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2005 Base Gasket Leak

By j2man,
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j2man

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Well... metal gasket and all I have the dreaded "BASE GASKET LEAK"!!! This is a 500.00 $$ 5hr repair that may happen again. Bike has ~11000 easy miles and should not have this problem. Mother Suzuki should be fixing these freaking lemons. I know these leaks are few and far between but beware the potential is there. I cannot trust the DR anymore and it must go. I have owned many bikes and never had this kind of problem on such a new bike.

I wish I could trust the bike but I cannot chance it... the bike has to be reliable for me I cannot be down for repairs whether I do them or I pay to have them done.

DAMN I loved this bike... this is the only Suzuki I have ever owned... Given the Suzuki factory response I will never buy Suzuki again. Period! ?

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klas.karlsson

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Well... metal gasket and all I have the dreaded "BASE GASKET LEAK"!!! ...

So you have a metqal gasket and still get the leak !??!

I have never heard of that.

But from what I heard even the 2005 do not have the metal gasket installed from factory - for some very strange reason (but that's what ive heard)...

/K

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j2man

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Yeah I checked for the metal tabs before I bought the bike... ? That was a must... I know this totally sucks. :applause: Brand new with the metal base gasket. Its not so much the leak its Suzukis' response to the leak that ticks me off. Screw Suzuki!!!! I am going to have it repaired and then it has to go. Already have quotes 400~500$$ and at least two Weeks for parts. All the gaskets have to be done, head, cam, cam adj, base. I have read about the repair and there are a few pitfalls like the cam chain dropping back into the case after the new base gasket is installed. That would SUCK so I really don't want to dick around with it. I am going to suck it up to the tune of $$500 :applause:

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R_Little

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And you are sure it is the base gasket that leaks, not for instance the cam chain tensioner ?

/K

Yes, yes, YES....Check that tensioner gasket!

My '96 started to leak and I bought all the parts. Sgt Mike told me to check the tensioner gasket and I just replaced it and the leak stopped.

25k miles of hard moto use and don't leak a drop.

Check the tensioner gasket!

Still got the parts in a box to this day.

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DR650Keith

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My 2004 DR has 30k miles and has always seeped some oil from the head and also cam tensioner, no biggie really. The bike runs perfectly and most of the oil washes off when I wash the bike every few weeks. It's just a cosmetic thing, it never loses enough oil between oil changes to amount to anything.

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j2man

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Let me settle this. Base gasket leak not covered under warranty because I was not the original owner. Milli-mouthing Suzuki BULLSHIT I say. I bought the bike from a friend that really wanted a KTM not a DR but didn't know this till after he bought one. Bike was brand freaking new 300+ miles. The first thing I did when I noticed the leak was the cam tensioner gasket myself. No brainer. Easy fix. NOT!!! Leak did not stop... so I scoured the Internet this site included and came up with the RTV fix. Whoever had this work must have had a micro-leak or the Laws of Physics/Hydraulics just don't work for them as they do for me. So eeeeeeehhh.....!!! Still had a leak. A bad leak.

SIDE NOTE: A good way to detect leaks that happen under load without killing yourself by trying to exam while driving is to by some really cheap spray-on deodorant and spray/coat the mating surfaces in question. The white deodorant goes dark when contacted by the hot oil.

Now by "bad leak" I mean pooling oil on the case ~10mls worth every ride on both sides. This would not strand you in any situation but drives me crazy and makes a HUGE mess. So like I said its not really the leak, that can be fixed. The problem here is Suzuki's response to a manufacturing defect and not wanting to own up to the repair. Couching it in legal ease just pisses me off. Every other manufacturer has a transferable warranty. SCREW SUZUKI. I shouldn't have to pay for their defect. If they had backed their product I would not sell the bike. I would instead ride around knowing in the back of my mind that perhaps this could happen again but Suzuki has my back. At least for a couple of years. Then I would buy a new DR and write this one off as an anomaly. BUT NO!!!! I WILL NEVER BUY SUZUKI AGAIN.

SUZUKI SUCKS!

Damn and I really wanted a WRX... Oh wait thats Subaru.

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adventurebob2004

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Let me settle this. Base gasket leak not covered under warranty because I was not the original owner. Milli-mouthing Suzuki BULLSHIT I say.....

SUZUKI SUCKS!

I'd say Suzuki USA sucks personally. Suzuki N.Z gives a 2 year warranty on all MC's, which is fully transferable if ownership changes (which is only fair and reasonable). What about you guys from Oz, U.K, Sweden etc, what are your warranty conditions like??

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05dr650

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I'd say Suzuki USA sucks personally. Suzuki N.Z gives a 2 year warranty on all MC's, which is fully transferable if ownership changes (which is only fair and reasonable). What about you guys from Oz, U.K, Sweden etc, what are your warranty conditions like??

I have a 2 year warranty because I paid with cash, but I do not know if mine is transferable or not.

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93hokie

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$500 is ridiculous for that work. I had my 99 DR650 done in April 2005 and it was less than $200 for parts and labor. I guess that's what they mean by the cost of living in CA being alot higher than here in rural VA. Aside from the shop having my bike for 5 weeks and me having to redo the valve cover gasket because it leaked after the work, it wasn't bad. Bike has 21K miles now, 11K since the work, and no leak.

Good luck.

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j2man

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$500 is ridiculous for that work. I had my 99 DR650 done in April 2005 and it was less than $200 for parts and labor. I guess that's what they mean by the cost of living in CA being alot higher than here in rural VA. Aside from the shop having my bike for 5 weeks and me having to redo the valve cover gasket because it leaked after the work, it wasn't bad. Bike has 21K miles now, 11K since the work, and no leak.

Good luck.

WOW Happened at 10k same as mine...hmmm must be a defect. Yes Suzuki-USA tech-service says it's a 5hr job and out here the rates are $95/hr + Parts = $500 bones ?

SUZUKI-USA SUCKS!!!! But the DR is a great bike.

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adventurebob2004

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WOW Happened at 10k same as mine...hmmm must be a defect. Yes Suzuki-USA tech-service says it's a 5hr job and out here the rates are $95/hr + Parts = $500 bones ?

SUZUKI-USA SUCKS!!!! But the DR is a great bike.

And why won't Suzi USA cover your warranty claim either? Something not right here... What was their excuse this time, it's obviously something that should be covered by the 2 yr warranty surely??

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elevatorjunky

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For 200$ I would buy the high compression piston kit and do it myself.It really is easy and the performance gain is worth it.As far as Suzuki is concerned I think they are the same as all the rest.They wont stand behind their product and none of the others will either.It would be sad to have gotten a lemon,any company would have went far out of their way to avoid a warranty repair.Even as far as saying a proper mechanic didnt service the blinkers or some other B.S.

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