Burning oil...

zimme71 · Full Member Joined: Aug 06, 2008 Posts: 30

Just noticed that I'm apparently burning oil on my '81 XS650. I'm getting blue smoke on start up (goes away after a bit), and my oil was barely registering on the dip stick (just purchased the bike in late May of this year). So....question is, does it sound like I'm in need of a top-end rebuild? If so, how hard is it (haven't done it before).

Jake68 · 650Rider Supporter Joined: Mar 23, 2007 Posts: 841

Do you have standard air filter setup with the original airbox?

A little smoke on startup maybe ok for an older engine if it has no other faults...the question is really how fast you get through oil...??

xsjohn · Posted: September 16, 2008, 12:55 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

Check the compression.....If the PO had the cylinders off then maybe he didn't hone or sand the cylinders and put it back together.......this will cause oil burning until it seats and a bit lower compression.......sometimes breaking it back in can take quite a while and if the cylinders were really glazed it may not even happen.............

When I put mine together and have some trouble seating the rings .....because I don't like to hone too much.......I put a ""level"" teaspoon of baking soda in ""one"" cylinder at a time throught the spark plug hole......crank it over some then put the plug in and run it kinda hard......It will clank a bit at first start because the valve is not closing completely because of the baking soda but that will clear........Not recommending any of this you know......just saying what I do........

xsjohn

zimme71 · Full Member Joined: Aug 06, 2008 Posts: 30

Well, the guy I bought the bike from is a bike mechanic, and he did a tune-up, etc b4 I bought the bike. So the oil was full then (late May of this year). I've put about 3500 miles on the bike so far, and I had to add a quart of Yamalube 20/50 the other day. Basically the oil was just barely registering on the dipstick. It's now 1/2 way between the marks on the dipstick. Being new to the XS650's, is this normal? I haven't noticed a performance difference at all, other than now with more oil in the engine, it runs quieter Smile

xsjohn · Posted: September 16, 2008, 2:12 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

Nothing for these things to eat a quart of oil between changes.........which should be 1000-1500 miles max..........maybe your are ok .......since these have transmission and engine combined oil they should be changed "often".........3500 miles is way to much.......

xsjohn

zimme71 · Full Member Joined: Aug 06, 2008 Posts: 30

xsjohn wrote:

Nothing for these things to eat a quart of oil between changes.........which should be 1000-1500 miles max..........maybe your are ok .......since these have transmission and engine combined oil they should be changed "often".........3500 miles is way to much.......

xsjohn

Well....that's good to know about the oil change interval. Looks like I have an oil change to do!!

Jake68 · 650Rider Supporter Joined: Mar 23, 2007 Posts: 841

Sounds good to me..

You may have a need for a set of valve guide seals, or a new head gasket, at worst a set of rings...however it all sounds dreadfully like an XS650 to me Smile

dpmphoto · Posted: July 3, 2009, 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

quart of oil every 1000 miles is toooo much. break it down like jake says.

xsjohn · Posted: July 3, 2009, 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

Mine used a quart in a thousand and it's together right...always did.......after the one way valve if built for the breather I forget to check it.......almost no oil consumption...... and -1 milibar of vacuum in the crankcase now all the time.......where before it was always positive....

And if you are using the stock air box (which I like) the oil can collect in the lower breather tube on the left when it sets overnight and it can smoke for a bit till it clears.........one way breather stopped that also.......

Not sure where to get a good one way breather that fits right in the original downtube.........I built my own that fits in the stock vent tube...........

If compresson is good and the above things help.....maybe it is good to go.....then maybe not also....... ?....the negative pressure seems to make it run stronger ......especially at the lower rpms.........

xsjohn

weekendrider · Posted: July 3, 2009, 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

I don't notice oil consumption till around 1700 miles on an oil change. I stretch mine a little further than john with change at/around 2K.
zimme71 it could be you will find the same thing.

xsjohn · Posted: July 3, 2009, 1:27 pm Post subject: Re: Burning oil...

Have so many miles clocked now I can actually hear when the oil needs changing....... the small fairing helps with hearing everything......

xsjohn

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