Smokin'

[VTR Phoenix]

If it's been sat a while it could well have dried up and cracked the oil stem seals also if you haven't turned it over by hand first and teaspoon of oil in the plug hole before firing it up the first time it could well have scored the barrels

[Dickiebig]

I have assumed it has been stood a while as the tank was very rusty and the bike was covered in spiders and cobwebs etc. It was running on the day I viewed and has always started first push of the button and to my mind has always run well and pulled well. It has not until the other day that it had shown any signs of smoke and the oil has remained at a constant level in the windows. I have used the bike relatively gently as first time back for six years and always allowed it to warm up before giving it any juice. As to mileage it shows a tad under 25k.
I have not had a chance to try Popkats suggestion but will do tonight and let you guy's know.
Cheers D.

[StormingHonda]

If it's been sat a while it could well have dried up and cracked the oil stem seals also if you haven't turned it over by hand first and teaspoon of oil in the plug hole before firing it up the first time it could well have scored the barrels

+1 this is what I thought had happened to my Fireblade, when bikes are left for a long period of time then seals and Gaskets tend to rot and crack, this is why I am always a bit dubious of low mileage bikes that are over ten years old.

Usually with stem seals is that over night oil leaks down through the seals and you get smoking on start up, and overrun ( not all the time ). I thought I had this problem on the blade, but since I have been using it the smoking doesn't happen so much now, practically never.

[Dickiebig]

Well what do you guys make of this

In the garage tonight and used the gauge very kindly lent by AMcQ and took the following readings:

Front 190psi
Rear 170psi

I was surprised by these readings and double checked them.

Motor stone cold, co carbs fitted.

What do you guys suggest is the next step.

Richard.

[tony.mon]

Was there any oil (apart from a couple of drips) in the airbox?

If you have a head gasket leaking allowing oil under pressure to leak into the cylinder it will only affect on cylinder.
So it shouldn't be that.

Similarly with a broken ring- only one cylinder is affected.
And also with a guide stem seal failure.

Same with overfuelling caused by a sticking float valve.

So the next thing to check is whether both cylinders are affected. NOTE: the exhausts join into one at one point, so anything affecting one cylinder will always produce smoke, vapour or whatever from both pipes.
Take a long flat blade screwdriver, turn the engine over to just below tdc and scrape the top of the piston with teh flat blade through the spark plug hole. You will see either one or both cylinders affected, as you will be able to scrape a bit of oily soot form the affected one (or ones).

Next, if you want to do a quick and easy test, fit just one plug and fire it up. see if smoke comes out of the exhausts. Leave the other plug out. Then try the other cylinder, same game. This will let you see which cylinder (or both) is producing the smoke or vapour.

[Dickiebig]

Okay will do.

No oil in airbox

What do you make of the front cylinder reading 190psi ?

D

[VTR Phoenix]

Compression should be 167psi. If it's significantly higher it could be due to carbon build up in the combustion chamber. Take the cover off the one with 190psi and drop oil down the valve guides and leave overnight. This does mean taking the cams and buckets out though. If you come back to it and oil level has dropped then the guide seals are shot. In any case I'd say you need to clean up the one with 190psi.

[Dickiebig]

Thank-you, yes I was somewhat concerned by the higher pressure. Will report back. D

[Dickiebig]

Confession time, it was diesel!!! Convinced I had used premium grade petrol but I found the receipt and it was ultimate diesel. Pure petrol certainly looked very golden compared to the contaminated stuff I siphoned out.
Still concerned about the front cylinder reading but that can wait till winter!
Thanks to everybody for their help and advice but......should have gone to spec savers springs to mind.

Cheers Richard.

[MacV2]

Confession time, it was diesel!!! Convinced I had used premium grade petrol but I found the receipt and it was ultimate diesel. Pure petrol certainly looked very golden compared to the contaminated stuff I siphoned out.
Still concerned about the front cylinder reading but that can wait till winter!
Thanks to everybody for their help and advice but......should have gone to spec savers springs to mind.

Cheers Richard.

DOH! Hope it all runs well now, good excuse to rag a couple of tank fulls through it... Just to check thing you understand...

[AMCQ46]

Well that's an answer I wouldn't have guessed but it fits all the symptoms. And you win a prize for honesty ( and one for daydreaming when at the petrol pumps)

[Dickiebig]

Well that's an answer I wouldn't have guessed but it fits all the symptoms. And you win a prize for honesty ( and one for daydreaming when at the petrol pumps)

Even worse my boss actually said are "you sure you didn't put diesel in it" when i spoke to him right at the start but I dismissed it. He's so going to on my case now.

[alanfjones1411]

You're a brave man owning up to that one on this forum.

[VTRDark]

Good job it's not a modern day car. I thought they made the fuel pump nozzles a different size so this wasn't possible. Stick some of the more expensive higher octane premium fuel (petrol) in it as it also contains cleaning additives but best to check with garage. I think BP contains more that others IIRC

Respect for your honesty mate now we and yourself can laugh about it

[Dickiebig]

Respect for your honesty mate now we and yourself can laugh about it

Fairs fair, people have taken the time and trouble to reply and have also loaned kit based on my initial post. It is only right to let them know the out come, after all i shall be looking for help in the future that much is almost guaranteed.

Cheers for now until my next crisis.