SuzukiSavage.com - savage burning oil?

sbaugz

Ex Member

savage burning oil?
05/22/12 at 15:24:20

So I have an 06 ls650 that I purchased last year with only 1000 miles on it. I did a RYCA conversion and subsequently only put another 580 miles on it. When I finished the conversion, I changed the oil and filter- putting about 2.5 quarts inside. Fast forward a year later and 580 miles of driving. I will admit I am terrible about maintenance so I never really have checked oil since. On the way home from work today, the bike just died. I pulled off to side of road, thinking maybe it was gas. Well, I have plenty of gas. I started it up again after about a minute of cranking it over. It finally started and got me home. I decided to check the oil level and I couldn't even register thru sight window so I decided it would be a good time to change it. Well. after changing oil, I discovered that only about .6 quarts was inside, and that was with filter change. I also spilled another .2-.3 quarts while checking oil filter too. Anyways, I refilled with new oil but now I am a little worried about how much oil I have lost (almost 1.75 quarts) over the past year. I checked over the entire engine and there are no leaks anywhere. There are never any leaks underneath the bike on garage floor. Is this a normal amount of oil loss, or do I have something major going on here? Thanks

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Savage_Rob Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Mechanically Inclined Amateur Posts: 6972 Texas (Dallas area) Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #1 - 05/22/12 at 15:38:57 1.75 quarts is definitely a lot of oil to lose.
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brucey YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 48 Massachusetts Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #2 - 05/22/12 at 15:52:32 If its burning that much oil I would imagine there would be a lot of smoke to go along with it.
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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #3 - 05/22/12 at 15:56:15 The only thing I could think is the rings never got seated good,Does it smoke out the exhaust.Mine don't even use a half a cup in 2500 miles But I don't drive hard.I've had a lot of bikes and none of them hardly used any oil.
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #4 - 05/22/12 at 15:56:24 Take out the plug and eye ball the top of the piston, if you're burning oil, it'll be covered in carbon. But, high speed burns oil.
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sbaugz

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Re: savage burning oil?
Reply #5 - 05/22/12 at 15:56:38

brucey wrote on 05/22/12 at 15:52:32:

If its burning that much oil I would imagine there would be a lot of smoke to go along with it.

you'd think so but there really isn't any smoke. The only smoke I get is for the first minute or so when I have the choke on. Once I push the choke in, the smoke goes away.
Will pull plugs and check them out.

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sbaugz Ex Member	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #6 - 05/22/12 at 15:58:07 verslagen1 wrote on 05/22/12 at 15:56:24: Take out the plug and eye ball the top of the piston, if you're burning oil, it'll be covered in carbon. But, high speed burns oil. will check that out. I haven't taken it faster than 60. Mostly I drive around town at 30-40 MPH
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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #7 - 05/22/12 at 16:02:08 I would put some Sea Foam in the oil and run it maybe the rings are stuck.
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Savage_Rob Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Mechanically Inclined Amateur Posts: 6972 Texas (Dallas area) Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #8 - 05/22/12 at 16:42:29 If there's no noticeable smoke, I'd be looking for a leak somewhere. If it's burning that much, it'd be a mosquito-killer.
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sbaugz

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Re: savage burning oil?
Reply #9 - 05/22/12 at 17:57:44

Savage_Rob wrote on 05/22/12 at 16:42:29:

If there's no noticeable smoke, I'd be looking for a leak somewhere. If it's burning that much, it'd be a mosquito-killer.

that's what is strange, I looked all over the entire motor and don't see any trace of leaking oil anywhere. Not only that, but it was parked in the same spot all winter for like 7 months and you would think a leak of that significance would have left some oil on the garage floor. I did pull the plug but I couldn't really see down inside without taking tank off- don't really want to remove the tank just yet so I guess I will have to wait on checking inside the plug. I will post a picture of the plug in a bit. It had some small amounts of carbon around the rim and the tip of the plug looked a little white-ish. Its an iridium plug.

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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: savage burning oil?
Reply #10 - 05/22/12 at 18:27:21

Stupid assumption on my part -- you took the engine apart at some point in time.

Quick question -- IF SO did you hone the bore lightly to break the glaze and put a set of cross hatch scratches on the bore surface?

If you've never had it apart (and the PO didn't have it apart) then you are looking for an internal leak (should be burning oil) stiffened valve seals (should be burning oil) or stuck rings (should be burning oil).

Grin

<evil chuckle>

Bill missed one -- what sort of oil are you using?

Routy missed one -- if you were using the list side stand oil check method instead of the Suzuki method you wouldn't have run out of oil like that .....

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sbaugz

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Re: savage burning oil?
Reply #11 - 05/22/12 at 20:03:29

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 05/22/12 at 18:27:21:

Stupid assumption on my part -- you took the engine apart at some point in time.

Quick question -- IF SO did you hone the bore lightly to break the glaze and put a set of cross hatch scratches on the bore surface?

If you've never had it apart (and the PO didn't have it apart) then you are looking for an internal leak (should be burning oil) stiffened valve seals (should be burning oil) or stuck rings (should be burning oil).

Grin

<evil chuckle>

Bill missed one -- what sort of oil are you using?

Routy missed one -- if you were using the list side stand oil check method instead of the Suzuki method you wouldn't have run out of oil like that .....

Motor was never taken apart. The bike is only 5 years old, and only has 1600 miles on it, so no reason to. Only taking apart I did was to remove left and right side covers to powder coat them black. I also did the cam chain tensioner upgrade.

No work was done to top end, valves, etc.

I am using plain Castrol 4 stroke motorcycle oil- 20W-50. Non synthetic.

I have attached a picture of my plug as it looks today.

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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: savage burning oil?
Reply #12 - 05/22/12 at 20:17:23

Me, I think you are burning some oil.

What do the rest of you guys think?

====================================

Now the additive lovers are gonna send you to the Additive Isle to buy some this and that.

REMEMBER, don't do two things at once, or you'll never know what fixed it (or melted it as the case may be).

I'd try to de-stick the rings first (and that is put the additive in and wait one full oil change to see if it does anything for you).

Then, change the oil and then try to swell & soften your valve stem seals back up some.

If it is an additive fixable thing, my money is on the valve stem seals being stiff and needing swelling/softening. Always remember is you only use a quarter of what you would put in a car -- your bike only holds two quarts of oil and you don't want to melt anything important ......

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28884 L.A. California Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #13 - 05/22/12 at 20:24:57 that's only a light coating of carbon, hard to tell if it's oil or running rich. if it's just a bad breakin of the rings, some hard accels and decels should fix it up and maybe a couple of squirts of marvel mystery oil.
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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12671 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: savage burning oil? Reply #14 - 05/22/12 at 20:30:42 Is your air filter all butt ugly plugged up with dust? (this can make you go rich and greatly increase your vac suction on the oil huff tube as your engine is sucking hard at a plugged up filter)
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