Smoking & Oil in the Exhaust

I got my bike running today. It a VF500F. It smokes like crazy and there was oil dripping from the exhaust. The smoke looked pretty white. Anyone know what the cause of this might be? Could it just be something simple?

Chris

 

White smoke is coolant in the combustion chamber, blue smoke is burning oil. Dripping oil from the exhaust is not a very good sign combined with the smoking issue. It could be caused by many things - none of them are easy fixes.....:redface:

 

Looks like overhaul time for that motor. It would be worth it if the rest of the bike is in good condition.

 

Doesn't sound good. Blown headgasket, broken piston or ring? I'd pull the plugs to see which cyl is giving trouble. If all plugs look bad you might have crankcase vent problems, which would be the easiest to repair. You could also smell the smoke. Does it smell like burning oil, or antifreeze? Any oil in the airfilter?

 

I pulled the plugs. One was covered in oil. One was carbon fouled. And the other two looked like they were gas soaked. They're brand new. None looked very good, but the motor sounds pretty good when running. The crankcase breather hose on the block might be leaking and the hose going to the airbox isn't attached. Could that be the cause. The front head gasket does appear to be leaking oil, but I don't see any in the coolant. Would a compression test tell me what is happening?

Chris

 

You could do the compression test. If any of the cyclinders vary by more than 15 psi, I would recommend maybe a leak down test also. The leak down test requires a leak down testing kit but it is an accurate way to determine if the leakage is coming from the head gasket, rings or valves. Most shops don't even know what a leak down test is, so be very specific as to what you require if you decide to have a shop do it.

The leak down test is relatively simple with the right equipment.

Pull one spark plug and rotate that cylinder to TDC. This closes all 4 valves. Connect the leak down tester and apply compressed air.
If you hear air escaping from the exhaust pipe you have bad exhaust valve sealing.
If you hear air escaping from the intake manifold then you have bad intake valve sealing.
If you hear air escaping when you remove the oil filler cap your rings are not sealing.

If the results are inconclusive for these three things remove the radiator cap and pressurize the cylinder again - if the fluid level rises or you see bubbles escaping from the coolant at the filler neck, then the head gasket is probably bad. Repeat for all 4 cylinders, doing one at a time. If the cyclinders fire two at a time you can do both without rotating the crank again. Then you can rotate to TDC on the other 2 cyclinders and repeat the process.

Only pull one spark plug at a time, for obvious reasons.......

 

Can anyone tell me what size adapter is needed with the compression tester? I've checked all the local auto part stores and theirs only have the two basic standard spark plug sizes. I was thinking of getting this one

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...nics+Tools&sName=Automotive+Testing+Equipment

but I want to make sure it's got right adapter.

Chris

 

Take a spark plug with you to the store.

 

check the cooling system at the radiator cap and fill to the top to see if coolant is being lost through bad gasket.

Is oil over-filled??

 

My first trip to the Honda Dealer, I was considering purchasing a used '03 VFR with around 7,500 miles. When the salesman started it, there was some blue/white smoke coming out, that did not go away as it warmed up.
I knew right then and there I was NOT going to buy it. All I could think about was the previous owner dogging it out, so I ran to the '07.