Oil Change: Filter Has A Has A Few Drops Of Oil

In short, no, at least not past the new seal which doesn’t need to bed in if the mating surface is clean and the filter is correctly torqued.

 

Hi mate, welcome from all Downunder.
Looking at your post, I heard of someone who did an oil change and the old oil filter o ring was stuck on the sump casing, they didn't realise which meant there were two o rings on the filter, which led to an annoying oil weep, worth a look I think. Let us all know how you go. Mini

 

No worries at all

 

Are you 100% certain the pill is dripping from the oil filter. Check if there is any oil on the single wire behind the oil filter. If there is, it could be your Neutral Switch that is weeping oil. Don’t try to tighten it, the weeping is not from the thread. The oil weeps between the plastic and the spade connector. Usually you will just get one or two drips on the garage floor overnight. There is a fix that stops it completely but don’t think a new switch is the answer. After a week the new switch will leak too. Please look at the two attached photos. One is a brand new switch and the other is with the modification. If you need any help on how to do the mod just let me know ?

 

After I did my 600mi oil change w new filter, I noticed some drips on the floor; looked like it came from the oil filter; did a wipe of the area, tightened the drain plug a very very small smidge and the oil filter the same; no more drips;

 

I can't ever recall torquing an oil filter on, hand tight only with a firm grip.
Lots of different bikes and cars. Lightly oil the new filter o ring/seal after inspecting the engine receiving face.

I have come across double sealing before, especially on awkward to see diesel fuel filters.

 

I only ever hand tighten the filter on the SUV. It is quite large and accessible and easy to get hold of. It always seems much harder to get off by hand, probably more to do with breaking the stiction of the large rubber seal after the countless hot-cold-hot cycles of normal everyday usage. Tightening it to “spec” with a wrench means you’ll never get it off by hand but I’ve never had one leak yet.

 

IMHO @Walter C Licker it would be worth explaining the mod here now for possible future reference by others - thanks

 

With the motorcycle on its side stand to start the modification, make sure the gear change is in Neutral. Gently remove the single live wire from the Neutral Switch spade connector, do not twist or pull on the wire. You will find the wire attached to the switch located in a recess behind the oil filter underneath the motorcycle. Then using a 14 mm extra long socket to allow for the spade connection to fit inside. Ideally a 14mm plug socket or box spanner will do the job perfectly. Remove the switch itself, don’t worry you don’t need to drain any oil. An old rag on the floor will catch the thimble full of oil if any behind the switch. Once you have the switch check for any damage, which is quite common because of the stupid location of the switch under the motorcycle. If the switch is undamaged, spray clean with brake cleaner and thoroughly dry. Now you will need to find something like a plastic or nylon tube end blank that has the same internal diameter as the switch plastic moulding that the spade goes into. Cut a slot in the blank end of the tube blank so that the spade will slide through the slot. Now you will need to half fill the blank with either epoxy resin or JB Cold Weld. Now slide the blank over the spade until it appears through the slot. Push so it is tightly seated and wipe off all visible resin especially if you get it on the thread. Leave the switch alone for at least 15 hours for the resin to set rock hard. Once the switch is ready to be refitted, wipe clean the seating area of the switch and then gentle screw the switch back in by hand, do not try to start the screw in procedure with a socket because you can easily cross thread and cause no end of problems. Once tightened as far as possible by hand, use a torque wrench with a setting of 8Nm. Do not be tempted to tighten more than that. Don’t forget there is a crush washer or a copper washer so it’s very doubtful any oil will leak from the thread. Do not use any copper slip or any sealant on the thread because the thread is the earth (ground) connection for the switch. Now gently slide the female spade connect onto the spade until you feel either a slight click or until it bottoms and feels securely connected. That’s it all done, now check the Neutral switch is working by sitting on the motorcycle with the side stand up. Turn on the ignition and see if the green warning light comes on then just click the gear shift up and down to see if the warning light goes off. If it’s all working then your done, no more oil weeping from the Neutral Switch and splattering underneath or on your garage floor. This is not a quick fix, expect to have your motorcycle off the road around 24 hours. Take your time and do the job efficiently and effectively. I would just like to say that I initially thought I had a leaking oil filter after an oil change. It was such a relief to find the real culprit was the Neutral Switch. Also don’t think buying a new Triumph OEM part will solve the problem. The brand new switches drip oil after a week or so and Triumph know about it but haven’t come up with an upgrade switch yet, to my knowledge. I wish you all good luck and I hope this helps someone out THANK YOU.

 

With the motorcycle on its side stand to start the modification, make sure the gear change is in Neutral. Gently remove the single live wire from the Neutral Switch spade connector, do not twist or pull on the wire. You will find the wire attached to the switch located in a recess behind the oil filter underneath the motorcycle. Then using a 14 mm extra long socket to allow for the spade connection to fit inside. Ideally a 14mm plug socket or box spanner will do the job perfectly. Remove the switch itself, don’t worry you don’t need to drain any oil. An old rag on the floor will catch the thimble full of oil if any behind the switch. Once you have the switch check for any damage, which is quite common because of the stupid location of the switch under the motorcycle. If the switch is undamaged, spray clean with brake cleaner and thoroughly dry. Now you will need to find something like a plastic or nylon tube end blank that has the same internal diameter as the switch plastic moulding that the spade goes into. Cut a slot in the blank end of the tube blank so that the spade will slide through the slot. Now you will need to half fill the blank with either epoxy resin or JB Cold Weld. Now slide the blank over the spade until it appears through the slot. Push so it is tightly seated and wipe off all visible resin especially if you get it on the thread. Leave the switch alone for at least 15 hours for the resin to set rock hard. Once the switch is ready to be refitted, wipe clean the seating area of the switch and then gentle screw the switch back in by hand, do not try to start the screw in procedure with a socket because you can easily cross thread and cause no end of problems. Once tightened as far as possible by hand, use a torque wrench with a setting of 8Nm. Do not be tempted to tighten more than that. Don’t forget there is a crush washer or a copper washer so it’s very doubtful any oil will leak from the thread. Do not use any copper slip or any sealant on the thread because the thread is the earth (ground) connection for the switch. Now gently slide the female spade connect onto the spade until you feel either a slight click or until it bottoms and feels securely connected. That’s it all done, now check the Neutral switch is working by sitting on the motorcycle with the side stand up. Turn on the ignition and see if the green warning light comes on then just click the gear shift up and down to see if the warning light goes off. If it’s all working then your done, no more oil weeping from the Neutral Switch and splattering underneath or on your garage floor. This is not a quick fix, expect to have your motorcycle off the road around 24 hours. Take your time and do the job efficiently and effectively. I would just like to say that I initially thought I had a leaking oil filter after an oil change. It was such a relief to find the real culprit was the Neutral Switch. Also don’t think buying a new Triumph OEM part will solve the problem. The brand new switches drip oil after a week or so and Triumph know about it but haven’t come up with an upgrade switch yet, to my knowledge. I wish you all good luck and I hope this helps someone out THANK YOU.

 

Strange, not heard anything about this. I’ve had 3 Bonnies since 2020 and they’ve all been oil tight. Perhaps you were just unlucky in having a bad switch, like some owners suffered the gear shift problem and others with exactly the same model and year did K’s of miles without issue.