Thoughts on oil consumption

[scdmarx]

I have to add a quart at just a little over 1,000 miles. Around town riding is not so bad, but it's been most noticeable when I go on longer trips at freeway speeds. In the mornings, and also after riding and the bike has set for 3 hours, start up results in a cloud of smoke. Enough to smoke me out of my parking tent in short order on fast idle. After a minute or so, it clears up and everything is back to normal. I don't know if the two are related, and I do park on the side stand for what it's worth.

My main concern is the oil consumption at freeway speeds. Now, it is possible I suppose, that long high speed trips is where I notice it most because it's happening all at once instead of short trips to work everyday over a month. But at 1,000 to 1,500 miles it is a quart low, like clockwork.

Any thoughts?

 

[mcgovern61]

Ron, my '81 engine did the same thing until I realized I was overfilling it. It had that small oblong window so it was hard for me to see. But when I started to only fill it to the center of the sight glas (at the bolt on the wiper), it stopped consuming oil (even though I am sure the lower bearings are bad).

My '83 engine never uses oil until I reach about 3k miles and then it only needs ounces. At that point I am just about ready to change it anyway.

Leaving it on the side stand does allow it to not completely drain from the left head and it will burn it off at start up. But consuming on trips, I am more apt to think it might be leaking from the usual places. (tach drive seal on fuel pump, shifter seal, oil filter, cam shaft seals behind the cam covers which makes it look like the valve covers leak) Just a guess.

 

[dan filipi]

I find the same as Gerry with my 81 engine with over 100k miles.

 

[scdmarx]

Hmmm, ok maybe 3 qts is too much??? I'll try running it just a tad low in the sight glass and see what happens.

It does accumulate a light coating of grime on the bottom of the cases. Might be from the oil filter area blowing back. It has a new shifter seal and valve cover gaskets and they look good.

 

[mcgovern61]

Hmmm, ok maybe 3 qts is too much??? I'll try running it just a tad low in the sight glass and see what happens.

It does accumulate a light coating of grime on the bottom of the cases. Might be from the oil filter area blowing back. It has a new shifter seal and valve cover gaskets and they look good.

I would be under the opinion that light grime on the bottom of the cases is more likely the cam shaft seals unless you have an aftermarket oil filter spin in adapter.

 

[dan filipi]

A lot of grime builds up on the bottom just running down the road.

I would clean the engine good then watch it for oil leaks since if it's burning a quart in 1k miles you should see it smoking out the pipes.

 

[scdmarx]

The grime is minimal, in my opinion. Good idea to watch for leaks anyways. But I'm gonna try running it just a bit low even if just to eliminate that idea. Just gotta be careful not to run it out, or too low.

 

[AApple]

It does accumulate a light coating of grime on the bottom of the cases. Might be from the oil filter area blowing back..

In my personal situation, my water pump seals are leaking a bit, and dribbling oil out thru the weep hole in the bottom of the front cover, just under the t-stat. That blows the oil film back on the bottom of the engine case. If the bike sits for an extended period, it will drip on the floor from the weep hole. If I ride it every day, the drip is much less.
Just throwing that out there...

 

[toytender01]

I jyst removed the waterpump and oil filter and removed the cront of thr eng housing qand replaced the seals and "O" rings got no leak no mo :Egyptian: :Egyptian: :Egyptian: