Burning Oil

[VMAX Eddie]

Hello all! I'm the proud new owner of a 93' VMAX, and new to the forums.

My 93' is in great condition being the age and had around 17k miles when I bought it, at least that's what the OD said.

When I first got it this year I took real easy on it since it's been near 10 years since I owned a bike and wanted to make sure everything on it was safe. I've gotten much more comfortable on it now and have been opening it up more and taking longer rides.

My problem is engine oil is burning up. The first few weeks everything seemed fine. But when I took a ride last week I noticed some valve noise and thought "uh oh, I hope it's just low on oil!" Well sure enough it was. I'm guessing around a 1/4 quart.

Well I toped it off with some 10w/40 I have and the noise went away and life is good. I have also noticed lately that when it's just started and warming up I get some smoke in the exhaust. The fuel balance seems fine so I'm guessing that's where the oil is going. Also have no evident leaks.

So with only 17k miles I'm kinda confused why I would be burning any oil. Obviously it is a 20yo bike but not a lot of miles for that age. No telling how hard it was riden for those miles but overall the bike has been well maintained and stored indoors. It was also fully services just before I purchased it, or so I was told. The oil looks fresh and new rear tire so at least some things were done it.

If it was stored indoors and not riden could the piston rings be shot? Should I do another oil change and add one of those special oil treatments for older engines that burn oil? Or should I get ready for some heavy maintenance?

Appreciate your advice and glad to finally get my VMAX after many years wanting one unk:

 

[gamorg02]

i'd be interesting to know over how long it burns the 1/4 quart.

 

[one2dmax]

These bikes are very cold blooded and will show a good deal of smoke when first started. This should NOT be oil though anything can happen I suppose. They are also very noisy engines when compared to other bikes.

Sean

 

[VMAX Eddie]

i'd be interesting to know over how long it burns the 1/4 quart.

Not very long. I've put around 1k miles on it, and about 1/2 quart oil total. When I put the initial 1/4 quart in when I heard the chatter it was completely below the view port. I filled it to the top of the window. I ran it another 100-200 miles and it was down near the bottom of the view port again. I added another around 1/8 quart to fill it back up. I've put another around 100 miles on it since and just went out to check it. It's at around 1/8-1/4 up from the bottom of the view port.

 

[alorio1]

A compression check may tell you something about your rings, you can get a fairly good one at Harbor freight. I always add a little Marvel Mystery oil to everything I own. None of my vehicles burn oil but I'm not saying it's the MMO that has kept my engines in good condition. My old 85 Max has 17K on it and still runs like new with no oil consumption. A lot of members on the forum swear by and use Rotella 15W40 (non synthetic) which is what I use. My oil seems to be darker when changed because of the cleaning that MMO does for the engine, and thats just my opinion and my .02 cents on the subject..........

 

[VMAX Eddie]

These bikes are very cold blooded and will show a good deal of smoke when first started. This should NOT be oil though anything can happen I suppose. They are also very noisy engines when compared to other bikes.

Yes definitely takes a bit to warm up. I don't see any leaks and no spots under the bike when I stop or put it in the garage. The oil is going somewhere

 

[one2dmax]

Maybe run some seal conditioner like Marvel Mystery oil or a BG product and see if it's simply lack of lubrication that's causing the oil loss.

Sean

 

[Miles Long]

Have a friend with a camera follow you in a car. Vary your driving -around town, on the highway - and occasionally give it full throttle. Your friend will be looking for blue smoke from the exhausts, if any.
Post a video of the ride. The engine experts on this forum will chime in, in no time.
Cheers!

 

[VMAX Eddie]

I got some Marvel Mystery Oil. Was looking at the other products there too like the stp lubricant etc., but went with this since you suggested it. Topped off the oil with it and added some to the gas.
Can't believe you can put it in both the oil and the gas XD

Going to be buying a compression gage so I can see what's going on with that as well. For now the MMO will have to do and I'll just make sure I keep the oil topped off.

 

[one2dmax]

Keep in mind that when running at the top of the window you'll get windage in the crankcase that will foam the oil and cause it to pull into the airbox and thus into the engine (to be burned). I suggest using the mid point of the window (with bike sitting level).

Sean

 

[VMAX Eddie]

Keep in mind that when running at the top of the window you'll get windage in the crankcase that will foam the oil and cause it to pull into the airbox and thus into the engine (to be burned). I suggest using the mid point of the window (with bike sitting level).

Alright, will do. Tricky holding the bike and bending over to see it. Can't seem to get the damn thing on the center stand.

 

[davesax36]

Squat on the right side, grab the throttle, and steady the lean by pushing on the seat.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[alorio1]

Read thru these ,the Vmax ia a beast to get on the center stand.....

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=4804&highlight=center+stand

 

[VMAX Eddie]

Couple quick updates. The Marvel Mystery Oil seems to have helped quite a bit. The level is still dropping some but not near as fast. I've got enough MMO in there now to balance it out with the current oil. Will let it be and see what happens over the next couple weeks. Will still be doing a compression check here along the way too but am glad it's not going through the oil like it was.

Stand:
No kidding it is a beast to get up XD I never had much of a problem, although wasn't exactly easy, on my older bikes but they were smaller. Dave I tried your suggestion till I was short of breath and gave up. Will have a read through that link and see if anything else works. I'm not a huge guy but not tiny, 5'9" around 170-180, and in fairly good shape and not a weakling. Why can't there be an auto-button to lift it up Will keep trying.

 

[one2dmax]

If the bike is lowered or you simply want to make life easier to get on the center stand simply pull the bike onto a 1x6. That will help more then you'd think. I don't have problems other then one that's lowered and even then it's more problem getting it OFF lol.

Sean

 

[VMAX Eddie]

OK so here's an update. After running through some of the MMO all seemed good. Until all of a sudden over a couple days I lost a bunch of oil. Like 1/2 quart. I've been hearing something rattle as well so I decided it was time for a more detailed inspection of everything top to bottom.

Well I didn't find what is rattling but I damn sure found where the oil is going. It's definitely not burning it.

See for yourself:

That's the right side crank case cover. I looked at the photos of the bike when I first bought it and it was there then. I've contacted the owner to see if he knew about it and if he will pay for the part, because that's BS when he stated no leaks! Wasn't as easy to see from the original photos, but now it is more evident.

What's weird is there are no puddles under it, never have been. And not a ton of residue around the crack. Could be a combo of things? What's the pros thoughts?

 

[marsmax85]

Just wondering did you do a complete oil change or just top off ? First thing I do to a new bike change most fluids that way I know its got fresh fluids. I also run 15w40 rotella little thicker then 10w40

 

[rollin thunder]

Couple quick updates. The Marvel Mystery Oil seems to have helped quite a bit. The level is still dropping some but not near as fast. I've got enough MMO in there now to balance it out with the current oil. Will let it be and see what happens over the next couple weeks. Will still be doing a compression check here along the way too but am glad it's not going through the oil like it was.

Stand:
No kidding it is a beast to get up XD I never had much of a problem, although wasn't exactly easy, on my older bikes but they were smaller. Dave I tried your suggestion till I was short of breath and gave up. Will have a read through that link and see if anything else works. I'm not a huge guy but not tiny, 5'9" around 170-180, and in fairly good shape and not a weakling. Why can't there be an auto-button to lift it up Will keep trying.

I put a small piece of wood under the side stand so the bike is almost straight up and push down with my left foot and pull up on the rear grab handle at the same time.it works for me.

 

[VMAX Eddie]

Just wondering did you do a complete oil change or just top off ? First thing I do to a new bike change most fluids that way I know its got fresh fluids. I also run 15w40 rotella little thicker then 10w40

Just topped it off. It looked clean when I first got it. I'm going to do a deep maintenance session soon.

I put a small piece of wood under the side stand so the bike is almost straight up and push down with my left foot and pull up on the rear grab handle at the same time.it works for me.

Good news! I finally got it up on the stand after watching this vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3m8AAzaAsA

Wasn't as easy as that bike but I got it up

 

[MaxMidnight]

OK so here's an update. After running through some of the MMO all seemed good. Until all of a sudden over a couple days I lost a bunch of oil. Like 1/2 quart. I've been hearing something rattle as well so I decided it was time for a more detailed inspection of everything top to bottom.

Well I didn't find what is rattling but I damn sure found where the oil is going. It's definitely not burning it.

See for yourself:

That's the right side crank case cover. I looked at the photos of the bike when I first bought it and it was there then. I've contacted the owner to see if he knew about it and if he will pay for the part, because that's BS when he stated no leaks! Wasn't as easy to see from the original photos, but now it is more evident.

What's weird is there are no puddles under it, never have been. And not a ton of residue around the crack. Could be a combo of things? What's the pros thoughts?

'Fraid I can't see that what you show in the pic being your problem. You would see oil residue - the likelihood of any discharge being flung away from the bike is less than me becoming the next president!

That the MMO only gave a temporary remission would suggest that it will not fix the underlying cause.
Whilst I would not be so bold as to suggest that miracles do not happen I doubt that MMO will solve your problem.

There are two reasons that motors loose oil - it leaks and as a little oil will spread a long way this is normally easy to pick up.
The second is that it is being burnt, either via the breather or in the combustion space via the valve stem seals.

As has been suggested in a previous post a cylinder leakage test will identify which is the culprit.