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'sudden' oil burning

colemanrobh

New member
For various reasons, my '85 K100RS sat in my garage all last year--didn't fire it up at all. When I did get back to it, I changed spark plugs to an NGK equivalent of what was in there previously. Since starting it after its layoff, I have a pretty strong case of oil burning on start up lasting for 5 minutes or so. Never had that before. Is this more likely due to sitting up for a year or is it related to plugs that might not be exactly the right size? I know-- this sounds a bit nutty, but there is no difference in the bike from last year to this except the plug change. Ideas?
 
I have a K75 and if it sits on the sidestand or has too much oil in it it will smoke at start up. It goes away. I usually leave mine on the centerstand. The bike should burn some oil - I think I added 1/2 quart after 2500 miles or so.

I hear the oil & gas left in the engine moves to the side and gets burned out through the exhaust pipe.

That's what I've heard and experienced.
 
Did the five minute fog happen just the first time, or does it now do it everytime you start up? The whole thread of it being normal is not really aimed at the five minute thing, I don't believe, if you are now storing it on the center stand between rides. Might that indicate some issues of corrosion during your idle time, especially if you didn't ever turn it over during the idle time? My high mileage K12RS did this the first several times starting after having sat for several months untouched, but quit after about three or four rides and does not do it anymore.
 
Any engine what have horizontal pistons have the oil smoking on startup problem occasionally. I've had it on VW bugs, Subarus, Briggs & Stratton, Onan, Kohler, Kawasaki (all on lawn and garden tractors) as well as K, Airhead and Oilhead BMWs. They seem to take it in spells where they won't do it for a long time and then they do it frequently. The water cooled Kawasaki engine (the only one that is a V and not a boxer) on my John Deere has taken a spell of smoking about 30% of the time when I start it and it never uses any oil. It's the nature of the beast.

Ken
 
new owner

I just got an 85 k100rt and was told that it may need to have valve guides, due to excessive oil smoke.
I was wondering if there is a test of some kind I can do to check the guides without having to tear it down and replace them.
Unfortunately I haven't gotten the bike started yet, as it has been garaged for the last 10 years.
 
I just got an 85 k100rt and was told that it may need to have valve guides, due to excessive oil smoke.
I was wondering if there is a test of some kind I can do to check the guides without having to tear it down and replace them.
Unfortunately I haven't gotten the bike started yet, as it has been garaged for the last 10 years.
I can count the number of K bikes that needed valve guides on no-hands. Zero. Zilch. Just doesn't happen. Someone mistook the normal K bike fogging with real oil burning.

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=4240

The design of the guides - horizontally oriented - means very little oil would get down them even if they were horribly worn (which they never are.)
 
I just got an 85 k100rt and was told that it may need to have valve guides, due to excessive oil smoke.
I was wondering if there is a test of some kind I can do to check the guides without having to tear it down and replace them.
Unfortunately I haven't gotten the bike started yet, as it has been garaged for the last 10 years.

In all those years of being garaged was it run or the engine turned over every so often?Just sitting around causes seals to dry out.I would get the thing running and go for a nice long ride to see if the smoking stops.More then likely it will.I have a friend that has over 465 000 miles on his 85 k.The engine never had to come apart for anything.The are bullet proof.
 
In all those years of being garaged was it run or the engine turned over every so often?Just sitting around causes seals to dry out.I would get the thing running and go for a nice long ride to see if the smoking stops.More then likely it will.I have a friend that has over 465 000 miles on his 85 k.The engine never had to come apart for anything.The are bullet proof.

The bike hasn't had any turning over in a few years. I figure I am going to have to replace a bunch of fluids, in forks, crankcase, etc before I can ride it. Of course a battery will be the first purchase.
 
The bike hasn't had any turning over in a few years. I figure I am going to have to replace a bunch of fluids, in forks, crankcase, etc before I can ride it. Of course a battery will be the first purchase.

BEFORE you try to crank it over, pull the fuel pump and inspect the pump vibration damper for deterioration (it gets soft and gooey). If you try to start it with a bad damper, the pump will suck up the goo and plug the injectors and damage the pump. If it's bad, you'll have to clean the goo out of the tank below the pump.



:dance:dance:dance
 
I just got an 85 k100rt and was told that it may need to have valve guides, due to excessive oil smoke.
I was wondering if there is a test of some kind I can do to check the guides without having to tear it down and replace them.
Unfortunately I haven't gotten the bike started yet, as it has been garaged for the last 10 years.

The 85 K bikes tend to smoke really badly when left on the sidestand and sometimes on the center stand. I had one for a couple of years and it smoked enough to scare me sometimes. It didn't use oil and a I adjusted to the quirk. The V-twin Kawasaki engine on my John Deere does the same thing. I had a smaller Deere with a smaller but same engine and it did not do it.
 
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