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Hope I didn't hurt her...

itlives

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This is more a report for noobs that are more noobie than me. I guess I'm moving up the NC food chain now that I've done the 8,000 mile valve adjustment/check.

So, to report on the valve adjust, my #1 intakes were a little loose and #2 exhaust were a little tight. Adjusting these is exactly like adjusting old VW's and I was into old VW's for the last 12 years, so I had no problems. The only thing I noticed that makes it a little hard is you have to make sure the feeler gauge is sliding at a 90 degree angle to the valves or it will bind and make you think it's tight.

Here's the "hope I didn't hurt her" part. While I was doing work on her and she was on the center stand, I checked the oil. She had too much to drink on the last oil change. I must have filled while it was on the side stand (very noobie thing). I know it's BAD to have too much oil. But all I could do at this point was drain some.

The part that worries me is I drove at least 3,500 miles with it like that. Many miles at 70-75 mph. I guess if damage was done, it will show up as an engine with not as much miles on it as everyone elses before it needs rebuilding.

The good report. Since I drained the oil to normal and did the valve thing, she runs through the rpm's much more smoothly. There was a vibration (slight, but there) around 4,100-on, which is completely gone now.

All this to say, check your oil on the center stand.
Learn to adjust your own valves (use the money you save to take your significant other out to a good meal!)

Pay attention to vibrations when running through the rpm's. When I first came here, I read a thread where peeps were saying their engines were very smooth through the rpm range. Being new, I didn't really know what smooth was (until now).

We live, we learn.
 
This reminds me of a Suzuki 400 I bought in 1980 from a co-worker. It was a DOG! It could hardly get out of it's own way, but I felt like it just needed some TLC. I pulled it into my kitchen to change the oil. The oil sight glass was apparently blocked by built up grunge so I couldn't tell how much (or little) oil it had in it, so I decided to just drain and refill to spec.

I pulled the drain plug and the dark oil came rushing out... and kept coming... and coming... overflowing my drain pan! It must have been up to the piston in oil!

After filling to the proper level I was able to see clean oil in the sight glass. When I started the engine it revved to over 5000 at idle! I turned down the idle, and she purred like a kitten. She ran like a bat out of hell, and seemed to suffer no adverse affects.

I think you're safe!
 
I checked the oil. She had too much to drink on the last oil change. I must have filled while it was on the side stand (very noobie thing). I know it's BAD to have too much oil. But all I could do at this point was drain some.

The part that worries me is I drove at least 3,500 miles with it like that. Many miles at 70-75 mph. I guess if damage was done, it will show up as an engine with not as much miles on it as everyone elses before it needs rebuilding.

Can you estimate how much oil was too much? If it was quite a lot, then I might check the air box, the crankcase breather tube, (and maybe the evaporative canister? Check your manual diagrams to see if there is a connection between the oil/gas routes and the charcoal cannister, is what I would recommend)) to see if any have excess oil in them.

If there isn't any significant amount oil found in any of those places, and you don't notice any oil weeping from the valve cover gasket or other unusual places, then I wouldn't think you put in enough to cause any damage. Probably anything up to 500ml +/- wouldn't be the end of the world I'd guess. I can't say if up to a litre would be ok. I cringe at the thought of that much...



Pressure is built up in the crankcase during normal operation, and gets vented back into the airbox to mix with the incoming air through the air filter. If there is way too much oil, this can cause a bit of a mess with the liquid oil being taken for a ride into the airbox as well, and if there is waaay too much oil, other things can happen like the crankshaft slapping through oil causing cavitation, and sending that aerated foam through the system. This would be kinda bad news, as the film strength of oil seperating metal on metal contact is drastically reduced, amongst other things.

If there were litres and litres of too much oil, then you would most likely run into hydraulic lock, where the bottoms of the pistons physically slammed into oil, and since liquid doesn't compress, *crunch* you'd know straight away, lol.

We don't have the emissions vapour recovery cannisters and related plumbing on our bikes up here like you do in the US, so I don't know if oil or just gas can get in there.
 
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It's fooked, I'll do you a favour and do a straight swap with you for my entire back catalogue of Rolf Harris records,
PM if interested.

;)
 
Thanks L.B.S.
The amount of overage would be however much it takes to "right" when the bike is on the side stand. That's how I filled it.
When I let it out a little at a time to get it to the "right right", it seems like it maybe 1/3 to 1/2 quart...maybe.

What you said about "if there is waaay too much oil, other things can happen like the crankshaft slapping through oil causing cavitation" was what I worried about because I put a lot of 4,000 rpm miles on it. I really think it's going to alright.
I was just amazed at how much smoother it runs since I did those two things!
 
It's fooked, I'll do you a favour and do a straight swap with you for my entire back catalogue of Rolf Harris records,
PM if interested.

;)



lol I was picturing Rod Hull instead of Rolf Harris for some reason, and the memory images sent me into a giggling fit

news-graphics-2007-_644034a.jpg
 
I over filled too on my last oil change. I checked the oil on the centre stand, but before i left for a ride i checked as it states in the owners manual to place it upright off the side stand. It was just a tweak over the top mark. I took some out with a kids ear drop syringe that fit perfectly in the oil fill hole. It took "40cc stat" to bring it back to 3/4 up to the line LOL.
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