this doesn't look good

Message

roostertail · Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:03 pm

Bike was running rough, and some oil started coming out of the fill plug. My first thought was air filter...
While changing the filter I found some oil in the air box. Cleaned it up, made sure the breather tube wasn't plugged.
Put everything back together. Started it up. Everything seems fine. As I'm backing the bike out for a test ride, thick blue smoke starts pouring out of the pipes. Then the bike quits and won't restart.
WTF?

Johnj · #2 Unread post by **Johnj** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:13 pm

You wouldn't happen to know the year, make, and model would you?

roostertail · Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:28 am

Johnj wrote:You wouldn't happen to know the year, make, and model would you?

I put that in my signature line, don't know why it didn't show...

2008 Triumph Street Triple, 37000 miles

Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:48 am

Check your oil level and smell to see if it smells like gas

roostertail · Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:31 am

Oil level is right where I expect it be. No gas in it.
The symptoms sure sound like it may be blow-by, I'm having a hard time coming to grips with that though. Going from not burning any oil to catastrophic case pressurization over night doesn't seem likely. At my last oil change the oil coming out was almost as clear as new.
I was hoping I'd just forgotten one of those simple stupid gotchas, and someone on here would catch it.
If I had just changed the oil, my first instinct would be it's too high. But it's 2000 miles since my last change. If that were my issue shouldn't I have had problems weeks ago?
This problem came on pretty quick. I noticed it running rough in the morning, by the time I got home from work in the afternoon it felt like I was running on 1 cylinder and was blowing oil out of the fill plug.

Johnj · #6 Unread post by **Johnj** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:56 am

I'd take it to the dealer.

#7 Unread post by **Wrider** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 1:15 pm

Definitely take it to the dealer, I'm thinking it's possible you could have a hole in a piston or at the very least I'm guessing your head gasket went out. If that was the case though I'd expect white smoke from the coolant.
But yeah definitely do the dealer thing.

ceemes · #8 Unread post by **ceemes** » Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:15 pm

Wrider wrote:Definitely take it to the dealer, I'm thinking it's possible you could have a hole in a piston or at the very least I'm guessing your head gasket went out. If that was the case though I'd expect white smoke from the coolant.
But yeah definitely do the dealer thing.

That is what I am seeing time to time with my bike, white smoke smelling of coolant. Usually only when I a starting it up cold and give a bit too much fuel on full choke. Once it warms up, the white smoke goes away. Figure the head gasket is going and it time for complete top end rebuild. Planning on doing it after the lay off in December. Will pick up a small bike to run about on why the Sabre gets its 100,000 Kilometre top end rebuild.

roostertail · Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:10 pm

I came home from work today, determined I'd figure it out by the end of the day or call the flat bed tomorrow.
Yesterday it wouldn't even turn over so I wanted to make sure it wasn't siezed. Disconnected the ignition and cranked it, it rolled over OK. No oil in the coolant. I decided to open the air box again. There was oil puddled in there again, worse than the day before. Oil down the trumpets, puddled on top of the valves. It was a hideous scene. With that much oil in the intake, I'd bet it was hydro-locked yesterday.
I cleaned up the oil, again. Enough that I sucked it out with the shop vac. Actually pulled the breather tube off (instead of just blowing through it), it was clear.
After an hour of mopping up oil I put it all back together. Starts right up, smoking like the Cheshire Cat. I just let it run. I figured if it was wrecked I couldn't make it worse. It was blowing oil all over the back of the bike and my driveway. After it ran for a few I took it on the freeway to shake it out. It smoked like hell for about 30 miles, then cleared up. I ran for another 20 miles, it never ran hot or made scary noises.
I don't know what happened yesterday, but I'm sure I "messed" something up. Whatever it was, it's all good today. It took 2 hours to clean all the oil and muck off the back of my bike. If it makes it to work tomorrow, I'll consider it fixed.
If you chimed in, thanks for your help.
PS "messed" is not my terminology, I'm way more colorful than that. Automated censorship, what will they think of next?