Fogging Oil

[sam_cg_cook]

Hey, everybody.

I fogged my cylinders last September before putting my XS to sleep for the winter. I was wondering... can I just throw a battery in, hook up my ignition wires and crank her up?... or do I need to get that oil out or something...?

Thanks,

Sam

[John]

Hey Sam.
You might want to pull the spark plugs, and crank it over a couple of times, to make sure the oil has coated the sides of the cylinders. Maybe spray a little carb spray, in cylinders will thin the oil after that , but it will smoke for a while until all of the oil is burned out. I did that with organ donor. I put a couple of teaspoons of Marvel Mystery Oil in the cys for a couple of weeks to try and free up a stuck ring in #3cyl. It worked, but it smoked like hell for a while. You may want to have some fresh plugs, just in case they get fouled.
Has it warmed up enough in Maine, or are you just Jonesin' that bad?

[sam_cg_cook]

No, I think that it's still wicked cold in ME...

But I am moving out of my place in Appleton, ME... and putting my stuff into storage while I'm TDY in Boston, and the bike is NOT going into storage... So I'll ride her down to western Mass March 28th.

So, to get it straight... just hand crank to spread the oil, add carb spray (into the combustion chamber?) replace the plugs... and then fire and let it sort it's smoky self out?

[John]

That's how I would do it. You could probably use the starter to crank it over. Keep the old plugs in it when you fire it up. Don't want to foul new ones. There will probably be some oil that will get into the exhaust pipes, and that will take a while to burn out also, but yeah just let it run until it clears out. You could use it to spray for mosquitos.
WICKED cold, huh? Ayuh, that sounds about right. Enjoy the ride.

[John]

How long will you be TAD? Is the boat going, or is it just you that got orders? Are you on a boat, or just what do you do in the Guard?

[Jeff]

I use Seafoam as a winterizer and give it a good shot thru the plug holes in the spring. Though I admit that for a few minutes it puts out enough white smoke to knock down every flying bug in the neighborhood. The stuff is great for keeping rings and valves clean.

[John]

Winterizer?

You mean people actually park their bikes, and don't ride in the winter? I wouldn't know how to store a bike, as mine never really sits more than a few weeks at a time.
However, when I bought Organ Donor, I knew nothing about the bike, and it had been sitting for a long time, outside, so I soaked the cylinders in Marvel Mystery Oil, put three quarts of fresh oil in it, left the plugs out, and removed the timing cover and rotated it by hand a few times, before cranking it with the starter. The fuel tank was rusted out, so I rigged up a small gas can, installed the plugs, and much to my suprise, it started! It didn't run too bad either. Had low compression on one cylinder, but a good soaking with some more MMO, while I waited to get the carb kits I had ordered, did the trick. It smoked like hell, but it eventually cleared out. Then I stripped it down and started selling parts off of it. Not much left now, just the forks, wheels and other bits and pieces that won't fit my 80SG. The Jardine 4-2, and the carbs went on my bike, and I'm contemplating a big bore kit for the engine.

[sam_cg_cook]

How does that SeaFoam work for you Jeff? Is there a noticeable improvement?

[chevy45412001]

Wow someone else that actually knows about seafoam,cool.I love that stuff. Eats gunk like its going out of style. If you have non serious carb problems that stuff is great.

[xswilly]

careful when you turn that motor over with the plugs out
i had put in marvel mistry oil in mine
let it sit
then pulled out the plugs and turned it over
oil shot out of the plug holes and all over the ceiling of the garage
all over the lights, the wall, the stuff piled up, you name it
what a mess
lay a couple of shop towels over the plug holes
to catch the oil

[Jeff]

Yes.... Seafoam is wonderful stuff. It was originally designed for marine engines that sit for long periods of time. It can be used as a carb and fuel system cleaner, a storage fogger for cylinders, a valve and ring cleaner, an oil additive and a fuel stabilizer. I have found it to be the best thing around for small engines such as lawnmowers. I didn't see much improvement on my XS after using it.... mainly because I had triple cleaned the carbs on a month or 2 prior but in my old 72 Jeep Wagoneer..... it made a VERY noticable difference in idle and general performance. I always try to keep both a pour can and spray can of it around.