Oil leak

I was doing some winter cleaning on my 998 today and noticed a slight oil leak from the rear cylinder where the jug attaches to the crankcase. The leak is large enough to allow a small amount of oil to pool on the top of the crankcase between casting ribs, but not so large as to run off the engine and drip. From the looks of the oil stain it appears to have been seeping for awhile and burning off. The bike has 2600 miles and is still covered under warranty. My question is... has anyone else ever had this problem, and if so how was is resolved? If I took it in for repairs the rear cylinder would have to come off for resealing and I'm not sure I want that done to my baby!! I would not have a problem leaving it alone if I knew it was not going to get worse. As it stands now you would never know it was leaking unless the body work was off and you were looking for it, no drips, smell, or oil loss. Please give me some advice.

My 01 748S does the same. Back of the vertical cylinder where it mates with the crankcase, right in front of the oil breather. I dab it with a rag after every hard ride. It isn't enough to bring my oil level low, but it doesn't make me happy either. I know it's a different set up than a 998 engine, but thought I'd share.

My '01 748 did the exact same thing, but seemed to start a little later that yours as I noticed it at about 5k. I didn't really worry too much about it, as it was a small amount of oil and you could see right where it was coming from. Not a concern anymore, though, as the jugs are off now for some new rod bearings so new gaskets are going in as we speak.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimmyD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The bike has 2600 miles and is still covered under warranty. My question is... has anyone else ever had this problem, and if so how was is resolved?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'd take it in and let Ducati fix the leak. Consider it preventive maintenance. Won't cost you anything. Don't let them put the old belts back on if they remove the head (they may even give you those for free). Ignoring a problem is never advisable, no matter how small you think it is. You may have dissimilar torque specs on your mounting bolts which could lead to warping. Key here is your bike is under warranty. It will only cost you time.

Cheers!

Chances are if it's a 998 that the valve cover is what is leaking. I have seen a lot of 998/749/999 motors do it. It's kinda tricky though because you will only see the oil at the base of cylinder. I have fixed all of them by removing the valve cover, appling some RTV at the corners of the rubber gasket and re-installing the valve cover.

my 749 did the same exact thing! took it to the dealer, they tighted one of the cyclinder head bolts (not sure which one), and it's been fine ever since...

My 998 did it two times in 5000 miles. Disapeared as appeared. Very strange.
I've quoted a lot of D4 and TS: much of them have this leak (seems to come from the head cover)