1981 xs1100 oil problem

[boman09]

just got bike has good compression but im getting oil out of right side tailpipe any ideas.

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome to the forum! How long did the bike sit before you got it? The rings can get a little leaky if they sit for a while. Try running it for a little bit and see if the oil goes away. Have you change the oils yet? No matter how long ago the PO "said" he changed it, it's always a good idea to go through it all and change the engine oil, the middle drive and final drive oils before you get it on the road. Cheap insurance.

[prometheus578]

First, recheck how much oil you have in the bike. Put the bike on the center stand(not the side stand) and check the oil level in the window on the right side o' the engine. An over-filled crankcase could cause your problem.

Secondly... please post your compression test numbers. Not questioning your judgement... but someone's 'Good Compression" can be someone else's bad compression.

Also, please clarify the statement: "...getting oil out of the right side tail pipe".
Is it blowing oil smoke out of the pipe and/or do you have oil dripping out of the pipe, like where the pipe and muffler join?

At this point, it's either piston rings or valve seals.

[DGXSER]

I'l also add, are you sure it is oil?? I've seen a couple of bikes where the fuel was very rich and actually had some liquid fuel get into the exhaust. It tends to "clean" out some of that carbon in there and drips out as a black looking fluid.

Also, if you see the oil level high, check it is not form gas getting into the crankcase. Smell the fill cap for gas fumes, and dip a stick into the oil, walk some distance from the bike, and try to light the oil on the stick. If it burns, it has gas in it. (unless your using an oxy acetalene torch to light it, in which case all bets are off!)

[WMarshy]

Take a look at your plugs, might have one cylinder not firing... might be able to isolate what cylinder your having a problem with. Another easy to tell if one cylinder isn't firing is by spraying water on the exhaust header. If it sizzles then its firing...

[11Rider]

I'm interested in hearing the answer to this since I have the same issue but on the left side. Mine comes out as smoke upon startup after it sits for a week or more. Not trying to hijack

[WMarshy]

If its just smoking out one side and clears up after it warms up then its likely from leaking valve seals. Mine smokes a little out of one side after it sits for a while... not a very big deal.

[MaximPhil]

I'm interested in hearing the answer to this since I have the same issue but on the left side. Mine comes out as smoke upon startup after it sits for a week or more. Not trying to hijack

Hi 11Rider,
As already said. Valve seals most likely.
Left side is usually from sitting on the sidie stand too long.
Solutions are to put on centre stand or ride it more often

Phil

[boman09]

compression is 155,155,135,155 it is dripping out of pipe where the header and tailpipe come together. bike runs goods all cylinders are firing just getting oil out of pipe has me a little worried.

[WMarshy]

Its possible the rings on that one piston are stuck, we've heard similar situations to yours and they usually come back on their own (if that cylinder is firing) while others have opted to take the jugs off and investigate... Unfortunately, the stock rings cannot be found and you options are limited if you need to replace them. Seems like if there was that much oil that plug will be saturated with oil. Is the low psi cylinder plug saturated with oil?

[prometheus578]

Alright, you have something going on somewhere.

I was sort of hoping that your compression readings would all be the same... sadly, not. Also note that cylinder #3 is the one with the low compression and the oil is coming from the right side, indicative of trouble with #3.

(now, Im'ma gonna assume that all the valve clearances are within specs and we don't have a tight one causing the low reading on #3...)

Now, if'in all the cylinder's readings were the same, I would have said bad valve seal. Oh, still could be a cause, I suppose, but based on your info, we need to consider piston.

Piston rings are supposed to be free to move around in their grooves. Now, if rings are gunked or carboned in place, that could account for oil getting by and the lower compression number on that one cylinder.

Try this: Place bike on center stand and remove all the plugs. Pour a tablespoon or so of something like Seafoam or another carbon cleaner into each plug hole and let it set for a week.

"La la la...la la la..."
Ok, a week's gone by. Place rags over the spark plug holes... crank the engine and that'll shoot the cleaner out of the cylinders. (Keep the plug wires away from the holes as ya don't want to ignite what comes spraying out of there)

Hopefully... if it was a stuck ring, the soaking would have loosened it up, compression comes back up and no more oil slipping by.

Now... suppose the problem is a faulty valve seal.
(Remember, these seals are 30 years old. They can get brittle and fall apart)
What's happening is... when the bike is parked, oil pooling in the head is slipping by the bad seal and getting into the cylinder. When the bike is started, this oil is pushed into the exhaust where it drips down and collects at the lowest point(usually right in front of the muffler joint).

Now, a lot of times with a bad valve seal... when you first start the bike everything looks good but after a few minutes it starts to smoke. What is happening is... oh sure, it's burning a little oil right from the start, but as the exhaust pipes heat up, it starts burning the oil that's been sprayed on the inner surfaces of the upper part of the headers. The oil that's been collecting at the low point of the pipes gets pushed back and then drips from the muffler joint.

Yeah, I've seen this several times.
You can either live with it... or pull the head off the engine for a look-see. If it's a ring problem you may see some scratches (or maybe a gouge) on the cylinder wall of #3. If everything looks good there, replacing all the valve seals should fix the problem.

Is this something you can do yourself...? Sure, just takes time and some effort.

[11Rider]

Prometheus, how big of a job is it to replace the seals? Can you do it by just taking the valve cover off?

[WMarshy]

No, the valve springs and valves need to be removed... that entails removing the cams...

[DGXSER]

Unless someone knows some real magic method I do not, it involves removing the head. Only way I know to pull the valves is to pull the head off.

[prometheus578]

Not removing the head:

It can be done... have done it before... not worth the trouble. (Had to replace a broken valve spring)
Much, much easier to just remove the head.