Getting Confused...

[natemoen]

Ok so I was burning about a 1 1/2 quart oil every 100 miles. Did a leakdown test and it was telling me it was the rings. Pulled the head off cleaned it up a little bit and filled the combustion chambers with seafoam/kerosene and it has held that in there so the valves seat well. I will still pull them all apart and put in new valve stem seals and do a gentle valve lap and slap it all back together

Finally got the jugs off. The cylinders look good. Pistons look good. Light scuffing on the front and back sides of the pistons but from what I have seen in other engines thats normal, no cupping on the skirts. Rings are all loose and clean, no rust on any of them.

I cannot see why it is that I would be burning all this oil!

Any thoughts/suggestions?

On another note, what do you use to get the old gaskets off and not mess up the mating surface?

[WMarshy]

Brass puffy knife works well for removing old gaskets. If you need something more than you can get a steel gasket scraper, or try a razor blade for scraping inspection stickers. Do you have plans to replace the valve seals? How were your measurements for the cylinders?

[yozzie]

Somewhere I found the measurement specs for new rings for my 78 and my top rings were really worn. Plus on one cylinder the two top rings gaps were almost on top of eachother when I pulled it apart.
The pistons and cylinders measured within tolerances. I honed it and put new rings in and no more oil burning.
Your rings are probably worn, I don't think the cylinders on these bikes wear very much. Mine had around 57,000km when I tore it down and the cylinders were well within wear limit specs.

[natemoen]

Do you have plans to replace the valve seals? How were your measurements for the cylinders?

I do plan on replacing the valve stem seals. I do not have anything to measure the inside of the cylinders properly but I am going to try using a ring from one of the pistons and then just measuring the end gap to see if the cylinder is tapered at all. I know its not adequate but I dont have the tools at the time.....

[MindWebs]

sorry but i have to ask a silly question.

what weight oil are you running?

my 2 other bikes take 10w40 weight so thats what i first put in this bike.
and yes, it burned that thin oil very quickly.

now i run 20w50 weight.(correct oil for the bike)

[natemoen]

I was using 20w50 but as I was driving it and it kept burning it I kept upping the weight. Right now it has a mix of several weights, lowest being 20w50 and highest being 80w95 at about 1 1/2 quarts. and it was still burning it.

Anyone know how to tell if the rings are upside down or not?

[Incubus]

If there are any marks on the rings, the marks go on top.

And Nate, you are running gear oil in your crankcase? In Wisconsin? Where it never gets warm enough for the oil to thin out?

Patrick

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Rings

Check cyl for round all the way down, if OK, check the ring gap while in cyl about 2" down, if OK, "gently"clean all carbon from pistons, ball hone the cyls and make a good "cross hatch" on the walls. Put all the parts back in the right groves and make sure they are turned to the correct allinment, "see post on here if not sure or a Cylmer manual". Coat all parts with good MC oil. Get "all" that mixed oil out of the motor, change filter and fill with good 10w30 MC oil, Valvoline makes a good motorcycle oil for OK $ (not trying to start an oil war.) Ride the bike for about 600 mile under normal loads and changing RPM often, keep below 5500 rpm. Next, drain the break in oil and change filter, add 10w40 MC oil and ride just a little hadrer, up to 6500 rpm. All oil burning will be gone if it was ring/cyl related

[natemoen]

And Nate, you are running gear oil in your crankcase? In Wisconsin? Where it never gets warm enough for the oil to thin out?

It has been plenty warm lately!!!

I am going to try pulling the rings off honing the cylinders and putting the old rings back on (after measuring end gap) and see how that goes. If I have to pull it apart again and use the 1st over rings I have so it goes...

Still waiting for my valve spring compressor though.

[saddle up]

This might sound silly, but have you checked for cracks in the pistons? Thats alot of oil..

[3Phase]

Nathan, how is the tension on the rings?

The engine in my '80G was using oil and needed a starter clutch. When I tore down the engine and tried to check the ring end gaps they dropped through the cylinder bore onto the floor. I had to set them square in the bore on a block of wood to measure the gaps.

Apparently the engine was overheated at some point in its life so the ring end gaps were correct but the tension was not. A light hone in the cylinder bores to break the glaze, four sets of new rings and new valve stem seals solved that problem.

[natemoen]

Nathan, how is the tension on the rings?

The engine in my '80G was using oil and needed a starter clutch. When I tore down the engine and tried to check the ring end gaps they dropped through the cylinder bore onto the floor. I had to set them square in the bore on a block of wood to measure the gaps.

Apparently the engine was overheated at some point in its life so the ring end gaps were correct but the tension was not. A light hone in the cylinder bores to break the glaze, four sets of new rings and new valve stem seals solved that problem.

I have not pulled all the rings off yet but they all seem pretty tight and are kinda a PIA to get into the cylinders. So far the ones I have checked are good for endgap. I have not checked any of the oil control rings though yet.

[3Phase]

I have not pulled all the rings off yet but they all seem pretty tight and are kinda a PIA to get into the cylinders. So far the ones I have checked are good for endgap. I have not checked any of the oil control rings though yet.

Okay, the oil rails should only have enough tension to hold them lightly in the cylinder bore. Their only job is to wipe the extra oil off the cylinder wall so they're not supposed to be too tight and the spacer between the oil rails is just a spacer so it doesn't really have to be checked.

You're mainly looking for wear on the spacer and heavily coked or seized oil rails. The oil drain holes in the piston groove under the spacer must be open to allow the oil to get out from under the rails and drain back into the engine. If the holes are coked shut and lock the rails in place the engine will use oil.

[natemoen]

I will check those holes.

[natemoen]

All the holes are clean and clear. Still working at getting the gasket removed from the case so I can hopefully get the jugs back on today.

Got my valve spring compressor today and pulled the head all apart. Found out that the PO did a little port job on the intake side, Hopefully the little bastard didnt F things up to bad!