1988 FJ1200 Burning Oil

[88FJ1200Rider]

Hello Everyone,

Been loving riding the ol girl.  Unfortunately I think shes starting to show her age.  It burned about a quart of oil over the last 200 miles or so.

I'm thinking we need to look at valve seals and or piston rings.  Anyone else had experience with heavy oil burning and what was the cause?

Anyone else done valve seals and piston rings?  Just how difficult is it?

Thanks for your time,

Chris

[FJmonkey]

Are you sure it is not just leaking out?

[movenon]

Hello Everyone,

Been loving riding the ol girl.  Unfortunately I think shes starting to show her age.  It burned about a quart of oil over the last 200 miles or so.

I'm thinking we need to look at valve seals and or piston rings.  Anyone else had experience with heavy oil burning and what was the cause?

Anyone else done valve seals and piston rings?  Just how difficult is it?

Thanks for your time,

Chris

Just did both.  Difficulty depends on your ability, tools and desire.  You can expect some challenges but if you take your time it can be done. First thing you need is a Service manual. You really can't buy to much until you get it apart for inspection and measurements.

One quart in 200 miles sounds more like a leak as Mark said but if no oil leaks I would check the valve clearances, do a compression check, possably a leak down test first.  Might just need valve stem seals.  Might need seals and rings, might need valve job/guides, seals, bore job, pistons and rings?

But the job has been done by many members and if you are set up to do it there is a lot of help here. The key is to take your time, don't force anything, ask questions if you have a problem.  
George

[ribbert]

Anyone else done valve seals and piston rings?  Just how difficult is it?

Chris

It always worries me when someone asks that question.

The steps are easy and readily available but the job does require some dexterity and understanding, knowing what you're looking at and what things should feel like.

The information on what to do is easily come by, the how to do it is a little trickier.

Noel

[Mark Olson]

Anyone else done valve seals and piston rings?  Just how difficult is it?

Chris

It always worries me when someone asks that question.

The steps are easy and readily available but the job does require some dexterity and understanding, knowing what you're looking at and what things should feel like.

The information on what to do is easily come by, the how to do it is a little trickier.

Noel

It would be best to have a experienced helping hand if you have never pulled a head or changed rings.  If that is not an option then prepare yourself for some frustration and take your time and watch some youtube repair videos .

Hey Noel , why don't you start your own youtube fj channel so we can benefit from your skills.  All joking aside it would be helpful.
We can all make video's and put them on one channel .

[Bones]

I think that's Lotsakids old bike, and I remember he posted a video of it blowing smoke under acceleration.

[Lotsokids]

I think that's Lotsakids old bike, and I remember he posted a video of it blowing smoke under acceleration.

Yup. I'm still trolling around here.

Here's my original post. The video is near the bottom.
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=12684.0

[yamaha fj rider]

How many km's does this bike have on it? Burning that kind of oil there will be a huge billowing cloud, behind the bike all the time. Worse than an old two stroke.
I can vaguely remember the smell of caster.

Kurt

[novaraptor]

And, of course, have you recently gone to a lighter oil? If so, check just inboard of the oil fill cap and see if it's oil damp there.  I changed from 15w40 to a 10w30 for awhile and got seepage, so switched back. No seepage.  Best of fortune to you...

[Lotsokids]

Hi again y'all. I went on a ride with my friend and my old FJ last night. concerning this topic, I noticed when following him, it puffed some blue smoke a few times only on engine-braking deceleration at very low speed. Just after this event, if he nailed the throttle, it blew some smoke then also. On our 87-mile ride, this only happened about 3 or 4 times, but was considerable. I didn't notice oil burning at high-RPM acceleration like I expected.

Any ideas of what the problem is? Can we rule out rings?

P.S. - We traded bikes on the return trip. My buddy got to experience the unrefined torque and noise of my V-Max, and I got back on my old FJ and again felt a smooth motor, good acceleration, and solid handling. Two Yamaha 1200's. One V-4, one inline-4. Different roles.

[Bones]

When I was younger and on the lookout for cars, I could tell if they were an oil burner or not without even starting the motor by sticking my finger in the exhaust pipe and give it a wipe on the way out.

If my finger was covered in wet sooty shit I'd walk away because it indicated to me it was a rich running oil burner, if it had a dry black soot it indicated no oil burner, but running a bit rich, if the finger was clean it was ideal, because it showed everything was how it should be.

Just did it to my bike that I know doesn't burn oil, and I got a dry very light coating which tells me it's running a little bit rich, understandable seeing it's winter here, choke on and a short distance to work.

Give it a try and see what you find, but blue smoke normally goes with oil burning, and if your going through that much oil through the motor in that distance, then the pipe should show it.

These are my obversations only, I'm not a mechanic so I'm expecting a reply from someone to disprove my theory. 

[fj1289]

Hi again y'all. I went on a ride with my friend and my old FJ last night. concerning this topic, I noticed when following him, it puffed some blue smoke a few times only on engine-braking deceleration at very low speed. Just after this event, if he nailed the throttle, it blew some smoke then also. On our 87-mile ride, this only happened about 3 or 4 times, but was considerable. I didn't notice oil burning at high-RPM acceleration like I expected.

Any ideas of what the problem is? Can we rule out rings?

P.S. - We traded bikes on the return trip. My buddy got to experience the unrefined torque and noise of my V-Max, and I got back on my old FJ and again felt a smooth motor, good acceleration, and solid handling. Two Yamaha 1200's. One V-4, one inline-4. Different roles.

I've always been told that smoking on deceleration is valve seals - extra vacuum is pulling oil past the seals and smoking on acceleration is usually rings (blow by?).  The smoke on the accel immediately after the decal is probably just burning the oil off that was pulled in on decal.

having fun with the VMax?  Any mods yet?! 

[Lotsokids]

having fun with the VMax?  Any mods yet?! 

Yes, MUCH fun. It's more of an in-your-face noisy, shaky hot-rod with a tiny fuel tank. Hopping back onto the FJ was like stepping into a Viper. No mods yet.
Not intending to hijack this thread, though.

Yes, the valve seals seem like a logical choice. Thanks!