Oil consumption. How much is too much?

[alke46]

Valve stem seals can pass an amazing amount of oil. I used to have an 88 Toyota Cressida with around 140k on it would go through a quart/500 miles of high mileage 10w40. once I made the mistake of taking it to a shop for an oil change... they did some oil-flush BS and I burned a quart or more going home 10 miles. after replacing the valve stem seals (and all other upper-end gaskets though they weren't leaking) oil consumption dropped to almost nothing. it looked as though the PO had NEVER done any periodic maintenance because the sludge was so thick when I got it (before putting the HM oil in) when I changed the stem seals, they were all rock hard, some crumbled when touched, and one was pretty much missing.

Thanks one and all, it seems like the valve stem seals is most likely the culprit here, at least that is what the consensus is telling me.
But for now, I will start topping it off with some 20w50 and see if I can postpone the inevitable. Sounds like a good project for when the temperature starts reaching the single digits at night. I know that is coming up way too soon.
Thanks again,

Larry

[Guest]

How much

My Gs1000s has done 93000miles still on original pistons Bores, if I take it steady keepi below 80mph.
250mls to the pint of Duckhams 2050.
at least I wont need a new Exhaust yet.
Ooooh soo to be Bored to 1085cc,hope it will help.

[tomcat24551]

My '79 850 has 52,700 miles on the clock and has had great care (by me!) since I bought it in 1980.

Recently I logged about 1000 miles (with about half of that at around 5000 RPM) on a trip to Dayton, Ohio. I used slightly less than 1/2 quart of oil on the trip and arrived home with the sight glass about half full. I never see blue smoke, so I consider this an acceptable amount of consumption.

By the way, what would you guys consider acceptable compression figures for a well-cared-for, stock 850 engine with 53,000 miles?

Thanks

Tomcat

PS: I use Amsoil 10-40 Motorcycle Oil (synthetic)

[alke46]

here is where some of the oil is going

I have a tachometer cable that is way beyond it's usefulness. In changing this, is it necessary to put any thread seal on the threads where it goes into the engine? Do these things just become brittle and break with age causing them to leak?
Thanks guys,
Larry

[tkent02]

I have a tachometer cable that is way beyond it's usefulness. In changing this, is it necessary to put any thread seal on the threads where it goes into the engine? Do these things just become brittle and break with age causing them to leak?
Thanks guys,
Larry

There is a small oil seal, and an o ring in there. They don't come with the new cable, look on Cliff's site for info about it.

[Clone]

Just a comment on the Rotella, it seems to be a good oil, but I found that since I put it in, the bike "uses" more oil than before. I will try Valvoline 15W40 diesel synthetic for the next change and see if it makes any difference.

[alke46]

There is a small oil seal, and an o ring in there. They don't come with the new cable, look on Cliff's site for info about it.

I checked Cliff's site but I did not see anything there pertaining to the tachometer cable. I am either going blind or maybe just too tired to find it tonight.

[tkent02]

I checked Cliff's site but I did not see anything there pertaining to the tachometer cable. I am either going blind or maybe just too tired to find it tonight.

It's there, a little bit hidden...

http://www.bwringer.com/gs/tachcableseals.html

[Steveb64]

[QUOTE=simon kuether;1082065] Your usage does seem a bit high though.What are your riding conditions like ? Hot ? Mine consumes a bit more if it's on the hot side (ambient). Cheers , Simon. [/QUOTE]

Hot weather does not seem to change the amount of usage

Straight 50 weight is a bad idea unless you live in some place where the temperature never drops below 80 F. 20W-50 is fine though for summer riding. And I agree with the others suggesting valve stem seals but best to check compression before tearing the engine apart.

- skloF
Folks - you've gotta remember - Simon's an Aussie! When he talks about hot - he's referring to 'Death Valley' type hot! 35-40C (95-105F) hot....

The Aussies get those temps even down south in Melbourne and Adelaide - and Simon's from the North (Cairns), which is tropical, so...

[Guest]

- skloF
Folks - you've gotta remember - Simon's an Aussie! When he talks about hot - he's referring to 'Death Valley' type hot! 35-40C (95-105F) hot....

The Aussies get those temps even down south in Melbourne and Adelaide - and Simon's from the North (Cairns), which is tropical, so...

You mean Bakersfield hot. Death Valley is even hotter!

[alke46]

It's there, a little bit hidden...
http://www.bwringer.com/gs/tachcableseals.html

Thanks alot for the link. Now I guess I will have to order the new parts and install them. More down time. At least I have a 2nd bike to ride whenever I need to ride.

[DanTheMan]

I know I have crispy valve stem seals on my 850, just haven't had a chance to replace them yet. I fried them when I overheated my head gasket two years ago, just didn't have the time then when I did the head gasket replacement to address that problem. That being said, I generally use a qt of 10w/40 every thousand miles, so I'm topping the oil off about every 500 or so. Mine only smokes when it's cold, then no oil smoke can be seen. I plan on fixing that problem this winter, along with the carb rebuilds, valve shims, etc.

[rudy]

I use Rotella 15W40 and the 1000 will drink about 500mL every 1500-2000km. It really depends on how and where I ride. High speed and RPM uses more. I replaced every gasket, and all seals during the rebuild. The plugs are a little dark, but thats just cuz it's running a touch rich, no oily residue. Doesn't leak a drop from anywhere either. There's no visible smoke during startup other than a little black when on the choke. It never smells like burning oil, and people I ride with have never noticed blue smoke or an oily smell. I know it does smell a touch rich though if I give it the beans. That's likely the VM carbs though.

I'm considering going to Castrol GTX because they have a 20W50 (use it in my diesel mower). A buddy of mine uses 15W40 GTX in his CB750 with no issues at all, and that's an all original engine.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

[dpep]

I assume you have ruled out the possibility of a leak. When my bikes suddenly start going through a lot of oil, that is almost always the culprit. If it is bad enough you can smell it when the engine warms up. If you have not already, clean your engine up well and then look it over closely, including the underside, after a reasonably long ride. Obviously look at the place where it is usually parked for signs of oil dripped to the ground.

[tkent02]

Thanks alot for the link. Now I guess I will have to order the new parts and install them. More down time. At least I have a 2nd bike to ride whenever I need to ride.

No down time, it's a ten minute fix. Easy peasy.