78 gs1000 Smoking from top of engine?

[Guest]

Hello All.

First time starting bike and I have smoke coming from what seems to be from the top of the valve covers.
Prier to starting the engine I changed the oil(Rotela) and filter, it was contaminated with a large volume of gasoline , petcock was in prime position for many months.
Any ideas ?, does the engine have, a for lack of a better description, a PVC type setup?

Thanks Much.

[A-train]

You're sure it's not oil hitting the exhaust?

There aren't many places for smoke to leave the valve cover. Breather, tach tach-off, and....?

[tkent02]

does the engine have, a for lack of a better description, a PVC type setup?

Just a hose going to the airbox. Are you missing the hose?

[Geo]

This is my first experience with a (large engine) . I cut my teeth on a 550.
The engine is VERY clean and the smoke is definitely coming from the top.
So this engine has a hose air-box set up...
Will be checking that Fri.
Given the care the previous owner gave the bike I wouldn't think anything could be missing, disconnected but not missing.
One more question, do you by chance know the air pressure for the struts?
Thanks for all the help.

[lrgguy]

My gs1000 was doing the same thing . Turned out to be a cracked valve cover . Crack was on the inside by #4 plug and the oil would drip down the inside of the engine then drip out the drain holes to the front of the engine , then drip on the exhaust pipes .. once the engine got hot it would smoke quiet a bit ..
Not saying you have a crack . But check around for an oil leak !!

[A-train]

My gs1000 was doing the same thing . Turned out to be a cracked valve cover . Crack was on the inside by #4 plug and the oil would drip down the inside of the engine then drip out the drain holes to the front of the engine , then drip on the exhaust pipes .. once the engine got hot it would smoke quiet a bit ..
Not saying you have a crack . But check around for an oil leak !!

Agreed - smoke tough to create in block itself - usually oil leak finding it's way to exhaust...

[1_v8_merc]

I spray painted something around the frame once, and that was enough to smoke like crazy...and I'm not even talking "that" close to the engine, the heat builds quickly though!

[Geo]

Hello all...
To give a quick update to my smoking problem. I did thoroughly check the engine and it was leak free and all the hoses were attached.
So I fired it up again and in about 10 min the smoking stopped.
Now I'm wondering if something was sprayed on the engine perhaps as a corrosion inhibitor , or a leaking petcock allowed Gas to pool someplace on/in the engine.
My next steep will be to rebuild the petcock (it leeks) is Z1 the place to get the kit?

Thanks for everyones help and advice....

[jbthomp]

My next steep will be to rebuild the petcock (it leeks) is Z1 the place to get the kit?

You would be better off getting a new one. The rebuilds seem to have a very low success rate.

[eil]

My 850 engine smoked pretty good at first... from all the dust and whatnot on the fins after having sat for over a decade.

[Griffin]

I know (from witnessing it firsthand as someone did it in my garage) that WD-40 on an engine will SMOKE LIKE A HOLLYWOOD FOG MACHINE for several minutes until it is all burned off. I thought the rube had caught my garage on fire until he told me what he had done. Any type of oil or petroleum-based preservative will smoke up as well.

If it smoked with no visible leaks out of the engine and now longer does, I'm guessing something got sprayed on it and it's all burnt off.

If only all the issues with a "new" bike were that simple......

[Geo]

Yep ,I was surprised about the volume of smoke and the-duration of it. The frustrating part was that I could not pin point the location of the smoke.

Thanks

[Geo]

After further investigation and more smoke my diagnoses was dead wrong. Seems that their is some seepage of oil between the base of the cylinder assembly and (case?(
So what is my first step...should I attempt to re torque the bolts that attach the cylinder head to the case . Are the bolts easy accessible. Does the valve cover have to come off?
Sorry for the basic questions , but the only engine exploration I have done was to adjust the valve shims.

Thanks for the help.

[chuck hahn]

I would think that if the main studs were loose enough for a base gasket to leak then the head gasket would also leak. you can try to retorque but i think you are pizzing up a short rope doing so.

The bolts can be gotten to without removing the cam cover. Take off the tank and look down the appropriate holes and youll see the nuts.

[Geo]

Thanks , I will try that....Now where did I put that 1/2 inch impact wrench?

On a serious note ,would you know the torque specks of the top of your head?