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spark plugs - running rich/lean?

  • Thread starter Thread starter KitKat
  • Start date Start date
K

KitKat

Guest
So the bike is all stock, airbox + exhaust, 7900 miles,

these are the pictures of the plugs, they were brand new and just installed a few days ago (like 2 or 3)

156pemq.jpg




heres each one separtely closer:

this is the right cylinder

2r2t6r7.jpg



this is the left cylinder

kd48k8.jpg




the right one is more chalky kind of hard dark stuff

while the left looks more fluid, has some glisten to it (hard to explain)


what does all this mean? am i running too rich? why is there a difference in the plugs?

what do you brilliant people reccommend i do next?

Thanks
 
I'm thinking someone's going to say the left one is oil-fouled but I'm no expert. Seems like I heard if it gets glisteny after sitting it's oil and the other one might be gas (rich)
 
The shiny one is from too much oil, the other might be OK or might be a tad rich, depending on what riding you did while running those few miles.
Really useless information without doing proper plug chops.
 
so how do i fix this?

i've cleaned the carb, set float height new petcock + new airfilter

Thanks
 
If it smokes oil on hard accel it's the rings. If it smokes on decacel it's valve stem seals. If it smokes at startup it can be either valve guides or valve stem seals or both.
If it doesn't smoke at all it's probably fuel.
I go down a size on the main. If you're running stock jetting I'd look at ignition.
 
There are only about four or five ways oil can be getting into the combustion chamber: leaking head gasket, worn or damaged rings/cylinder, cracked head (doubt it), worn valve guides and/or failed valve seals. Does the left pipe smoke when you first start it up? Does the smoke go away after a minute or two? Have you done a compression test on the engine?

I'm not familiar enough with the GS300 engine to know if it's shim/bucket valves. The most likely culprit at this age is failed valve seals. In that case I'd expect some smoke from the left pipe for a minute or two. Parking on the center stand may help a little bit (on the side stand oil stuck in the head collects over the valves on the left cylinder). The real fix of course is to pull the head and valves and put new seals on - and check the valve guides while you're in there.

First I'd do a dry/wet compression test.

Has the bike been sitting a while? Is this a resto project for you? Engine ever seized? You might just need to run the heck out of it.
 
Hi,

With only 7900 miles, I'd be surprised if you really had to remove the head and replace the valve seals or remove the jugs to replace piston rings. Either would be quite a job. I hope that's not the case.

Let's hope it's only a stuck ring and that by riding the snot out of it you'll loosen it up again.

Make sure everything else is right, clean carbs, new intake boots and O-rings, new air filter (NOT over oiled), etc.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Would the oil level affect this? I am thinking if it is overfilled. Probably not likely aor it would affect both plugs but just thought I would ask
 
i've ordered new oil filter, o ring and gasket

so im going to be changin the oil soon, and ill probably put in synthetic.

Ill fill it up and hopefully itll be good to go.
 
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