Slow oil leak - from bash plate attachment bolt hole?

[hhgfnx]

Hi! I had noticed couple of times some oil on the floor, but could not tell where exactly where it was from.

Yesterday evening I thoroughly cleaned surface under the engine and now it looks that oil is slowly oozing through the bash plate attachment bolt hole, on the left side of the engine. Any good ideas what is going on? Could it be a broken seal or something more serious, like cracked engine block? Anybody ever had anything similar?

[scrambler]

Without pictures it is very difficult to judge. Perhaps only one of the small round covers in the alternator cover is leaking. Remove the engine guard and clean the alternator cover thoroughly with brake cleaner, then you can see where the oil is coming from.

[hhgfnx]

I can add a picture later on. But I’ve removed the bash plate and it’s literally coming from the hole where bash plate bolt goes. I first thought it to be some residual oil but seems fresh.

[scrambler]

ok, very unusual. have you tried tightening the bolt?

[hhgfnx]

There’s no bolt currently as plate if off. But should it be constantly attached, even without the plate being on?

[hhgfnx]

IMG_0965.jpeg

Leaky spot pointed by the screwdriver

[hhgfnx]

That could actually explain it… After your comment I checked the bolt and it clearly reaches far to the other side of the block. So at least in theory this could explain the leak. I thought this bolt wouldn’t have any function for attaching the sides together but I may have been wrong.

[scrambler]

OK, now I see the problem. Someone has drilled out the opening, it should be 7mm for an M6 bolt. If everything is stock, no oil should leak out even without the bolt.

NX250 bolt2.jpg

By the way: the engine guard is not bolted directly onto the engine housing. There are two brackets bolted on and the engine guard is then attached to these. So you do not need to loosen the engine screws if everything is stock.

NX250 brackets.jpg

[hhgfnx]

Yes I have those brackets as well. Bolts are now back, I’ll follow in the leak ends. Hope so!

[hhgfnx]

Yes no more leaks. It makes sense, I should not have removed those bolts but the bash plate only.