs. $271.00 (what I had to spend to fix it!)

 

[need4steed]

i hear ya. i have my fingers crossed and just going to go through EVERYTHING. do not trust the past PO.