A while back I went to the track and afterward my oil reeked of gasoline. I attributed that to running the bike hard, using race gas (the only gas my brother had on hand) and carbs set a bit too rich.
So a few weeks ago I drained most of the gas (about 80% and replaced with 87) and put in new oil and a filter.
At that time I leaned out my floats a tad.
Just today out of curiosity I did an odor check in the oil filler and there was a mild gasoline smell. Plugs and filler cap are pulled in the hopes that some of the gas might evaporate.
Possible causes?
- Float still too high?
- Left over race gas in there?
- Stuck needle? (Ethanol sludge buildup maybe)
- Worn rings?
- Worn intake valve seats?
- Intake valves too loose?
- Oil level too high? (level is at top line. Not sure if this can even be related but...)
Do you shut off the fuel when it's parked?
Does the oil get dark very quickly?
I will get back to you on that question tomorrow when I drain a bit of the gas to correct level.
Not gonna drain it all until I sort this out. Or if there is any trace of gas should I bin the oil?
Quote from: memper on September 25, 2013, 03:38:13 PM
I will get back to you on that question tomorrow when I drain a bit of the gas to correct level.
Not gonna drain it all until I sort this out. Or if there is any trace of gas should I bin the oil?
Combustion by products will smell gassy.
I wouldn't bin the oil unless you determine that raw fuel is getting in the crankcase.
Sound advice. I guess after the state of my oil from the last change I might be a bit paranoid that something's wrong.
- Float still too high? Possible. Still got the Mikunis? Float height should be 14 mm. http://www.ehow.com/how_7792282_set-height-mikuni-cv-carburetor.html (http://www.ehow.com/how_7792282_set-height-mikuni-cv-carburetor.html)
- Left over race gas in there? If you changed the oil after that I doubt it.
- Stuck needle? (Ethanol sludge buildup maybe) If the bike runs tolerably well, no.
- Worn rings? A compression or leak down test will confirm that.
- Worn intake valve seats? They would need to be worn enough to prevent the valve to properly seat and the bike would run poorly. Possible but doubtful.
- Intake valves too loose? I assume you mean guides? See above and add excessive smoke and oil consumption.
- Oil level too high? (level is at top line. Not sure if this can even be related but...) No, but that will cause other problems.
I would guess either your floats are too high or if you have the stock carbs fuel leakage from the cold start enrichment jet.
Quote from: ducpainter on September 25, 2013, 03:54:46 PM
Combustion by products will smell gassy.
I wouldn't bin the oil unless you determine that raw fuel is getting in the crankcase.
Since we can't feel or smell the oil over the interwebs. I suggest a compromise. Cheap dino oil 'til this is sorted out.
Thanks so much for the answers.
Gonna go drain some oil and check my float levels again. BTW I am running flatslides.
Quote from: memper on September 26, 2013, 05:42:45 AM
Thanks so much for the answers.
Gonna go drain some oil and check my float levels again. BTW I am running flatslides.
Is the oil level rising?
Level does not appear to be rising. Removed a couple/few ounces so the cold level reading was in the middle. Color was golden, maybe a shade darker than new.
Checked float levels. Way off. I had a hunch bc when I last set them I was in a rush. Reset to 8mm.
I'm guessing that this was my issue. Gonna run it and report back if the oil gets stinkier. At this point I'd say the odor is a 2 out of 10 with my nose basically in the filler.
Edit* woops. Seems baseline is 9mm. Perhaps I should make them 10mm. [shot]
Changed float level to 10mm. Riding seems smoother at idle and low rpm. Smell at stops is significantly less. But now intermittent pops at 3/4 throttle. Probably solved by moving the clips down one slot.
Smelled the oil this morning (did some moderately spirited city riding last night) and the smell is definitely less.
Thx y'all. [bacon]