moisture/ oil? in one pipe?

[V-Four]

So..just pulled into the garage..and did my normal good nite kiss..once over on the max.
During so..i noticed moisture of some sort on the bottom pipe (pictured)
it wasnt in any other...and it wasnt there when i bought it. i looked for sure.

so..anyone know what this could be?

 

[twistedmax]

Terry, have you opened that thing up yet? your gonna have to ride infront next time and we can watch it.Whats it smell like?

 

[V-Four]

Havnt opend er up yet. wanted to get thru ridin season 1st.

one mornin firin her up..i THOuGHT i saw some smoke at first..but it went away..also it wasnt from the side in question.. :/

 

[m-cman]

Sometimes pipes get condensation inside, especially after short rides that do not get the pipes hot enough to burn off moisture. There should be small drain holes at the lowest point on each pipe to allow moisture to drain. If there are on those pipes, check that none are stopped up.

 

[V-Four]

Sometimes pipes get condensation inside, especially after short rides that do not get the pipes hot enough to burn off moisture. There should be small drain holes at the lowest point on each pipe to allow moisture to drain. If there are on those pipes, check that none are stopped up.

The thing is..it isnt just moisture..it was after a 45 min ride..and 3 other pipes were dry..but the 1 pipe was.wet..and i touched it..and it seemed like oil i reckon.
also..lookin straight down pipe..it too was "oily"... not just the outer area as shown in pic.

 

[alorio1]

You could have a fouled plug on that cylinder, I would start the bike and lightly touch each pipe to see if it is getting hot as compared to the other pipes.

 

[V-Four]

So.. heres what the suspect plug looks like.. definately suttin crusty on it.
also looks a lil moist..doesnt smell like gas tho..
thoughts..?..

 

[mr.maxx]

how do the other plugs look? similar?

have you noticed any coolant loss??

 

[V-Four]

Havnt noticed coolant loss...per se..then again i havnt really been checkin for that.

so..cleaned the plug..then checked to see if was gettin spark..and it is., now wether or not its the best spark..i dont really know.
just went for a rest ride..1 thing i did check was pipe temp..and that pipe is NOT as hot as rest.
its warm..but defnatly not as hot.

I havnt noticed any power loss..over.the.last 2000 mi. since i owned her..but then again..its never been enough power to scare me. someone asked me if i was scared when i rode it..and i said no, he.said.there must be suttin wrong..cuz hos buddies with maxxes definatly take care..as the maxx has power to scare. (thats also what ive heard..but i chalked it up to the.cobra pipes robbin me of some scaring power...?
Have i been runnin on 3.5 cylinders this whole time?

 

[V-Four]

just for reference here's what the opposite plug looks like... looks pretty good to me..

k..just for kicks..i switched the two plugs.. the bad news is..no difference. that pipe is still cooler than the rest.

the good new is..i havent really felt all the power that the vmax has in store for me (gotta admit..i wasnt as scared as all the hype made it out to be)

ok.. calling all experts....WTF is wrong here?.. getting spark..some anyway..as i saw it..and the pipe gets warm..not nearly like the rest tho.

HELP!!!

 

[mr.maxx]

that bad plug looks splash fouled....i would replace it rather than clean it.

then id do a carb sync.

 

[alorio1]

The pipe being warm is from coolant circulation thru the engine I would think. A compression check on all cylinders is in order, then compare numbers of other cylinders, would tell you if something is wrong in that cylinder. If the compression numbers are close it could be a fuel delivery problem, such as a stuck float or jets clogged. A bad coil would also cause the cylinder not to fire, Vmax coils are known to crack on the underside and some still fire while others quit.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

The pipe being warm is from coolant circulation thru the engine I would think. A compression check on all cylinders is in order, then compare numbers of other cylinders, would tell you if something is wrong in that cylinder. If the compression numbers are close it could be a fuel delivery problem, such as a stuck float or jets clogged. A bad coil would also cause the cylinder not to fire, Vmax coils are known to crack on the underside and some still fire while others quit.

Good advise. That plug looks oil fouled to me, like you are burning oil in that cylinder.

 

[dannymax]

I'd start with a carb sync, then a compression test.

 

[tugla]

for sure a new plug also or did chg the plug to other cylinder clean it all up to look normal? not sure how long you ran it that way.

 

[V-Four]

for sure a new plug also or did chg the plug to other cylinder clean it all up to look normal? not sure how long you ran it that way.

I didnt pull the plug after switching positions with a "known good cylinder". I got depressed once I switched, fired it up, and the "Bad cylinder" still not firing properly even with The different plug. Exhaust pipe still MUCH cooler than the others.

So, I'm confident that BAD plug is not the issue.


*I did sorta peer into the (questionable) cylinder while the plug was out, and It Too was "moist" - did NOT "seem" to smell of gasoline though :bang head:
And that makes me think its oil..which makes me think its a worse prob than a carb adjustment.

AGAIN I AM getting some spark in that cyl.. just dont know if its proper spark, I just turned it for a hot sec, just to see.


Yes, I will do a compression test..when I can..whenever that is...
That said..if compression is good, what next?
I don't wanna talk bout bad compression yet..

So, with this info, any other guesses?

Thanks guys..fun game aint it?..

 

[dannymax]

How many miles on the motor?

How'd the sync work?

 

[tugla]

could check the coil and or the plug wire......as you said the spark might not have been the best.

how does it idle, and hesitations or popping when riding? fuel mileage

 

[V-Four]

Didnt get to sync yet..gonna be prolly at least a week.so, im tryin to see if theres anythin obvious that i'm missin..or a smokin gun so to speak, until I can get my hands on the proper equipment.

Always sounded a "little".. I dont know maybe skippity(to me) while idleing..thought maybe that was the nature of the beast..with the cobras. With hand it front of pipe, you can definately feel that one is weaker..the others kinda punch your hand..that one..not so much.

Gas mileage is pretty good actually..about 43 mpg.Same as its been for the 2 months since I had it. (im pretty easy on her)

* I havnt noticed any loss of power since day 1-which was 2 months ago. im guessin shes been runnin this way since I got her.

I guess The good news is I can almost keep up with the "hooligans" I ride with on 3 cylinders.. But it does explain a lot.

T

 

[ZackDaniels]

43 mpg is amazing... I get like 30-35 easy or not. Did you drop a venture drive on that bike or something?

Agree with swapping the coil/wire and seeing if it follows that. Changing just the plug isn't really enough to rule out spark being your issue.