help!! ran low on oil

[Anonymous]

Long story made short is, I was out for the day, after about 150 miles, I noticed a chattering coming from the left side of the engine, unsure if it's top or bottom. I stopped and checked oil level, and found it very low. just got the bike back from the shop about two weeks ago where they changed out left motor cover and right side timing advance cover, and untill now I have never noticed any oil consumption, so I can only imagine that eithor they didn't fill it properly, or I have very recently developed an extreme oil burning problem. bike doesn't leak a drop. After filling oil to correct level, the chattering noise diminished, but then returned. oil level remains fine, but I fear the damage is done. Question is what did I damage? The bike is a 1980 GS750E, with 27k, and has been maintained very well. I will change oil and filter tomarrow, but I do not know where to even begin to check for this chattering. It is distinctly on the left side of the motor, and the bike continues to run fine(had to ride home), shift fine, idles perfect, nothing noticeable except this noise. It is loudest at slight throttle, and almost dissapears with increased throttle untill rpm's come up a bit, then it returns. I do not baby the bike, but I don't beat on it either. Any help available is much appreciated.

[Billy Ricks]

Could be just about anything. Clattering to me sounds like rocker arms and/or cam lobe wear took place. Your mechanic probably forgot to replace any oil that was lost when he removed the stator cover.

[Hap Call]

Being this is a plain bearing 750, you may have toasted the crank and/or the big ends of your conrods. Not good. You will need to go in and find out.

Hap

[wrench]

Hap could well be right, or it could be top end, ie valves or valve shims,
maybe try the old screw driver trick, put a driver to one part of the casing and listen to the sound its making, try it on the top and bottom of your motor, you will soon know were that noise is from.
Wrench.

[argonsagas]

Hap could well be right, or it could be top end, ie valves or valve shims,
maybe try the old screw driver trick, put a driver to one part of the casing and listen to the sound its making, try it on the top and bottom of your motor, you will soon know were that noise is from.
Wrench.

Well, Wrench, you have proven yourself to be an old-fashioned wrench!

Excellent Idea!

Dominick, when you checked the oil, the bike was on the centrestand, right?

If on the sidestand, you get a false reading.

Use the screwdriver trick. Or a piece of 1/2 or wider diameter wood dowel. Or a broomstick (I've used them many times)

Just press the point against the engine and your ear lightly against the handle and listen. It works just like a stethoscope.

From your description, I suspect one or more of your stator bolts have come loose, and, as long as there is no secondary damage, that is an easy repair.

First, put the bike on the centrestand and drain the oil. (The stator runs in an oil bath to keep it cool) Have a few rags handy as oil will drip when the cover comes off.

If you have never pulled the cover before, get yourself a small piece of cardboard and punch a line of holes in it. Remove the bolts in sequence and use the holes to maintain the sequence. Install in reverse order.
(They are different lengths, and this simple trick avoids frustration)

Do not merely re-tighten the stator bolts. They have to be removed and inspected, and then the threads in the cover have to be inspected. Check the bolts for straightness as it is likely one will be bent and need to be replaced. You have to use a Philips or slot-head as a replacement. There is not enough clearance for Hex or Allen bolts.

Clean and dry both the bolts and cover threads and use BLUE Loctite on them when reinstalling the stator.

I used an impact wrench to ensure the bolts were in solidly.

[argonsagas]

Dominick:

If you pull the stator cover, do it just that way. Pull it.

Do NOT try to pry it as that will damage the cover or casing.

It is H A R D to pull, so be sure the cover and your hands are freshly cleaned and dry.

Two more things:

Before removing the stator cover, find the stator wires under your side cover, disconnect them and loosen them back to the starter.

Remove the starter cover and loosen the stator wires which run along side it.


No promises, but the cover gasket can probably be reused.

[Anonymous]

you guys kick ass, thanks for the suggestions and the quick response, it is very much appreciated,and I'm going to pull the cover and check the stator today. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again, dominick.....

[Anonymous]

ok, I pulled the stator cover, and all looks fine. Also pulled the head, and everything looks ok there too, cam lobes do not appear to be worn, and my plugs look to be almost perfect. I tried the "stethoscope" trick, could not tell where it was coming from, but while running it does sound like someone threw a handful of change in the motor. I immediately shut down. When I drained the oil, there were a good amount of metal shavings. The clutch seems ok, never gave me any problems, and I pulled that apart just to check and rule out. All the gears under the stator cover were fine, no apparant wear. Where else should I look? I've never torn down an entire motor before, but I do have a manual and I'm pretty good with the tools. Any other ideas?? thanks, Dominick.........

[Anonymous]

bearings

Something eerily similar happened to my neighbors motorcycle. It runed out to be bad bearings on the crank. Low oil level was the culprit too.

I hope thats not it. But you should have someone check it out better before you fire it up again.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

if it is the bearings on the crank, How hard is it going to be to find a new set, and about how much do they run??? I don't mind doing the work myself, but I'm in the process of buying a house, and don't have a ton of "extra" cash to throw at the bike. (as if anyone ever has extra money!!) I welcome any info and suggestions, thanks. Dominick.....

[Guy]

If it's the crank bearings, you're in trouble. The bearings are cheap and easy to get hold of. Trouble is, the crank is a built up assembly balanced to very close tolerances. It's not something the home mechanic can deal with.

[Motorcyclemodeller]

Sounds like you spun a bearing on your crank, don't start it anymore. The motor has to be totally disassembled and cleaned, the crank and cases have to be sent out to a machine shop, lower connecting rod bearings checked and or replaced, piston wristpins and piston rings. Basically the whole bottom end needs to be rebuilt, you are looking at good sum of money. Go back to the shop and blame everything on them, MAKE them suck up their mistake. Good Luck.


Dr. Dre

[Anonymous]

well, sh*t!!, guess I won't be riding any time soon.
anyone know where I can get a new motor real cheap?? Thanks for the info, Dominick.....

[Anonymous]

I was just kidding when I last asked where I could get a new motor, but now I'm actually thinking about it. Would it be cheaper to buy a used motor rather than pay someone to rebuild the bottom of the motor?? On one of the links in the for sale forum there's a 82 or 83 gs 750 motor for like $125 plus the shipping. I'm sure there's plenty more out there for sale. Anyone know if there's another year or size motor that will bolt up to my tranny/frame/drive??maybe the 1000 from the same year?? I know this place is full of opinions, so I'd love to hear them all, maybe there's something I haven't thought of or considered. thanks, Dominick......

[earlfor]

It will be much cheaper to buy another engine than it will be to have someone reqbuild your old one. It sure is a hard way to learn that you should check the oil at least once everyday you intend to ride.:-(

Earl

[quote="dominick"]
I was just kidding when I last asked where I could get a new motor, but now I'm actually thinking about it. Would it be cheaper to buy a used motor rather than pay someone to rebuild the bottom of the motor??