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Sump ‘n Drippy

12171 Views 22 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  barbagris
So at 500k i noticed a bit of oil around the front of the sump, it looked to be leaking through the gasket.

I pinched up the three sump bolts at the front and all seemed good.

At 1000k my dealer snugged up ALL the sump bolts.

At 1200k I noticed leaking at the rear of the sump.

My dealer has ordered a new gasket which is going to take around four weeks to get to Australia as there are basically no spare parts in Aus yet.

Anyway just a heads up, you might want to eyeball your sump gasket for any dampness.
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Hi DukeAus, over at that other forum I commented that I wasn't having any leakage problems but I took the bike for a 300 km ride today and I find that I also have a problem.



Oil mist at the front of the sump and weeping along the left side enough to form droplets of oil, definitely not from the chain, also note oil mist on the right side every couple of inches.


Really really pissed off to be honest, this is a really simple design problem that doesn't happen to bikes these days and hasn't happened since the days of Triumph back in the 60's.


The other thing that pisses me off is these bikes have been on sale for over 3 mths in Europe where this problem is apparently becoming obvious and yet KTM Australia chose to import bikes for sale in Australia knowing they have a oil sump design problem, says a lot about KTM Australia actually.
as an early buyer of the 790 I sort of expected teething issues, when It comes to oil leaks I can say my sump is dry but I have very slight misting of oil from the LHS engine cover near the alternator wire grommet
My new 1050 speed triple had porous main engine casings so bad they swapped the bike after 6 months this was due to the high pressure casting technique used not being 100% it is possible as these engines also use high pressure engine castings it might be KTM are having similar issue
No one stopped buying Triumphs with the 1050 engines but it did mean a numbers of owners had issues
I also had both fork seal go on my triumph in the first 3000 miles
I agree its pretty bloody annoying.

I guess ill just wait and see if a new gasket fixes things up tho unless they have changed the gasket design or material i dont see how it will be any different.
don't give up hope YET! :)
In my case when I was running it in there was only just a slight mist at the front on the LHS, but then after the 1st service when they changed the oil to Motorex 10/60 I had a 150 km ride home from the dealer and there was heaps of oil from the LHS front and along the side back to the sprocket cover - by heaps I mean maybe 25 - 50 ml. I initially wondered if the dealer mechanic had forgotten to replace a seal, it really was that bad, so the viscosity of the oil had a lot to do with the leak.


Interestingly now each time I ride the bike there seems to be less and less oil weeping, especially now that I've introduced the engine to the little red light :grin: it's reached the point where I wouldn't be too concerned about doing a 1,000 km weekend ride nor worry about carrying any oil for a top up, just give the LHS sump a quick wipe when getting fuel.

I think I will wait for while and see what happens, maybe there will be a recall (unlikely), maybe KTM will do something (unlikely) or maybe software update V2.0 may have something to do with it.
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My local dealer called me today to let me know they have my new sump gasket... Ill get it fitted in the next few days and let you know if it fixes my issue.
My local dealer called me today to let me know they have my new sump gasket... Ill get it fitted in the next few days and let you know if it fixes my issue.

Can you ask the mechanic if he could see why there was an oil leak, was it a faulty gasket or a fault in the sump casting.


Its odd all the leaks seem to be on the LHS, sort of indicates some sort of design fault.
So had a new gasket fitted yesterday and after a 4 hour hard ride today there is no sign of a leek, tho there is oil around the sump.

The dampness now seems to be coming from the front sprocket cover, hopefully just oil spray from the chain. I cant imagine it could be the crank seal already.

Interestingly KTM said that my dealer was the only dealer in Aus to order a sump gasket. moreover my dealer has only sold two bikes and both mine and the other where in for a new sump gasket on the same day!.. Weird?
So had a new gasket fitted yesterday and after a 4 hour hard ride today there is no sign of a leek, tho there is oil around the sump.

The dampness now seems to be coming from the front sprocket cover, hopefully just oil spray from the chain. I cant imagine it could be the crank seal already.

Interestingly KTM said that my dealer was the only dealer in Aus to order a sump gasket. moreover my dealer has only sold two bikes and both mine and the other where in for a new sump gasket on the same day!.. Weird?
Glad to hear it sounds like it's sorted.
Maybe someone in the assembly plant was having a bad day.
Every time i grease my chain i end up with whats looks like oil dripping from the LHS rear of engine.
behind the side stand pivot
i have found if you remove sprocket cover and clean out the old s..t this stops what looks like a leak from engine
Every time i grease my chain i end up with whats looks like oil dripping from the LHS rear of engine.
behind the side stand pivot
i have found if you remove sprocket cover and clean out the old s..t this stops what looks like a leak from engine
Same here! I recommend synthetic chainlube, makes it easier.
This is good! Doesn’t gather dirt, won’t splatter all over the place, doesn’t matter if it gets on the wheel.

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So had a new gasket fitted yesterday and after a 4 hour hard ride today there is no sign of a leek, tho there is oil around the sump.

The dampness now seems to be coming from the front sprocket cover, hopefully just oil spray from the chain. I cant imagine it could be the crank seal already.
Interestingly KTM said that my dealer was the only dealer in Aus to order a sump gasket. moreover my dealer has only sold two bikes and both mine and the other where in for a new sump gasket on the same day!.. Weird?
OK DukeAus, what is the verdict, is it engine oil or chain lube ?
If it is engine oil it will be almost clear in colour, if its chain lube it will be almost black, pretty easy to spot which is which.
Tried taking a photo of my leak but the oil is so clear I can't get a decent pic, mine is from the bolt just above the filter back to just below the front sprocket.


Had a look on the 790 parts fische and you can't buy a sump gasket by itself, you have to buy a complete engine gasket kit @ $AUD 427 but in the UK it is 137 UK pounds (approx $AUD 250), talk about a rip off KTM Australia, had a look in case the problem returns when I'm out of warranty.
This is good! Doesn’t gather dirt, won’t splatter all over the place, doesn’t matter if it gets on the wheel.
I will its just that i have got 18 cans of castrol racing chain lube tins left !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I will its just that i have got 18 cans of castrol racing chain lube tins left !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In that case :grin:
OK DukeAus, what is the verdict, is it engine oil or chain lube ?
If it is engine oil it will be almost clear in colour, if its chain lube it will be almost black, pretty easy to spot which is which.
Tried taking a photo of my leak but the oil is so clear I can't get a decent pic, mine is from the bolt just above the filter back to just below the front sprocket.


Had a look on the 790 parts fische and you can't buy a sump gasket by itself, you have to buy a complete engine gasket kit @ $AUD 427 but in the UK it is 137 UK pounds (approx $AUD 250), talk about a rip off KTM Australia, had a look in case the problem returns when I'm out of warranty.
Yeah the new gasket along with a little liquid gasket sealer has done the trick.

I had the work done under warranty so i dont know about purchasing gaskets.

I might take the sprocket cover off just to see how much chain oil has collected in there.
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OK DukeAus, what is the verdict, is it engine oil or chain lube ?
If it is engine oil it will be almost clear in colour, if its chain lube it will be almost black, pretty easy to spot which is which.
Tried taking a photo of my leak but the oil is so clear I can't get a decent pic, mine is from the bolt just above the filter back to just below the front sprocket.


Had a look on the 790 parts fische and you can't buy a sump gasket by itself, you have to buy a complete engine gasket kit @ $AUD 427 but in the UK it is 137 UK pounds (approx $AUD 250), talk about a rip off KTM Australia, had a look in case the problem returns when I'm out of warranty.
hey wozzamatta, I have exactly the same leak from my LHS oil sump gasket. I've tried tightening up the bolts but doesn't seem to have improved much.

Is it still an issue for you? I'm considering going for a warranty claim but my dealer is useless, they can't even fill the oil up to the right level - can't trust them to replace a gasket without causing other damage.
i have oil around the sump gasket on the LHS, my dealer is lovley and said that he suspects it's actually the drive sprocket seal and the oil is running down then along the line of the gasket.
He will order both the seal kit and the gasket and decide on the day, but his money is on the sprocket seal.
covered under warranty

I will update when it gets done.
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Looks like we need a medical section in the forum.

For a leaky bum, see a Proctologist.
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