oil in my intake boot o-rings

[longgreensilverado]

Hello all here's a funny question: Why am I getting oil in my intake boots. (these are the boots that connect the carbs to the head) I replaced the old o-rings w/factory suzuki O-rings recently and am thinking of replacing the boots also, but why is there oil in there and also some spots on the outside of the head??? otherwise the bike runs ok w/k&n airfilter and stock air box new boots from the box to the carbs.

[Steve]

Sounds like you have two problems there, Long Green.

To me, it sounds like the valve seals are leaking just a bit. Normally, the extra oil gets sucked down the intake tract into the cylinder and gets burned, showing up as blue smoke in the exhaust. However, it appears to me that your valves also need adjusting. Any chance it's hard to start when cold? If the valves are too tight (and there is not much clearance to start with), they might not be closing at all, and that drop or two of oil that made it past the seal is getting pushed back into the intake tube.

First, check your valve adjustment. Without knowing what bike we're talking about (HINT, HINT 8-[), most of the GS line uses .03mm - .08mm clearances. Note that .08mm is about .003", or the thickness of a piece of paper. As the valves and head wear, the clearance always decreases, straight into the danger zone of ZERO clearance.

If that clears up the problem of oil in the intake tubes, you still might have a problem with the valve seals. You will have to decide whether to take on the upper end rebuild is worth it. You will probably get by just adding a bit of oil every week unless the seals leak rather badly.

Oh, and please let us know what bike we are working on, OK?


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[longgreensilverado]

thanks man. i was afraid it might be valves. the bike is a 1980 gs850g. It runs great and doesn't burn oil that i can see or even detect. it has been a bit hard to start lately. i just thought the jetting wasn't rich enough.

i do change the oil every 2k miles w/filter and only use spectro 10w40. I commute 90 miles a day on the highway. (45 miles each way at 75mph). the bike is in very good condition 28,000 miles

[Steve]

The "hard to start lately" is most likely tight valves.

Considering that you use it for daily transportation, do yourself and your bike a favor and adjust the clearances.

When you are done, it will almost seem like you don't even have to actually touch the starter button to get it going.

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[longgreensilverado]

thanks for the advice. i have a clymer manual, but not sure if that is good enough. i know how to measure the clearance between the tappet and bottom of the cam lobe, but how hard is this and how much will it cost for the shims?