Now I have white smoke. How effed am I?

Now I have white smoke. How effed am I? *Update*

Hey guys,

I'm back once again!

Restored/cleaned up the bike. Cleaned the carbs. Got her running again just a few minutes ago.

Now!!!

I finally got her started up again and surprise! I'm burning something. White smoke comes out of the exhaust.

A buddy told me that it is burning coolant and that I have a bad head gaskets.

That sound about right? How effed am I and would I be better off taking the bike to a shop to get this done rather than trying it myself or should I just sell it or dump it cause its not worth my noobish effort?

I'll state again that I am a motorcycle noob and this is my first bike and rebuild. I know very little about bikes.

Thanks again,

Adeodatus

PS, Have some fun pics.

 

Oh my lord its a miracle!!! Your bike has found the next pope ope2: :jaw:

I got nouthin... but stay tuned one of out beloved monkey wrench handlers will get to you soon

 

From what I can see of that bike's pictures as seen on my android, she looks to be in pretty fine shape and sbould be worth fixing be it yourself or a shop. Sorry I can't give you any tech advise.

 

No idea but have a few questions. Was the bike running before you played with the carbs? Did you let the bike warm up fully after seeing this white smoke? My vfr puts out a good bit of "white smoke" this time of year. Simply moisture in the pipes burning off. Takes a few minutes to clear depending. Burning coolant typically has a sweet smell to it.

Pull the side panel off and check your expansion tank level. If while running you see bubbles in this tank you have a problem. Check your oil level and look for signs of emulsification. You could get a leak down test done.

 

My Beemer boxer blew white smoke from being on the side stand to long & I've had other bikes that have done it from time to time. If you can take the bike for a decent ride & see if the problem stops. Coolant leakage is pretty obvious though, coolant levels go down & you will get a whitish smoke that is more water vapor. Check your oil, see if you have any discoloured oil from water. Why would you have a blown head gasket?. If the bike was sitting for a long time, you can get a bit of oil getting passed the rings, especially at the initial start up, which produces white smoke.

 

My son lives in SFO and told me how cold it was yesterday. It is also very humid there. Warm it up for ten minutes and see what happens. White smoke is normal on startup. If the head gasket is blown the smoke won't go away. As previous posters have said burning coolant smells sweet and your oil level will rise and your coolant level will fall.

 

ok, thanks for the info guys.

ill check the coolant and oil, also see if it goes away after a few minutes.

also another thing, it is still running really really rich. Tons of gas smell after start up, ridiculous amount.

 

Gas in the oil???

 

what a beautiful bike!!!! if you sell it (witch is a big mistake) im sure some gear head like me on here will buy that beauty. ok so tech advice i purchased one that was sitting for 5 years and when i fired it up my carbs would not let me rev passed 4k and i had a bad fuel smell turned out to be the pipes between the carbs o rings had dried out replaced them and leak stopped i rebuilt my carbs and have had full rev rang so all that is fixed. but when i fired it up agin i had white smoke for about 4 min until it got warmed up then it was gone so if it warms and its gone id say oil sitting on pistons from not running for a long time. if it dose not go away pull the spark plugs and take a pic so we can see the condition of the plugs, check your oil if it milky looking or has a lot of bubbles in it also smell the oil and see if gas is in the oil. good luck let us know what you find

 

I would say head gasket very unlikely, no need to stick a fork in it so quickly.Gen 2 is just shy of indestructible. Sort your jetting issues oot and see what you have, what is your jetting and needle set up? Stock or Dynojet?

 

I cleaned the carb a second time and replaced the jets. The jets I got were factory from honda. I kept everything on it all stock.

One of the reasons I believe it is running rich is that I set the fuel screws back to factory specs. 2 1/2 turns out. Thoughts?

Before I always needed the choke to start up. This time it looks like I don't. Im about to start working on the bike again right now. So ill keep yall updated.

 

That is a beautiful bike.

The guys who posted above have some good info for you. If you need further assistance, try http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/index.php

There are thousands of riders in your area with a huge network of super knowledgeable and friendly folks who would be able to point you in the right direction. Tell them Drewler sent ya.

 

Hey guys, need more help. So after looking at my notes I decided I should return the fuel screws to the way I found them (1 3/4, 2, 2, 2 1/4) and ditch factory settings. This is going to be a huge pain in the butt. Even though I swapped bowls so the fuel screws could be adjusted I don't see how I can adjust them while the carb is still on the bike. ToeCutter, any suggestions on adjusting before I start tearing the thing apart?

The bike is running really rich and again needed the choke to start for the first time today. Which is really confusing.

Also I let it run for a while (about 5 minutes) and still had some white smoke and gas smell flooding everywhere.

It also got really freaking hot. How long does it take for the fan to turn on because mine never did. The bike got steaming hot.

 

Gosh dang it!!! I can't catch a break!...

So I got the carbs off and reset the fuel screws back to the way they were. Good!

Then my old man walk out to see whats going on and points out a small leak. Tells me hey you should tighten those down.



Ok, no prob. Half turn one, half turn two, half turn three, half turn *snap* #$(@&$(!!!! I freaking broke a screw off inside!

Now im going to have to order this dang part. Willing to bet this stupid screw is going to cost around $15-$20...



Yup there is where it was...




Now things get interesting. Im pissed off now and I decide to check the spark plugs. I pull plug 1 out and its covered in oil?!?!?




I pull plug 2 out and it has been squashed!!! What the heck?!?!




Those were brand spanking new spark plugs too!!!

 

That's a bummer. You really can't torque those down further to stop a cam cover from leaking. Good time to get a new set. Safe to say that plug wasn't firing. Be careful dropping the plugs down into hole or that bending can occur. My plug wrench has a rubber insert to hold the plug in place. That bike is beautiful and worth every second of work you will ever have to do.

 

Take a bit of time, and read the service manual before you turn wrenches. Look at the parts diagrams. Don't use low-quality tools. Don't over-torque anything; you're not workin on your grampa'sold Chevy, so don't use too much muscle. Breaking that bolt was a good, cheap lesson--even at Honda prices-- about one of the skills it takes to do mechanical work on any bike. Damaged parts can be hard to replace or unavailable, so abc. Even if Honda cranked out millions of any model (and a good '86 VFR is a rare bike now), don't use crude tools, leave scratches, round off bolts, strip screw heads, cross-thread anything or leave marks on any parts, and treat the bike more like a future candidate for cult veneration in the world of 1986 Japanese motorcycles. One simple scratch you inflict is an insult, a defilement to the original superiority of the bike as new, and shows careless attitude, poor workshop practice, lack of experience, and disrespect. Pictures of your bike show a distinguished member of the VFR type, and it needs both use and preservation. be preserved in running condition. One misfortunate crash or one loose or over-tightened nut or bolt somewhere could cause damage to the bike not easily repairable.

Agreed w hopit, the OEM toolkit plug socket is easiest and best for the task. IMO it should be carried on the bike at all times, along with one fresh plug.

Unless my memory's gone, i'm able to reach the idle mixture screws with an extra-long screwdriver--aided by flashlight. No disassembly necessary. Down on one knee, Bunky, and bend way over.


Maybe the wrong plugs for the bike ?? Sure you didn't drop it and forget to remember to notice it ?? You have serious probs if a plug touched a piston, but not likely !! Noises while running ??

Sure, you might be seeing condensation. You'd know after the first time you took the bike for a ride and used it hard, harder than is good for noobs maybe.

About 85% of fans not operating cases are due to bad thermoswitches on the radiator. Fan should start at about 2/3 temp scale normally, @ 100C. Manual override switches are useful. Fan testing needs to be done before riding any old Honda you just bought or risk overheating. Same with charging system output, at least 13+ volts must be verfied before venturing upon the roads, avenues, parkways, or lanes willy-nilly with your sellphones and credit cards in hand first time on the bike.




**SMILIES not usable at posting.


Great site here, but if i had good cable TV or high-speed net, i'd be somewhere else right now, right ??

 

Clean and regap the plugs, reinstall them in different cylinders and then recheck them after a couple of hours of running time.

I would guess the one with the closed gap wasn't running very well, if at all. That would have contributed to the smoking issue. It likely got mangled when it was installed. (It doesn't take much pressure to close them.)

Not sure what a replacement bolt well cost you, but I would guess less than $5.

Sent from taptalk with spell check and political correctness disabled

 

I give up.



.

 

That can't be what Alaskans do; nor is it the cowboy way !%#$&* Or dija move south ?

 

spark plug could be the gas smell considering it was not burning any in that cylinder.

as for the oil on the spark plug how many miles are on your bike?

snapped bolt is not a fun experience but its a lesson learned that will better help you later on down the road.

you can use a rubber fuel tube to install spark plugs in and turn them to a decent tightness and use a torque wrench to finish tightening and do not over tighten them or you risk stripping the head and that is no fun!!!