lots of smoke

[sloppydoll]

not sure if this is the right section in the forum but hopefully i'll find an answer ,old 1979 gs850 chop , 4into2 exhaust ,pod filters, rejetted , bike was running a bit strange so changed to sparkplugs and after change of the sparkplugs the bike started smoking quite badly and smelling fairly bad when warm and hitting higher revswhen pulling up , running idle the smoke seems to fade away even when warm it doesnt smoke that much when running idle , starts at the push of a button even after standing still for a week , checked oil levels ,had to much oil in it initiall , oil seems farly dirty at the moment as well but drained a good bit of the oil to get to correct levels and still smokes , a bikebreaker nearby suggested fuel and oil addative to flush out the engine but with the oil cleaner it doesnt seem to make any difference , i have noticed that the inlet manifolds are a bit worn but dont know if false air could cause white smoke , wondering what it could be my biggest fear is the rings , mostly because i lack the tools and space to fix it lol , any ideas ?

desperatly looking for help because the bus is not half as enjoyable as on the bike with the nice weather

[Big T]

Does your oil smell like petrol?

It sounds like your fuel petcock has gone bad

[Jason the terminator]

If it was oil burning it would be blue smoke not white. How much fuel have you ran in it? Next fill up try some dry gas additive. Run a compression and or leak down check on each cylinder. Try changing valve stem seals. What does the oil smell like? Bad rings will leave a hint of gas smell in the oil.

[Nessism]

Sounds like a tired engine. The plug was fouled so after replacing it, and the cylinder firing again, the smoke started.

[sloppydoll]

the oil didn't smell of petrol when i drained it , smoke is white with a bit of smell of an eggy fart , not sure what a tired engine means though , i got a gs 1000 engine offered to me but the problem is the drive it's a chain instead of a shaft otherwise i would have just changed that over unless i can take the drive from the 850 and exchange the chain for shaft on the 1000 cc one , i got a box of valves lying around but wondering how easy that is without taking the whole engine out

[tatu]

the bus is not half as enjoyable as on the bike with the nice weather

Nice weather? In Aberdeen?

Do you have, or access to a compression gauge?

[sloppydoll]

nice weather ...... maybe nice is to strong a word , but best weather we can get lol
dont have a compression gauge the thing with my gs is that she runs fine(apart from the smoke) starts easy ,plenty of power 0 to 50 in matter of seconds , so not sure if i have leaks or loss of compression anywhere unless you dont notice that in performance in these old beasts

[SqDancerLynn1]

IF the oil was overfull you may have gas in the oil. Maybe a petcock problem

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. sloppydoll,

You may have several issues with your bike that need to be addressed. It's 30 years old and needs some TLC. Your "mega-welcome" contains a couple of maintenance lists that need to be gone through. That should get you started in the right direction.

Anyway, let me dump a TON if information on you and share some GS lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Big T]

So

1. Test your compression
2. When did you last adjust the valves?
3. Test your petcock
4. Check your oil level daily

If it's running well, and accelerates right up to 60 as it should, the motor is not worn out

Are all the plugs bad, or #3 especially bad?

The white smoke is from some other minor issue, especially since it just started happening one day,probably not the rings

And sorry, the 1000 chain drive won't swap (yeah, I read your other post)

[sloppydoll]

trying to get my hands on a compression tester , not checked the valves or adjusted them , got a manual to do it but cant figure out how to with the way they word it lol , plugs are fine
there was to much oil initially in the enigne but changed that to correct levels

speaking about oil , i want to drain completely and change filter and top up oil again , asda nearby sell gastro oil 4 litres cheap but read different things about using a car oil in your bike (something to do with anti friction additive in the oils ) just have normal bike oil in the bike just now ,but i thinks it's ready for an oil change anyway
what oils can i use (motorcycle oils here are beyond ridiculous compared to car oils )

[Nessism]

Diesel truck oil is good for motorcycles.

[sloppydoll]

i have just discovered smoke coming from between the cyclinder head and cylinder body , not sure but think my head gasket is gone and that might be causing some smoke

[BassCliff]

Hi,

...not checked the valves or adjusted them , got a manual to do it but cant figure out how to with the way they word it

CLICK HERE and read. (PDF file) There are lots of pictures too.

...there was to much oil initially in the enigne but changed that to correct levels...

Sometimes this can mean that there is gas leaking into the crankcase. Read Overflowing Carbs.

...speaking about oil , i want to drain completely and change filter and top up oil again , asda nearby sell gastro oil 4 litres cheap but read different things about using a car oil in your bike (something to do with anti friction additive in the oils ) just have normal bike oil in the bike just now ,but i thinks it's ready for an oil change anyway
what oils can i use (motorcycle oils here are beyond ridiculous compared to car oils )

CLICK HERE and read. It's a long page with lots of information about basic, necessary maintenance procedures, carbs, shocks, springs, where to get tires and other parts, and lots of information about OIL.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

i have just discovered smoke coming from between the cyclinder head and cylinder body , not sure but think my head gasket is gone and that might be causing some smoke

Hi,

It is possible to have a failed head gasket. But smoke could also be caused by oil leaking onto the cylinders or headers from the tach cable send unit, or the valve cover gasket. If you like, clean the motor well and check for leaks. See the tach cable seal repair here: Replace Tach Cable Seals.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff