GSX1400 Owners .org

Technically Speaking => Engine & Gearbox => Topic started by: gsxmad on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 05:28 AM

Title: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 05:28 AM
Hello lads.Just wondering if any of ye had any problems with blue smoke coming from the engine.My bike just started to do it yesterday.The engine only has 26,000 miles on it.Its reguraly serviced and maintened well.Im wondering if it would be the valve stem seals.Any help would be great.Thanks.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: KiwiCol on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 05:35 AM
Hi, at 26,000 I'd be very surprised if it was stem seals.  These engines are built like a brick outhouse.  (apart from the sump!)
Blue smoke? I'd be pulling the plugs & checking them to see which cyl is causing the grief. Run a compression test whilst you're there too (on all 4) min is 125psi from memory & should be around 165psi if all good. Variance of 28psi between them is also the tolerance.

At 26k, it's very unusual.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 05:43 AM
as col says
it would be very unusual for big problems at such a low mileage .
hope you get to the bottom of this and its nothing serious .
good luck  :cheers:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 05:45 AM
Thanks lads i may look into it.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Mrg on Thursday, 09 March 2017, 06:46 AM
finger crossed here to an easy fix  gsxmad   :onya:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: T 24 on Friday, 10 March 2017, 03:13 PM
Does the smoke come all the time or just when starting? check spark plugs, crank breather and do compression test. Compressions in 14 can also be too HIGH, what means there is too much carbon deposit on piston heads and combustion chamber.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 11 March 2017, 07:00 AM
Thanks T 24 will let ye know how all goes just have to get time to do it.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: kja on Saturday, 11 March 2017, 07:02 AM
What age is the bike?
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 11 March 2017, 07:20 AM
Its a k2 not registered till 03.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 06:59 AM
Well as to my discussion about the blue smoke there is something definitely wrong. I decided to do an oil change even though its not due one for a while yet and what did i find but little bits of steel in oil. Then i decided to pull the sump off and there was little bits every where.  :angry:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: froudy on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 08:04 AM
Ouch..That doesn't sound good  :shocked:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: KiwiCol on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 08:56 AM

Agreed, ouch!!   Sounds like rings have failed in 1 (or more) cyl.


You know how you always wanted to do a re-build . . .   :sad:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: VladTepes on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 12:08 PM
(https://cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/folder373/500x/53573373.jpg)

Hope the damage isn't TOO extensive mate...
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Mick_J on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 07:08 PM
Bummer, bits of metal in the sump is never a good thing, hope it's not too expensive.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Blubber on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 08:12 PM
thats crap.

hope you get it sorted soon  :onya:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Thursday, 16 March 2017, 10:55 PM
sorry to hear it
hopefully its not to serious and an easy fixed

:cry2:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Notty on Friday, 17 March 2017, 03:35 AM
Thats a Bummer  :bugga:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Friday, 17 March 2017, 03:58 AM
Cheers lads will keep ye informed.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Blubber on Friday, 31 March 2017, 08:47 PM
@gsxmad

- How is this going buddy?  :popcorn:





Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 07:00 AM
Sorry for not coming back sooner.Just heard from my mechanic today.He cant find anything wrong.A couple of years ago second gear was done and he reckons the bits of steel are from that time meaning the engine wasn't cleaned out properly. So hopefully all will be good.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 07:05 AM
hope all is well  :cheers:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: froudy on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 07:29 AM
Fingers crossed for you :onya:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxbarmy on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 07:52 AM
Quote from: gsxmad on Saturday, 01 April  2017, 07:00 AM
Sorry for not coming back sooner.Just heard from my mechanic today.He cant find anything wrong.A couple of years ago second gear was done and he reckons the bits of steel are from that time meaning the engine wasn't cleaned out properly. So hopefully all will be good.

May be worthwhile fitting one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Filter-Plus-oil-filter-magnet-/272589883957?hash=item3f779f8a35:g:LZoAAOSwA3dYkHGy

I have one on mine, basically they are magnetic and "stick" to the top of the oil filter, so any bits of metal stay in the filter. Swappable from filter to filter as well

@gsxmad
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: BlackAdder on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 09:51 AM
There should not be metal left from 2nd gear issue unless the whole sprockets would have xploded... ...aluminum dont stick to magnets...

Was it aluminum or metal in there?

If it smokes there is something wrong, piston, piston rings, valve stem seals, head gasket (well might be). And then the reason why one of the parts have failed should be found as well..
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: BlackAdder on Saturday, 01 April 2017, 09:53 AM
...clogged pairs or breather would create blue smoke too but that would'nt xplain the metal in sump...
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Sunday, 02 April 2017, 04:06 AM
It was metal in the sump.I removed the pairs and cleaned the breather today and the blue smoke has stopped. Im going for a good spin tomorrow then i will drop the oil and see if there is any more steel in it.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 03:06 AM
Well it seems that now a new problem has arisen. Did anyone ever have the problem of an engine that wont turn over when hot.I have put new battery in and had the starter checked to make sure it wasn't the problem.Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Mick_J on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 03:35 AM
Will it turn over/start when cold?
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 03:44 AM
It will turn over very slowly but wont start.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxbarmy on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 03:52 AM
Just wondering here - did you ever stall the bike and press the start button almost immediately? A couple of owners in the past have done this and taken a cog off the starter basket (under the LH cover) - now that's also where the starter clutch mechanism is. That possibly could be the metal from the past if a tooth has been broken off.

The other thing that can happen there is that the stator can come loose - known to be a problem on some later (K5 on) machines (not so the earlier ones), but worth having the cover off and checking that stator bolt (centre of the alternator), as if it has come loose, that could be why you are turning over slowly.....

(If you put the bike on its mainstand on level ground you can get the LH cover off without loosing too much oil - at most 1/4 pint). If you do do this, just not the location of the 2 bolts with washers on as they need to go back in exactly the same place
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: KiwiCol on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 03:53 AM

That's a weird one Mad.  So, to get it hot, it must of started from cold. Now it won't turn over properly, even at cold.  Bad Earth either on battery or the chassis?
Have you been doing work on it? What have you been dismantling & re-assembling? Any electrical connections involved?
Poor / intermittent clutch switch would also do it.


If you say battery has power & starter is ok, then something is stopping the electrical current from getting to where it's needed. Gotta be an earth / power cable or fuse.   Is it throwing any codes when you try to start? Does it say "Check" in the odometer whilst trying to start?.



Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 04:05 AM
oh oh i had that off but i never minded where the bolts with the washers went.Would that cause these problems.If so how do i find out where they go?
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 04:05 AM
also check the earth from the back of the engine to the battery
i had something simular and thats what it turned out to be
try a quick bump start as it would start in a few feet .
i hope you find it and it turns out something simple

Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 04:07 AM
http://gsx1400owners.org/forum_test/index.php?topic=149.0

location of sealing washers
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 04:12 AM
Thanks i will check that right now :onya:
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 04:43 AM
Is there any way to check if a starter is good or bad?
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: seth on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 06:37 AM
you could remove from the bike and check it
I'm sure it tells you how in the manual.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: Kiwifruit on Saturday, 08 April 2017, 08:05 AM
Always good advice Barmy.....i am guilty of hitting the starter quick when i've stalled a couple of times. Wont do that again then.

Hope you find your problem gsxmad.
Title: Re: Blue smoke
Post by: gsxmad on Wednesday, 12 April 2017, 06:05 AM
Well i finally got my bike sorted.It took longer than i thought as i didn't have much time to fix it due to work commitments .I had a charging problem due to corrosion on wires and the starter that i sent to be rebuilt wasn't touched by the company i sent it to except for shining it up.But what they didn't realize was that i had had my starter apart before i sent it to them so when i took it apart again i discovered that they hadn't done anything to it.So i went and got a rebuild kit myself and done it.Now all is good again.I just want to say thanks to everyone who gave me advise and ideas to what might be wrong. :onya: