Exhaust Leaking Oil? Need some help!

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Nick Malanga
Posts:12
Joined:Sun May 03, 2015 6:31 pm
Exhaust Leaking Oil? Need some help!

Post by Nick Malanga » Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:58 pm

Hi, I recently purchased a kart ready for Tag Sr., which I plan to be racing these year. I have started it multiple times without out problems but earlier today I realized it was dripping oil. After some investigating, it looked like it was coming from part of the exhaust. I'm still learning my way around karts and this specific engine (IAME Parilla Leopard, pre 07 I think). I assume this means that it isn't burning part of the gas/castor oil mixture, and have no idea what may be causing this. Should I check/replace the spark plug? Am I running it too rich and it can't burn it all in one shot? Excuse my ignorance!
Any ideas? Pictures below, been cleaned up though.

Thanks!
Nick Malanga

Nick Malanga
Posts:12
Joined:Sun May 03, 2015 6:31 pm

Re: Exhaust Leaking Oil? Need some help!

Post by Nick Malanga » Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:09 pm

EDIT

No pictures as it won't allow me, but to go further into detail it's coming out of the spot where there are springs mounted in an X formation. Don't exactly know what it's for.

Patrick Roth
The master poster
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Joined:Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:47 am

Re: Exhaust Leaking Oil? Need some help!

Post by Patrick Roth » Thu Jan 07, 2016 8:46 am

Nick,

Are you going to be at the track this weekend with your kart? There should be plenty of people around with Leopards you can take a look at and ask questions.

When I ran a Leopard I almost always had some oil leaking out from the flex area (the joint where the exhaust header meets the muffler and is held together by the springs). I wouldn't make the assumption that you are running too rich based on this alone. What are your carb settings (hi and low needles)? If you are out this weekend this would be a good time to ask for tuning advice from others that run the Leopard.

Patrick

Ken Snider
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Location:Missouri City, TX

Re: Exhaust Leaking Oil? Need some help!

Post by Ken Snider » Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:11 am

Nick Malanga wrote:Should I check/replace the spark plug?
Hey Nick,
The oil drip is common as Patrick described. Certainly pull the plug and have a look. Depending on age and amount of use this can be the easiest indicator of lean/rich conditions. Preferred appearance on the electrode and insulator would be brown [lightly burnt toast] color. If the plug use is unknown it's an inexpensive thing to replace and have a known baseline. From here it would be good to check...(to be continued)
Ken (#56 Intrepid TaG Master)
Ken Snider - X30 Master

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