intermittant white smoke

[Anonymous]

hi folks. i'm having a smoking exhaust problem, and i was hoping you guys could help me out. every once in a while, after riding around for a couple of hours (sometimes less, but usually only after a couple of hours. never close to starting time), my 82 gs850 starts spewing smoke out of the right exhaust only. always stops within a minute or two. i know it's most likely an oil leak into #3 or #4 cylinder (i haven't checked the plugs yet to verify which one).

now, for the questions:
1. what are the possible causes? searching on the site leads me to believe it's either the pistons / piston rings, or its a valve issue (though, i don't know why a valve problem would let oil into the cylinder, and not gas)
2. how can i check which problem it is, without taking everything apart?
3. if it's the pistons, would i need to replace the pistons and the rings, or just the rings?

THANK YOU!

[SqDancerLynn1]

To check the pistons/ rings Need to have someone do a leakdown test, it will tell how well the rings are sealing. I would think the valve guide seals are dried out and not working very well.

[Anonymous]

smoke

when it smokes, does it start to miss on 3-4?and is it around town or in traffic riding (high Temp), or on heavy de-acceleration?

[Anonymous]

White smoke, not blue? Perhaps a carb float, flooding a cylinder with too much gas...

[Anonymous]

thanks for the responses, fellas.

gee-s-is, does not miss once it starts smoking. happens when riding around town (usually), though it happens after extended backroads riding. only notice it when stopped at a light.

billc, could possibly be blue smoke. i've only noticed it at night, though, and it doesn't seem like black smoke. almost like thicker cigarette smoke. i thought it was a carb problem initially, but for some reason i thought it was more likely oil. i'll check the plugs when i have a chance to see what i can see. shiny black = oil, dull black = rich mix, right?

SqDancerLynn1, i think i'm going to pick up a compression tester to see if that narrows it down to the cylinders (if the plugs definitely point to oil). if it is a valve seal problem, how easy is that to fix (i.e. could i do it myself w/o buying a million special purpose tools, or should i just take it to the shop? rather do it myself, but not buy things i'll probably only use once)

[SqDancerLynn1]

In order to replace the valve seals the head has to be removed. It's an easy job for me, but it depends on your mechanical skills A compression tester is not the same as a leakdown tester. No special tools required except a torque wrench, that you may be able to borrow from your local Auto Zone parts store.