u/ghostfoxote

Videos: https://imgur.com/a/eAmQFeZ

Backstory: original aluminum(!) 7mm diameter clutch pushrod for the bike wore out and bent, causing a slow oil leak whenever the clutch lever was pulled in, I figure the the bent pushrod was stretching out the pushrod seal. OEM pushrods are rare and expensive and I wanted to avoid this issue in the future. I found suitable 7mm diameter steel rod and cut/ground it down to be identical to the OEM rod in its length and slightly rounded end shape.
Replaced the pushrod with this new one, replaced the pushrod seal with a new OEM seal while I was at it. Test idling w/ clutch being worked, as well as a test ride were completely successful, no more oil leak whatsoever. Sweet. Went for a couple local rides with no issues or leaks whatsoever.

Did final spring maintenance today including oil change with the usual conventional moto 10w40 and all cables lubed and adjusted per factory manual. Test idled bike again after everything was done, idled sweetly with no oil leaks, including when clutch is worked. Ready to go for the year.
Shut bike off, gear up, mount up to go run errands, and without touching anything else it's suddenly absolutely PISSING oil from the clutch pushrod/seal. Holding the clutch in might be making it leak slightly faster, but either way it's a horrifying constant stream from the pushrod seal so that doesn't really matter. I checked behind the side cover and the new pushrod and the new seal are both still in perfect shape. The clutch cable and mechanism are still in place, functioning perfectly fine and smoothly.

The only possible cause I found was this brass bushing/washer for the pushrod that sits right behind the seal. The pushrod seems to fit kinda loosely in it, it's possible to wiggle the pushrod around inside it. (imgur link, vid 1) Maybe this has worn out and isn't holding the pushrod tightly anymore, so the pushrod is shifting and stretching out the center of the seal when the side cover is installed? The pushrod seems to be held pretty damn firmly in place by the seal alone once I install the seal, though. (imgur link, vid 2)
If the brass bushing's meant to be a tighter fit around the pushrod, maybe it's worn out and needs to be replaced by a steel one to hold the steel pushrod tight so it doesn't move around and stretch the seal? I can't see any way of doing this without it being a year long and engine out affair, though.

Thanks in advance. I'm at my wits end with this little bike's achilles heel. It's otherwise bulletproof; I've done every bit of maintenance on this thing and would be confident riding it across the country tomorrow, if I knew this one seal wouldn't bleed it to death within a few miles.

Context: I'm making my own motorcycle clutch pushrod to replace the old one that bent. I'm using 7mm steel rod cut and ground to length. I've been told factory pushrods are heat treated, so I'm thinking of getting that done to finish my new part before slapping it on the bike. I'm also an idiot who knows nothing about heat treating other than "makes metal stronger", so here I am. My questions are:

- how much does heat treating benefit something like a pushrod? The primary stress it'll be subject to is compression load as the clutch is pulled and released dozens of times every ride, so my main concern is the rod weakening under that load and deforming. I'm wondering if heat treating would make it stronger in that regard or if it's more just surface hardening for surface wear resistance such as scratches, chips, and abrasions.
- if so then what kind of heat treating would benefit it most, that I could realistically have done as a guy going around to shops asking them to finish my DIY project?

Rod is 7mm diameter/250mm length. Pics attached are the rod itself, the specs from mcmaster carr, and a diagram I made from the motorcycle manual showing how it will be used/stressed.

Thanks in advance.