wtf... smoke?

[morbidphil0622]

Finally got my 83 750 es running right today. Took her out for a ride and noticed that there is a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust. You can smell it pretty bad too. It doesnt bother me too much but it is kind of an eye sore at the red lights if you know what I mean. I have no clue where to begin. Could be burning oil, could be a fuel thing. I am a bit new to carbs so wouldnt reccomend me taking them apart unless I have to. Does anybody have any ideas as to what this might be. I know it is a very vague question but I figured I would shoot it out there. You guys have been very very helpful in the past. By the way the smoke is about the thickness of what comes out of your crankcase breather tube. Until that is, I give the throttle a twist. I think I could blind the guy behind me when I do that.... Thanks... Jason

[earlfor]

My first guess would be rings. Has the bike been sitting up for a long time?
If so, it may take some miles for them to reseat.

Earl

Finally got my 83 750 es running right today. Took her out for a ride and noticed that there is a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust. You can smell it pretty bad too. It doesnt bother me too much but it is kind of an eye sore at the red lights if you know what I mean. I have no clue where to begin. Could be burning oil, could be a fuel thing. I am a bit new to carbs so wouldnt reccomend me taking them apart unless I have to. Does anybody have any ideas as to what this might be. I know it is a very vague question but I figured I would shoot it out there. You guys have been very very helpful in the past. By the way the smoke is about the thickness of what comes out of your crankcase breather tube. Until that is, I give the throttle a twist. I think I could blind the guy behind me when I do that.... Thanks... Jason

[Jethro]

As a general rule of thumb, white smoke = burning oil (bad rings), black smoke = burning fuel (bad valves). There is more to it than that however.

Does the smoke ever go away? What is your fuel economey?

[morbidphil0622]

This didn't occur to me before but is it possible that my muffler packing could be burning up? I am just using regular R-34 fiberglass insulation from the local hardware store.. Also, how do I find out if my rings are bad?

[tfb]

Do a compression test of each cylinder, that will tell you what's what. Procedure is as follows:
1. Warm the engine up.
2. Disconnect all the spark-plug leads.
3. Attach the compression gauge to the spark plug hole of the cylinder.
4. Crank the engine over with the starter button.
5. If the compression reading is less than 100psi, you have a problem with that cylinder. But is it rings or valves? Read on...
6. Put about a teaspoon of oil into the cylinder. Re-do the compression test.
7. If the compression reading for that cylinder rises, your compression is getting past the rings/ cylinder bore.
8. If it doesn't rise, the compression is escaping out via the valves.

White smoke means you're burning heaps of oil. It could be stuck rings, as Earlfor suggests. Could also be busted oil ring(s)... other broken piston rings will mean you burn oil, but busted/ worn oil rings will do it in a major kind of way.

Good luck,
Mike.

[chef1366]

Throttle

During the compression test, don't forget to have the trottle open all the way.

[morbidphil0622]

If it is bad rings, are theese the o-rings inside of my carbs or is this something else? how easy are they to replace?

[kalessin]

The rings they mean are the precision metal sealing rings around the piston heads. The piston rings keep oil down in the engine instead of in the combustion chamber at the top of the cylinder. Replacing them means pulling the top end of the engine apart, and it's a pretty advanced job for the home mechanic.

p.s. try some real exhaust packing... should be available through your Friendly Local Auto Parts Store or JC Whitney online.

[morbidphil0622]

not sure if this makes a difference but, I pulled the plugs today.. Plug #3 has oil on it, or something that looks like oil.. #4 has oil but not as much as #3, #2 is a bit sooty, and #1 is dry and a bit on the dark side like a greyish black... Is this a sign of trouble to come? Or do I just need to fiddle with my carbs? The bike runs great, better than it ever has before...

[morbidphil0622]

Also to answer a previous question. No the smoke does not go away, it actually gets worse as the engine warms up. My fuel economy is horrible. I am not sure as to an exact figure but I guess I can go about 90 miles on a tank... I could be way wrong though.. I will pay attention to my trip odometer the next tank...

[Billy Ricks]

Also to answer a previous question. No the smoke does not go away, it actually gets worse as the engine warms up. My fuel economy is horrible. I am not sure as to an exact figure but I guess I can go about 90 miles on a tank... I could be way wrong though.. I will pay attention to my trip odometer the next tank...

You should get up around 150 miles per tank and perhaps more. The only way to avoid doing the wrong things is a compression check. As Earl already asked, did the bike sit for any length of time.

[morbidphil0622]

Yes it sat for quite a few years actually.. wow, I guess I havent been reading theese posts quite as thuroughly as I should be. That, or I have just been getting too far ahead of myself. It sat for about 2 or 3 years from what I understand, she started right up from hibernation though. I really havent had any problems until now... I have cleaned the carbs quite well but I am still new to them. I am not sure how the jets are supposed to be, I just put them back where they came from... I have fiddled around with the screws on top of the carbs to get her running right but that is about it. Whwn I turn them in further than 2 1/2 turns the idle will stay really high no matter what. The bike seems like it wants 3 or more turns but I am uneasy about that since I really dont know much about them... Thank you for being so patient with me...

[morbidphil0622]

By the way, will any compression tester work or do I need a specific type?

[Billy Ricks]

By the way, will any compression tester work or do I need a specific type?

Anything that will fit down in the plug hole and seal properlly will work. Make sure you hold the throttle open when you crank the engine. On the pilot screws adjust them for the highest, smoothest idle. Three turns is getting pretty close to being completely off the jet but if that's the sweet spot then it's alright.