I have been in the middle of my sidecar project for three years. It will finally be completed this season. The bike has about 50k absolutely trouble free miles. It has started leaking oil from the weep hole at the front of the pan. I have read that that indicates an oil pump problem. I had no leaks before the start of the sidecar project. The leak started while the bike was not being ridden. What are my possible issues, before I start dismantling things?

arbalest

It sounds like the old oil/water pump problem. I had mine done last year. Same thing.

For what its worth there was a change in the impeller from a nut fixing to a bolt. Chances are the shaft etc is all kaput and for my money I would go the complete replacement shaft/seals/impeller kit and be done with it. The replacement parts are an upgrade from the original. Its a little tricky for a novice as the seals are fragile but its a diy job for anyone with good skills but must be done very carefully.

Edit: Mine also is 84 build date. Just go for the complete shaft/seals/impeller kit. When mine was opened up the shaft was not good.

If it started leaking while the bike was not being used then there is a 99% chance the shaft is rusted beyond repair
Remove the front cover then the whole pump, it probably has the old style shaft which means replacement would have been necessary regardless of condition as the threaded part fatigues and breaks as soon as you try to undo the nut.

Most dealers have a kit to repair the pump which isn't very expensive but you will need to buy a new shaft with the gear attached or a good engineering shop can make a shaft and use the old gear.
Used pumps from fleabay and the like usually are in a similar state to yours and usually aren't worth using.

Sound advice Rick. Anything less is really a short cut.

Thanks for the advice. I will check with my local dealer for the rebuild kit.

arbalest

If the impeller comes out looking like a big cone/ball of rust you may have the very early type that looks like the impeller from the bottom of an old Hotpoint Twin Tub washing machine. Don't bother trying to clean it up - give Motorworks a call and ask them to send you the later type (secondhand). They charged me £4 for mine. The overhaul kit contains the fittings for both types.

My 1992 K75 just started leaking a small amount of oil from I think the same place.  It started suddenly a couple of days ago.  The bike has not been sitting and has a little over 45K miles on it.  I would like to confirm that my fix is the same?  The hole it leaks from:  is this a vent or just a weep hole to tell when your pump is wearing out or is there another purpose for it?  doesn't matter but I would just like to know what it is for.
Thank you.

It serves both purposes.