SuzukiSavage.com - Oil loss

BurnPgh Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1732	Oil loss 05/21/09 at 00:19:47 Thought it was the plug leak but...My next guess is piston rings. What else may be causing me to lose oil?
Back to top	IP Logged

SV og LS Full Member Offline Kawasaki ZZR 1200 Posts: 236	Re: Oil loss Reply #1 - 05/21/09 at 01:12:17 I would say valve seals more likely than rings. How much does it sip oil?
Back to top	IP Logged

Reelthing Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Fish or ride that is the question Posts: 5397 Houston,Tx Gender:	Re: Oil loss Reply #2 - 05/21/09 at 04:48:53 yep, how much oil does it use, is the missing oil just gone or all over the engine or ground, how many miles, whats your runs like - say extended freeway speeds or just thump'n around town?
Back to top	IP Logged

BurnPgh

Serious Thumper

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks!

Posts: 1732

Re: Oil loss
Reply #3 - 05/21/09 at 10:29:21

Little over 17k mi now. The oil seems to just vanish. None on the ground and aside from some slight seeping along either side of the crankcase its not on the engine anywhere. The seeping im certain isnt the issue. I ride 50/50 highway/around town. I top it off of the low level line every 700mi or so. But I've got a chain conversion so probably closer to 800 mi. So...half a mL per mile or so. Let my buddy take a ride the other day and he's a little heavy handed. Hard take off and a saw a puff of gray smoke for a sec. Other than that one puff and oil vanishing ive got no clues.

Back to top

IP Logged

SV og LS Full Member Offline Kawasaki ZZR 1200 Posts: 236	Re: Oil loss Reply #4 - 05/21/09 at 11:00:27 I wouldn't be too concerned. It's a low mileage bike so there shouldn't be any mentionable engine wear and 400 ml per 800 miles is not unheard of. The worst our bike did was 900ml during a long day and it didn't noticeably smoke.
Back to top	IP Logged

dr1445 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 97	Re: Oil loss Reply #5 - 05/21/09 at 12:17:41 valve guide or valve seals would lead to a nice dense cloud of blue smoke when you start the bike. a broken piston ring can lead to blow by to the case, pushing oil out the breather. check your airbox plug and see if there is any excess oil in there.
Back to top	IP Logged

BurnPgh Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1732	Re: Oil loss Reply #6 - 05/21/09 at 14:18:23 no excess oil in the airbox.
Back to top	IP Logged

dr1445 Junior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 97	Re: Oil loss Reply #7 - 05/21/09 at 17:56:40 seems to be the nature of the beast, maybe try some synthetic oil on the next oil change.
Back to top	IP Logged

justin_o_guy2

Serious Thumper

Offline

What happened?

Posts: 55279
East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.

Re: Oil loss
Reply #8 - 05/21/09 at 21:04:21

I have a small leak at the clutch actuator arm where it passes thru the clutch cover, so I lose a tad there. But, the thing doesnt use oil much till I get to more than 1,500 miles on the oil. The usage speeds up the more miles I get on the oil. Then I change it & it slows waay on down again. I dont look at the odometer to decide when to change oil. When the thing starts using it fast enough to make me uncomfortable, I dump it out & start over.

Back to top

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

IP Logged

BurnPgh Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1732	Re: Oil loss Reply #9 - 05/26/09 at 10:45:31 Are there any symptoms that would indicated specifically whether the oil loss is piston rings vs valve guides/seals ?
Back to top	IP Logged

marshall13

Senior Member

Offline

the first step is to
admit your ignorance

Posts: 301
Fort Lauderdale FL
Gender: male

Re: Oil loss
Reply #10 - 05/26/09 at 11:38:02

BurnPgh wrote on 05/26/09 at 10:45:31:

Are there any symptoms that would indicated specifically whether the oil loss is piston rings vs valve guides/seals ?

you already saw the diagnostic clue... your pal's cloud on the hard take-off... intake valve seals... a pint per 1000 miles is far from excessive, and the fix would require pulling the head.... id keep a close eye on consumption, and if it gets worse, then do the guides and seals (as required).... the curse of engines designed for unleaded gas

Back to top

IP Logged

bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Oil loss Reply #11 - 05/26/09 at 12:20:11 This is one of the only jap bikes I've had that uses a little oil between changes.
Back to top	william h krumpen IP Logged

BurnPgh Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1732	Re: Oil loss Reply #12 - 05/26/09 at 12:33:13 eh...its a little more than a little oil loss i think. 1/2ml a mile seems a bit much to me and i intend to be traveling once fall starts setting in. 4-600mi in a day is what i project so Id rather not run to the low level line every other day. Oil costs would add up mighty quick in that case.
Back to top	IP Logged

marshall13

Senior Member

Offline

the first step is to
admit your ignorance

Posts: 301
Fort Lauderdale FL
Gender: male

Re: Oil loss
Reply #13 - 05/26/09 at 13:30:55

BurnPgh wrote on 05/26/09 at 12:33:13:

eh...its a little more than a little oil loss i think. 1/2ml a mile seems a bit much to me and i intend to be traveling once fall starts setting in. 4-600mi in a day is what i project so Id rather not run to the low level line every other day. Oil costs would add up mighty quick in that case.

then it's time for a valve job... have you decarbonized the piston and combustion chamber lately? if you scrape the ring of carbon at the top of the cylinder bore, and/or the one that forms at the side of the pistion where it meets the crown, you can start consuming oil... the problem sounds like valve seals, and your observation when your pal rode it confirms it, but i like to eliminate all other options before ordering parts... if you noticed it start soon after a decarbon job, you might have scraped the "good carbon" along with the bad...

Back to top

IP Logged

marshall13 Senior Member Offline the first step is to admit your ignorance Posts: 301 Fort Lauderdale FL Gender:	Re: Oil loss Reply #14 - 05/26/09 at 13:36:21 bill67 wrote on 05/26/09 at 12:20:11: This is one of the only jap bikes I've had that uses a little oil between changes. low revs+long stroke=lots more time with the valves seeing vacuum, so more opportunity to creep past the seal... the breather for the crankcase is far from ideal, also... also only 3 rings on a long, wide piston...
Back to top	IP Logged