Problems related?
 

Hi. Well, got a new problem, or I should say questions.
History:
Two days ago, after a 40 minute ride at 75-to-80 MPH at 94 degrees warm, and humid weather, when I parked I saw that ONE exhaust pipe (right side) had discolored. If both had, no problem, but why just one?
The next day, after pretty much the same ride at the same speed, and for the same amount of time, the entire LEFT side of the engine (along with my jeans and boot) were covered in oil, as was the entire lower left side back to the rectifier.
The oil level was halfway between 'too much' and 'not enough' before the second ride. The level now is just at the 'add' mark.
Can any one think of any reason? Of any link between the two?
I last checked the valve clearance about 5000 miles ago. The bike has a little over 10,000 miles on it.
No, I haven't had time to work on it. After a few beautiful days we are now caught in that series of storms that are dumpimg inches of rain. I need to clean the bike outside, and because of other 'projects' I don't have the room to work on it in the garage. I'm hoping for a clue, so when I get the chance I can make this an afternoon job by having whatever parts I might need handy.


Extra info: air box is clean, filter is fine, oil filter has 1500 miles on it, bike ran more than fine before this and still does - except for the leak! :)

Thanks for any help.

Re: Problems related?
 

The pipe color may indicate a needed valve check/adjustment. I do think you were working the bike fairly hard in those conditions at that speed. An oil leak on the left side might indicate a bad seal where the shifter comes out of the tranny. You did say left side I hope. Short term memory loss here at the moment. AKA senior moment.
Hmm, maybe the seal where the shaft comes out of the tranny that the front sprocket is mounted on. I'm guessing at these but it is a starting point none the less.

Re: Problems related?
 

Agreed, i'm thinking a tight valve adj causing slightly low compression and an overly rich running condition bluing the exhaust pipe ? I'm am surprised the engine was able to pull 75 mph with a tight valve. :??:

The only other thing I can think of if the valves are within spec is too hot ambient temps to hard of an engine load.

The oil leak, clean the residual oil mess, sprinkle the suspected clean area with baby powder and take the bike on the highway, the origin of the oil leak will be easily found.

Re: Problems related?
 

If this is "normal" riding for you, I reckon you need a bigger bike. You're knocking the bejazus out of the poor little GZ. :)

Re: Problems related?
 

Clean the area up and see if you can determine where the oil came from.

I would suspect it's going to be the left side exhaust gasket or from the head gasket area on that side... which I hope for your sake it is not.
Check the "S" hose that runs between the crankcase and the air box. If you are lucky, that dislodged and you had some spray come out. However, if that were the case, you could have noticed the bike lose a good bit of power and start to bet sluggish and/or bucky.

You have to figure out where it came from before you can fix it ;)

Re: Problems related?
 

Agree with the idea of possibly needing a valve adjustment. It does confuse me though, when I last set them I set both exhaust valves the same. Maybe something in the specs makes it harder on one valve than the other, or a heat difference, or material differences. >
I know about those senior moments, seems like I live in one long one some days! But, The area near the shifter was the cleanest area. Also, the oil starts at the very front of the engine, and all over from top to bottom. Then the air flow sprayed it all the way to the rear fender.
And yes, I'll take the blame for pushing it on a hot day. It seldom gets that hot here, and going that fast helps cool you off! :)
After I get a chance (still raining hard here) to clean it up, I'll be checking for the leak, starting with the shifter area. Thanks.

Re: Problems related?
 

[quote=Road_Clam]Agreed, i'm thinking a tight valve adj causing slightly low compression and an overly rich running condition bluing the exhaust pipe ? I'm am surprised the engine was able to pull 75 mph with a tight valve. :??:

The only other thing I can think of if the valves are within spec is too hot ambient temps to hard of an engine load.

The oil leak, clean the residual oil mess, sprinkle the suspected clean area with baby powder and take the bike on the highway, the origin of the oil leak will be easily found.[/quote:1eul0oa1]

Yes, and not only hot but a very high humidity day. One of those days where they warn us old folks not to be outside. :)
So, after I get it cleaned I'll steal my grandkids baby powder and see what is where.
Thanks.

Re: Problems related?
 

Ha ha! No, not normal on the temperature or the humidity. But that little bike has for years been driven at those speeds at least once a week. Never a problem before now. Maybe the combination of heat and humidity just overheated the poor thing.
A bigger bike wouldn't hurt though, especially for a long trip. Donations gladly accepted! :)

Re: Problems related?
 

No luck with the 'S' hose, it's there and on tight.
The head gasket sounds a bit ominous. I priced one, seems cheap enough, and that tells me it might be a lot of work to replace it. Just guessing here, but wouldn't I have lost a good bit of power and speed if that is the problem. I don't know, just thinking and hoping.
Any idea how big of a job it is?

Re: Problems related?
 

Get your own baby powder. You will find it is nice to sprinkle some in your boots and undies plus you smell so nice. Oh..............of topic again. :roll: :roll:

Re: Problems related?
 

With my luck the cops would stop me for speeding, then claim the baby powder was coke! :roll: :)

Re: Problems related?
 

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/hst...aby-powder.jpg

It's actually a very gratifying way to stop ball chaffing when you're hiking or swamp butt when you're on a hot leather saddle for a long period of time.

Re: Problems related?
 

Offer them a snort.

Re: Problems related?
 

It's not usually this hot or humid around here, but I will remember this
if this weather keeps up. It was worse today than any other this week.

Re: Problems related?
 

[quote=Water Warrior]Offer them a snort.[/quote:14dvi95y]

The pigs around here would want it all! Hell, they'd probably sniff it off of the engine - while it was running!
But, WW, we could use you here today. After a week of over 2 inches of rain every day,
today we got over 3. Some major roads were more than 5 foot under water, and within a 10 minute walk from my place houses and businesses were flooded out. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll be able to work on the GZ.

Re: Problems related?
 

5 feet of water on major roads is major trouble. That much water can wash out roadbeds below the pavement and then some one falls through into an ugly hole. A small watermain leak can accomplish the same thing and no one is the wiser until a bus crashes down into a pit. Hopefully no one gets hurt and the repairs are job security for the maintenance guys who make things right again.
Comes to mind an event one of my coworkers did. He fired up two major pumps full tilt in a given area. The pressure increase blew fire hydrants into the sky like rockets. Just plain stupid. Water can be a powerful force, do major damage and really is capable of threatening a person's life.

Re: Problems related?
 

Arent 1 or 2 of the gz members here police officers or retired officers ? lol

Re: Problems related?
 

I have found that riding at highway speeds on hot days even affects my Shadow which I thought was built for such riding. It affects the shifting. It really needs an oil cooler or at least some cooling fins on the lower case. I haven't read other complaints, so I think it is peculiar to my bike. I am thinking that a spring in the tranny weakens when the oil is very hot because it goes back to normal after cooling just a couple minutes. No leaks though.

Re: Problems related?
 

YES. And fine folks too boot.

Re: Problems related?
 

Yes, I'd like to boot some of the Guardia Civil Trafico. (Make that ALL of them) :2tup:

Re: Problems related?
 

Woo Hoo, looks like a LEO bashing party. In all honesty we have to realize different parts of the world have different ways to uphold the law and persecute the public. I feel very fortunate here in the GWN. Personally I have never been mistreated or unjustly accused of an offence. I have however been arrested for going way too fast in a car years ago. Yeah, I really deserved that one. A lot of the misgivings of law enforcement is caused by the politicians and their desire to control the public at large. It is all about money in the gov bank accounts too. LEOs find themselves between a rock and a hard place all too often. Even here we get a few bad apples while the majority do what is best but the public seems to paint them all with the same brush. Yes, I am defending the LEOs as I know them. It is a very under appreciated job and not likely to make them overly rich at retirement. I hate to think of my world without law enforcement and the dedicated men and women out there.

Re: Problems related?
 

Hello everyone.
No real progress yet.
I just figured I'd post so you all wouldn't think that either it was fixed
or that I gave up on it.
Neither has happened. I've just had a few problems lately.

Anyway, today I replaced my 22mm socket (don't ask, but never lend! :) )
and tried to check valve setting.
I could NOT get a (any size) feeler guage under either exhaust stem.
Yes, I have in the past, but today it just didn't happen. Amazing.
So, tomorrow I'll try again. It might just have been me today.
But how could the thing have run?

Ps: No offense meant the other day in regards to cops. Ok, at least not a LOT.
Some are OK. At least that's what I've heard. :)
In the end, they are just like the rest of us; good, bad, and the norm.

Re: Problems related?
 

Well, as long as the engine was cold when you did the check, then I'm pretty sure you'll get the same results tomorrow.
That would certainly explain the overheating issue... Now, not to be ominous, but I really hope that overheating issue hasn't also lead to something warping which is why you now have an oil leak from the top end. Very similar thing happened to me in a Geo Metro Convertible. I took the previous owner's word that his repairs were solid when I bought it. The timing wasn't set right, combined with an air leak, and before too much longer, I had a warped head on my hands and a seeping oil leak from under the cam seal when the engine was running. Not the way I had planned on spending my student loan refund.

Re: Problems related?
 

Finally had some time today without rain and such!
Those valves were so tight it took a while to get them loose enough to adjust.
Set both to 4.5. Double checked them.
Then, I washed the engine. Powdered it.
Put everything back together, and started it up.
It ran fine! A bit mre noise than before the adjustment, but that is OK.

Ran it for about 15 minutes until the rain started again, varying the speed
between low idle to about 3500 RPM,,
but no leaks!
Tomorrow we are supposed to get 'heavy thunderstorms', high (60mph)
winds, large hail, and lightening.
Still, hoping to get a break in there to take it for
a longer ride on the highway. Temp they say will be 90 (heat index of 100), and it will
be humid, so it should duplicate the conditions of the other day.

PS for Water Warrior: The powder made the bike smell nice. :)

Re: Problems related?
 

Glad to hear that it's all looking up.

While running for those 15 minutes of varying speeds, I am assuming you did this with the bike stationary, right?
Be careful there as well. People have come on here before and told stories of cooking their bikes because they left them idling in the driveway to "warm up" for about 15-20 minutes only to come outside and find smoke and discolored metal.

Maybe run a good sturdy fan in front of the engine when doing something like this?

Re: Problems related?
 

Oh Man... If I had any feelings left - you would have hurt them with those bad cop remarks !!! :poke2: This used to be me looking for and watching meth labs :hide:
A terribly unappreciated field of endeavor, and yet, a necessary evil in this world. If people were only more civil to one another, there would be less need for crabby old Irish cop bastards like me :) . No one wants us around until something goes wrong and then once it's cleared up they want us to go away again... makes me feel like Rodney Dangerfield - "Ahh, I don't get NO respect"

:lol:

Re: Problems related?
 

Nope, no fan, but I did have a 40 MPH
(at minimum) helping out! I guess these storms are good for somethig.

Re: Problems related?
 

Sorry, didn't mean any of it personally! Actually, I have had a LOT of cop friends over the years. Back when it was legal, I'd even load ammo for their off-duty weapons. Unforunately, it was still the same: some good, some bad, some neutral. Then again, sometimes I am good, sometimes
I'm bad, most times I'm just human. :) Seems like we all are like that. And I would never hold you being a cop against you. Well, maybe unless you were out to arrest me!

Re: Problems related?
 

Just don't do anything that requires an arrest.

Re: Problems related?
 

My point was that it's the TRAFFIC COPS that I'm against. Both in England & over here, their role seems to be that of money gatherers for the government. I've not seen the slightest indication that they're in any way interested in trying to reduce accidents & deaths. I've seen many incidents where someone's made a genuine mistake, but instead of having a quiet word of advice they immediately go into "FINE" mode, because getting money out of motorists is easier than working for a living, & the more money they make, the better they're thought of by their bosses.

As an example, I was 6 MPH over the limit. This was genuinely accidental. I'd taken my eyes off the speedo to check that the good straight road (with no real reason for a limit) was clear, then reduced my speed to the limit. But it was enough for the money gatherer in uniform to issue me with a €100 ($150?) fine.

Re: Problems related?
 

My friend, the laws are so restrictive these days that the average person
commits 3 felonies almost every day without even realizing it! Google it if you doubt that. :)
I'd rather just ride my bike in peace, though. :)
But I still can't. Had a chance to actually ride it for a while today.
Lots of noise, very little torque.
But - no leaking!
I've been setting valves since my first car, a '57 Sport Fury,
I guess either I've lost my touch,
or something else is wrong.
No time to work on it until late next week though,
too much damage around the house, yard, and garden to fix first.
These storms have been brutal.

Re: Problems related?
 

Not much different than here! I have been luck the older I get though.
For the last 10 years they have let me go with a warning.
What was the speed limit where they stopped you?

Re: Problems related?
 

[attachment=0:7lmbym73]view 37.JPG[/attachment:7lmbym73][attachment=1:7lmbym73]view 32.JPG[/attachment:7lmbym73]50 k/hr. But although I was slightly over, it was not intentional. There is no good reason for that limit, on this stretch of good road, with no houses, schools, hidden dangers etc, except as a cash cow for the police. I was well aware of this, & knew that there was often a hidden camera car, so the slight speed increase was as I took my eyes off the speedo to check the road ahead. I'm surprised that there aren't more accidents on that stretch of road, with motorists watching the speedo more than the road. These are a couple of views of the road.....$150 for 6mph!!!!!!

Re: Problems related?
 

There is one danger that I can see. You may fall asleep from boredom and hit a light pole. In all honesty that section of road could be a 70 or 80 kph easily with a reduced limit for any curves.

Re: Problems related?
 

Alantf, just had a thought as to the speed limit. Could it be possible that the limit is lower than expected to make it safer for the smaller scooters that are so common there. Some of them barely top out above 55 kph on flat ground.

Re: Problems related?
 

Not really....They're usually the ones that shoot past me while I'm at the speed limit.

Another example of cash gathering.......... Quite often, on the approach to a roundabout (in a 50 K/hr zone) there'll be a single 40 k/hr sign, about ½ mile before the roundabout. If anyone should miss that single sign, then woe betide them, because the police wait (in hiding) at the roundabouts for anyone approaching at 50 k/hr, so they can jump out and fine them.

Re: Problems related?
 

Ouch, sounds like a money maker with one sign.

Re: Problems related?
 

I am a little confused. You say you were going 50 KPH, but them said 6 MPH over the limit! Please be consistent - us old guys get confused easily!
Also, I always think in MPH, so your 50 KPH is only about 30 MPH!
Hell, I'd drive that road at 60 or 70 MPH and the hell with the cops!

To find a piece of road that nice around here is almost imposible.
Where did they hide the potholes? And that view is great!

In any case, if you were 6 over, either KPH or MPH 98% of cops here would
ignore it and write it off as speedometer error.

I got nothing done today; thunderstorms and darkness most of the day, and no electric for many hours. Drat! I have to get the bike fixed!

Re: Problems related?
 

Yes, something that seems to be common around the world. Down South in the USA they are known to put the signs behind bushes and such and wait for tourists.

Re: Problems related?
 

Agreed! Around here, without a sign stating a lower speed, it would
automatically be a 50 or 55 MPH limit. It'd the kind of road that I
would probably drive at 60 to 70 MPH. OK, well, if the bike was running I would! :)