Between the heat and the rain where I live I had a hard time finding time to get out and test the fix but I was able to get out yesterday on a 45 minute ride. I ran relatively hard, I wanted to get the oil really sloshing around and I am happy to report the front of my Rebel 1100 is completely oil free. Looks like this fix has worked, at least for a week and 1 good, spirited ride. If this ends up eventually failing I will report back but if you see nothing from me after this post you can assume its still holding in the oil.

 

do option 1 but if you don't have the service manual get one

Honda Powersports CMX1100D 2021 (helminc.com) $50

there are several things to be observant about ie cover bolt lengths/position and loosening/tightening pattern, dowel pins, oil orifice orientation, tips for sealant application and torque spec for bolts

Honda recommends a sealant equivalent to ThreeBond TB1207B

I had to replace my alternator cover and a couple of other pieces that were damaged in shipment...the dealer ordered the parts and shipped them to me and I put them on. It was an easy job.

 

might be worth doing this first. But if it fails you are not out much then do #1

Remove what you can to see it better. Mask the metal around the wire egress. wipe around the wires as much as possible and the metal around it using ACETONE. Get a tube of black RTV gasket maker (sealant/adhesive they are all about the same). Use the long nozzle end with just end cut off. Squirt it in and around the wires. Poke it in as much as possible with maybe a toothpick. Also place some on a hard surface so you can test when it should be dry. Test it with a short ride. The RTV will stick where surface is clean metal and/or rubber if cleaned with acetone.

 

That's bad timing to be just out of warranty. I wonder if you could try to get them to cover it anyway. How many miles do you have?

 

Yea, it is what it is. I’m around 2500 miles now. Not a lot. I might try that but my fear is that Honda will decline and then I’ll be on the hook for the repair or at least a “diagnostic” fee. I’m seriously thinking about doing the RTV gasket maker stuff and seeing if I can fill the gap and seal it up. That would be a quick and easy fix.

 

My post on my same leak was when the 1100 had 4k miles. Dealer took the bike in and only touched it after Honda had approved the repair after warranty. I imagine it would be futile to take it in and wait for Honda to say "NOPE".

The oil level is below the egress of the wires so if you try the RTV you still need to clean the area well for it to stick. Don't use anything metal when poking around the gromet. Something thin like a narrow cut piece of an old credit card with a thin cloth might get into the area. If it does put some acetone on the cloth and poke it in to clean off oil that could be there. Also note that the gromet has a hole where the wires go through it. Possible it could leak around the wires besides between the gromet and the metal housing. Just trying to think of possibilities. Good luck.

That gromet is assembled to the cable assembly and cannot be purchased as a Honda Part number. I am sure the dealer only took the cover off and cleaned it well and re-applied the sealant to the entire cover mating surface and probably liberally around the gromet. I did notice the color of the adhesive they used was a different color.

 

Thanks for the info! Going to get the RTV today and try it out.

I am curious though, is the alternator bathed in oil?
Does the alternator/stator splash oil around and that splashing oil is what’s leaking past this grommet?
Was too much oil put in the engine at the last oil change (done by a Honda shop)?
Is this something that is critical to get fixed ASAP or can one live with it?

Thanks!
Mike

 

I checked my oil level today per the instructions in the manual: warm up the bike for a few minutes, let sit for a few minutes, pull and wipe off the dipstick, insert but don’t screw down the dipstick, take the reading. No oil shown on the dipstick. That’s a lot of missing oil! I got the 600 mile service done a little over a year ago. Yikes! Looks like it’s a bigger problem than I thought. Must be leaking oil as I ride because there was only 1 spot about the size of 2 US quarters side by side on my garage floor. I don’t notice any burning oil so my guess is it’s dribbling out as I’m riding. Sigh.

 

did you forget to hold the bike upright (level) when checking the oil? you didn't mention that key step in your procedure

 

Continuing with the external fix attempt. Today I disconnected and removed the horn and the wire connection below this alternator connection. I then gently sprayed brake cleaner on the front of the engine where there was oil and scrubbed with a soft bristle toothbrush. That really cleaned up the oil nicely and dries fast!

Looks pretty clean.

I then applied the permatex ultra black oil resistant gasket maker like I would do caulk. While I was applying the permatex, I would pull the triangle grommet to the opposite side to create as large of a gap as possible. I then followed billnoroville’s suggestion of using a toothpick to gently push the permatex into the gap. I then wiped off the excess and did it again. I did this probably 4 times and the last time I used my finger to push the permatex into the gap. I then wiped it all down with a paper towel. Looks like this:

The bottom doesn’t look as good because I didn’t want to wiggle the wires and mess up the permatex at the top. All in all it looks really good. Since I seem to be out of oil, I’m going to let this cure and then do an oil and filter change. It’s time anyway. Then I’ll watch it and report back if this seems to be working or not. I had more than a few drops of oil in the plastic cover that covers this area after only 3 minutes of warm up time so it is definitely a problem. Hopefully this easy fix will cure it.

Thanks for the great advice! I’ll let you all know how this holds up.

 

I think I would have left more of a bead on top and also put some around the wire housing. It would still look ok with more there. Let that cure and add some more wouldn't hurt.

If it was a year ago since your 600 mile and 2500 miles now. Even a small leak would make it low. I kind of cheat when checking oil. I put a 1x4x4 block under the kickstand and check the oil. When I do that the oil level is right at the neck where the dipstick shape goes from round to flat. I don't like messing with holding the bike level. Did this will all my bikes that did not have center stands. Same block.

 

I had the same issue, the actual leak according to the dealer came from the crankcase sensor, a bad O ring. I had the sensor replaced and new O ring. since then no more oil leak. It turns out the Africa twin has the same issues as both bike's share the same engine.

 

Just an fyi, brake cleaner can degrade certain types of rubber and could also possible cause a problem with the wiring harness rubber. I would be interested in knowing if there were any cracks in the rubber after 6 months to a year.