Burning way too much oil

[bigbluebear]

Wonder if any of you guys can assist me in trying to figure out why I'm burning too much engine oil. I had it topped up a few days ago and done about 800 miles and I'm now on empty.....I don't have an oil leak or see any other signs of why....any assistance or ideas welcome.

Cheers

BBB

[Slaninar]

Color?


http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/smoking/causes.asp

[PaulSmith]

How much are you putting in when it needs topping up? When it is burning oil, you can be tempted to over fill it, but resist as you are just making the problem worse.

[bigbluebear]

I'm filling up just short of the top dot on the spy glass so I'm not over filling.....there's been no smoke coming out of the exhaust either

[noggythenog]

Is it a new type of oil you are using bbb??....i switched to halfords own and seemed to go through it much quicker but even then yours seems pretty excessive

[Slaninar]

I'm filling up just short of the top dot on the spy glass so I'm not over filling.....there's been no smoke coming out of the exhaust either

If you're measuring right (level bike, turned on, then left for a minute to settle, or however oil level is meant to be measured on a thousand), and there's no smoke from the exhaust, there must be a leak somewhere.

[unfazed]

I'm filling up just short of the top dot on the spy glass so I'm not over filling.....there's been no smoke coming out of the exhaust either

g
How do you know, was there someone riding/driving behind you to check?

Is there smoke on startup?

[bigbluebear]

No smoke as my mates would have told me....just the usual small amount on start up for a minute or two.......there is no leak as it would be noticeable on the garage floor......bike is levelled on the centre stand and is below the bottom marker, even checked this morning so it would have all bottomed out.

Taking back to my mechanic over the next couple of days to try and solve it........I know the thou's burn a bit of oil but mine is a bit excessive

[unfazed]

It seems a bit excessive and I have noticed a few that smoke if you gun them hard (10 to 12000revs) in the lower gears.
Blue smoke on startup is usually a sign of valve seal wear.
Check the air box and see if there is much oil residue or oil in it, that would indicate a bit of blow by.
Any oil drips from the pipe with the little filter in it which drains the air box?
Might be worth doing a compression check and leak down test, which would rule out rings or bore issues.

[nickodemon]

Did you not recently have it on the dyno? I would have thought the guys setting it up would notice if it was burning oil? I don't know how mechanical you are, but it might sound daft, but whenever you fill the engine with oil to the top mark you have to run it for a minute, switch off and let the engine sit for a few minutes to get an accurate reading. Is it possible you topped it up to the top mark then presumed that it was at the top mark and didn't recheck it :\

[unfazed]

A dyno run will always show a true smoker, but not every dyno tester will comment on it unless it is very bad. Many will smoke when under full load on a dyno, but not under normal use. Some will smoke after shutting the throttle from full power reading on the dyno and again will be fine in normal use.

[bigbluebear]

I did have on the dyno late last year and was fine, something could have gone wrong since though....I do give it the welly when I'm out every now and again.....be rude not too.....anyway as I said it's going back into get checked over so I'm hoping its not too serious

[nickodemon]

I don't know how mechanically minded you are, but when you top the oil level up you have to run the engine and then recheck the level. i have done it before myself :\  It's just a thought that you topped it up and then just rode it without rechecking the level :\

[unfazed]

For now just keep an eye on the level for the next 500 to 1000 miles and check it in the same place each time after leaving it for 5 minutes if just after a spin. If it drops again then check it further.

[bigbluebear]

Thanks guys, ill keep you posted 

[PaulSmith]

I'm filling up just short of the top dot on the spy glass so I'm not over filling.....there's been no smoke coming out of the exhaust either

By how much I meant 100ml every three months or half a litre every other weekend?

As for smoking, other then when under hard acceleration, you will only get visible smoke if you are burning shit loads of oil. 

[noggythenog]

Oil shwoil thats what i say........get it topped up and get out for a long blast to "test" it.......the weather is too good to miss :evil


Ill guess that youve just made a wee mistake somewhere with chcking it or topping up without spinning up or whatever.....well we can live in hope.

[sadlonelygit]

Just to cheer BBB up, my bike doesn't use a drop of oil between changes.

[lew600fazer]

As last post my bike never requires a top up between service intervals,16,000 miles on her now.
Is it possible the crankcase breather is blocked and causing back pressure in the crankcase therefore maybe forcing some oil into the airbox??not sure if this would be possible. I am much better on large Marine engines, just a thought and if I am talking bullshit don't spare my blushes.
Lew

[Davidjw]

My first thou used a fair bit of oil , the engine is known to do this , my latest uses very little , just a quirk of the engine , means you always got fresh oul in