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Im running out of of oil approximatelly at the rate of one quart every 500 miles or so (actually a little less that that). Now while this isnt so serious.... Im just thinking of using some oil additives to seal up the combustion chambers. Now my question is autozone stocks speciific leak stop/seal stuff... as well as LucasOil that works for this stuff as well as a whole bunch of other crap.

So which one is recommended, (Poppy? quick350?) had mentioned LucasOil. While I remember Buzz had said something about being wary of oil additives. just thought i'd ask for some recommendations before mixing up a cocktail in my crakcase.

-Thx

I think what Buzz was talking about was lubrication additives (friction reducers). Something that would cause your clutch to become unusually slick.

Something that's designed specifically for sealing old gaskets shouldn't pose a big problem to the shifting system...

But I'm not an expert on the matter, so if hopefully someone else can either back me, or let me know what I'm wrong about.

kar_the_terrible wrote:Im running out of of oil approximatelly at the rate of one quart every 500 miles or so (actually a little less that that).

Where and how is the oil disappearing? Is it from a leak, is it being burned in the combustion chamber (worn piston rings) or is it leaking past the valve guides and out the exhaust? Whatever the cause, you're losing too much... maybe you should consider fixing the problem instead of trying to band-aid it because sooner or later it will cause major troubles.

As for oil additives, they're mostly designed for car engines and contain friction reducers that will play havoc with a motorcycle clutch. Unless it specifically says it is safe for motorcycle engines, I wouldn't recommend that you use it.

Not sure where the leak is. I havent yet removed the plugs to check for oil, But there are no visible oil leaks on the engine. The exhaust isnt a dead giveaway either, so Im down to just guessing.

Any tips/ideas on how to diagnose?

K

kar_the_terrible wrote:Not sure where the leak is. I havent yet removed the plugs to check for oil, But there are no visible oil leaks on the engine. The exhaust isnt a dead giveaway either, so Im down to just guessing.

Any tips/ideas on how to diagnose?

K

Well, does your bike smoke much when it runs? Only during starting, or all the time? If there's no smoke, you're probably just leaking it out.. Next time your take your bike out for a ride, come back a little early and let it sit in the garge, running, for a couples minutes (within reason- Liquid cooled bikes can idle longer at lower temps). Are there any drip spots on the pavement when you're done?

If you poke a finger up the exhaust pipe and it comes out oily, then chances are the valve guides are shot. This means that oil is leaking past the valves and being carried out the exhaust by the force of the gases. If your finger comes out oily and very black then chances are the piston rings are worn. This means that oil is getting past them and being burned with the fuel/air mixture. Another way to check for this is to remove the spark plugs - if they're oily and black like the pipes then piston ring failure is pretty much certain. If the pipes are oil free (a thick, dry, sooty black powder is a totally different problem - it means the carbs are running too rich) and the plugs are clean then it must be an oil leak somewhere. Get right up close and personal with the bike and check everywhere for leaks - especially underneath the engine. Use a mirror if you have to. Good luck!

Ah, Im going to have to scrub the engine with degreaser from the bottom. havent had a c hance to do so since I got it running a month ago. There's some oill/grease deposits there, so I suspect that's possibly the problem. Anyway, I'll take a little time to spend some time with 'er, especially since silly things like my job get in the way.

-K

Stop-leak-type products basically just react with the rubber in your seals, causeing them to soften and swell. This will stop external leaks.... for awhile. Then the seals will fail in a big way...... all your seals the oil contacts, not just the leaking one. Band-aid fix at best, use only if your selling the bike next week..... unless your selling it to someone you know.

If your losing oil past the pistons, there is not much you can do to stop it, except re-bore and re-ring it.