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lots of blue smoke on one side? a synopsis of my woes...

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    lots of blue smoke on one side? a synopsis of my woes...

    sorry if this gets longwinded, I haven't really tried to sit down and collect all the things I've wanted to figure out so far, just chased after each one as I saw it. maybe a more thurough description will spark someone's memory...

    so my bike is always hard to start after twelve hours (esp cold) almost always requiring starter fluid for just that first push. then it runs slow, needing the throttle to be held for some time. I've taken to turning the adjuster nut on my throttle up to keep it running, as I don't have a choke cable.

    so I'll set it up to run about 2000 rpms, and it will stay there a few seconds, then climb steadily to about 4000, at the same time as it begins to spew blue smoke, only on the left side. I've touched the pipes before and found one of them cold when the others were all scalding, I think it was #2 (1-4 = L->R from rider's perspective)

    I've thought that it was my charging system lately, not having enough juice to charge the coils, but I've gone thru the stator papers and everything checks out good. I haven't been able to check the resistance in my plug wires as they are solidly sealed where they attach at the coil, but I've had the plugs out and grounded, and they are sparking a little blue spark, but it doesn't look like anything I'd call a "fat" blue spark. (aside note, does the automotive relay, direct power from the battery to the coils work around do anything that could be potentially damaging if there wasn't a problem in the first place? or will it just make your coils charge to the best of their ability?)

    it was mentioned that the smoke could just be the valves leaking a little oil into the cylinders, and I could easily believe it, but it seems that the cylinder isn't firing at first so it could also be getting fouled with fuel until I get enough charge to spark that one.

    on top of all of it, it seems to have a slight leak at the intake manifold, I found a small one with starter fluid, and replaced the clamp with a pipe clamp. this didn't seem to fix it at first, but now spraying it there with fluid doesn't gun the engine. :?

    it idles 1200 cold, and for a slight while after, then mostly a 2000 idle after city driving, but after a longer stretch of highway riding, it almost always sits at 3000 and slowly drops back to 2000 - 2500. at first I thought this might be due to building up too much charge and needing to disperse it, but the regulator holds the volts at the battery nicely around 13.4-13.9 over the full range of idle to 5000 rpm.

    the manifold leak would make sense also because even tho it's reading 3000 on the tach, it doesn't have the power of 3000 on the takeoff, it has to catch up, as if the other three weren't running that fast because they had to, only because the leaking one was dragging them to run at 3000...

    so I've asked a few of these questions before in bits and pieces, so it may sound familiar, but I thought maybe all of it together might make for an interesting story... :roll:

    if anyone gets any thoughts on this info, I'd greatly love to hear it. the ol' bike runs pretty good for my twenty mile commute, but I'm a bit leary of the longer tries!! that and I may as well make it run the best that I can!! thanks!!

    #2
    First thing I would do is remove the intake boots , examine them real close and replace the manifold O ring if yours has one. The cyl with the cold pipe? What does the plug look like?? Oil or Gas fouled Or white ??? If it was #2 try swapping the plug wires between 2 & 3 See if the same pipe stays cold. Another thing is if it is #2 check the vacuum line to the carb, you could have a bad petcock

    Comment


      #3
      Yeah, Lynn definitely has a point about the petcock. If that diaphragm in the petcock is torn you'll get gas leaking to the intake and that could be pretty unpredictable.

      I don't think your problem is electrical. Blue smoke is burning oil, and I think you have to address that before you get into anything else. What kind of oil are you using?

      If it's automotive oil, change it and go get some motorcycle oil. If you're already using bike oil, skip this part: Bike oil is very different from automotive oil, as the application is very different. Auto oil is for a water-cooled, low-revving engine, whereas bike oil is for an air-cooled, high-revving engine and transmission.

      My GS1100GK used to blow a ton of smoke after sitting for 12 hours or more, and a switch to AMSOIL did the trick (it also made my valve cover start leaking, so I'm not sure how I feel about synthetics, but they make natural bike oil too).

      If a substantial amount of oil is getting into the combustion chamber overnight, it will probably interfere with ignition at startup. I'd say try different oil, and maybe while you're at it do a compression test to see if your #2 cylinder doesn't have something more serious going on.

      Comment


        #4
        I'll have to check the petcock, it seems to have been working for some time now, but it could have gone in the last year I've not opened it. I think I'll do the manifolds over the winter, and hopefully new brake lines [-o<

        I am using motorcycle oil, the same as it says on the cap. actually this last time I got one quart of 50w and used it as the last one in, not the whole thing, but more than half, in hopes of reducing this. maybe next time I'll try a new brand entirely.

        thanks!!

        Comment


          #5
          All of the above. I have found that if I leave the bike on the centre stand, hardly any burning oil on start up. I have 20 year old valve stem seals that are a bit hard and let through a little oil if the bike is on the side stand, cylinder one mostly but also 2. Your plugs may be a bit caked up also.

          Comment


            #6
            I have taken to putting on center in my drive, since it also helps to cover my @$$ when I forget to turn off prime (haven't driven it dry lately so that's been less of a problem anyway) --good float valves at least!

            Comment


              #7
              TESTS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING

              Cold cylinder - very telling.

              As stated, swap the plug wires. Still cold?
              Swap the plugs. Still cold?
              Turn the petcock on "prime" and plug the vacuum line for # 2 cylinder.
              I believe you do not need a vacuum line to turn on the petcock if it is on prime.
              Still cold or oil burning...Run a compression check. Cold, then hot. Should be above 120 PSI. Above 150 is more normal.

              Good luck. Any other comments out there on above steps? - Dieter

              Comment


                #8
                Keep in mind when troubleshooting, that cylinder coils fire in pairs for 4 cylinder-2coil motorcycle setups.

                So, if a coil is bad, 2 cylinders out of 4 would run bad. - Dieter

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