Lost of engine oil?

[Wyvern77]

Hi guys, i m ridin a 93 KLX 250. i went for an oil change today & i was shocked to see that only 500ml of engine oil came out from the engine (my machine requires 1.5L).
The mechanic told me that my bike is 8yrs & probably that is why the engine is 'drinkin' my oil.
But to my knowledge, only when the the piston ring or the valves gives way (that's when u will exprience power lose or white smoke comin out of the mufflers rte?)
He also advised to half the valve grinded wif the grindin paste to remove the carbon build up & change the piston rings.
I m quite hesitant to have it done as it is very costlly
But there again if it is safe & it reqiures to have it done, i will do it.
So guys out there, pls kindly adivse, thkz so much!!!!:(

 

[Rich Rohrich]

There are a number of ways to lose oil from an engine :
- External case leaks that may not be obvious
- Worn valve seals (very common)
- Worn valve guides
- Worn oil rings or second compression ring on piston
- Excessive engine heat that vaporizes lower grade oils (common on heavily loaded air cooled engines)

Try changing the oil and sparkplug and closely monitoring the level for a few weeks along with watching for build up on the plug. If the oil is being burned there should be evidence of it on the sparkplug, as well as a build up in the exhaust port and the front part of the header. Pulling the intake manifold and looking for signs of buildup on the intake valve is a good indicator of the condition of the valve seals. A proper leakdown test will also give a good indication of the condition of the valves and rings.

 

[KLX4smoke]

Does it smoke at all? My 94 klx 250 smoked at one time and all I had to do was change the valve stem seals which was pretty easy. How's the terrain over there in Singapore? Thats in Sweden or something right? Just kidding...:D

 

[Wyvern77]

Thkz Rich, all this info r sure helpful, i will have it check out tomorrow.
Hi KLX4smoke, there is no place to trail in SG, but we do go over to Malaysia to trail. Usually we do it on a Sun.
Anyway, i no longer trail, i have just change my rims to motard rims.
Still in the mist of settin up the machine when i discovered that my oil level went down so much...*sigh*:(

 

[wesProdigy]

Hi guys. I am having the same problem of losing engine oil, Now Riding XR400. No sign of leaking nor Blue smoke, just the level of the oil keep on decreasing...
Read the message post to check on the Spark plug and the pipe header, How exactly the build up look like? my header near the joint to the main engine is very clean... havent check on the Spark plug though...
Any of you from Singapore? any good place/workshop to check the engine
:cool:

 

[wesProdigy]

Originally posted by Rich Rohrich
There are a number of ways to lose oil from an engine :
- External case leaks that may not be obvious
- Worn valve seals (very common)
- Worn valve guides
- Worn oil rings or second compression ring on piston
- Excessive engine heat that vaporizes lower grade oils (common on heavily loaded air cooled engines)

Try changing the oil and sparkplug and closely monitoring the level for a few weeks along with watching for build up on the plug. If the oil is being burned there should be evidence of it on the sparkplug, as well as a build up in the exhaust port and the front part of the header. Pulling the intake manifold and looking for signs of buildup on the intake valve is a good indicator of the condition of the valve seals. A proper leakdown test will also give a good indication of the condition of the valves and rings.

Rich . I am having the same problem of losing engine oil, Now Riding XR400. No sign of leaking nor Blue smoke, just the level of the oil keep on decreasing...
Read the message post to check on the Spark plug and the pipe header, How exactly the build up look like? my header near the joint to the main engine is very clean... havent check on the Spark plug though...
Any of you from Singapore? any good place/workshop to check the engine

 

[Wyvern77]

Werkshops?

Hi wesProdigy,
Rich is not from Singapore, but i am.
I have sent my machine to Magic Motowerk at Toa Payoh (Ah Biao), for a top overhaul, *sigh*, it is been a week since i left my bike there & still not ready yet.
Well, you can either choose to sent it to Magic Motowerk or Trail Culture Engineering at 282 MacPherson road (Paul Chow). Paul is quite good with XR.
I had my super xr 250 set up by him last time. Great job.
Happy huntin'!:confused:

 

[wesProdigy]

Thanks

Hi.. any idea how much it costs? I think i will change the piston ring...
I always went Ah piao. he quote my $450... anywhere cheaper? working in a tight budget.:p

 

[Wyvern77]

Hi again wesProdigy,
sad to say, that is wat he is charging me too.
i am not quite sure how much is Paul charging. You might like to drop by & get a quotation from him.
Seng from Mayo ( i m sure you heard of him ) is charging $300 to $350.
Well, if you trust his werkmanship, probably you can try him. :think
Good luck!!

 

[mtngoat]

Consistent with Rich's note above, the most common oil consumption culprit on XR4s I've seen is valve seals. I have two XR4s with lots of hours and they both smoke at cold start-up and then clear up. My local shop told me that the high head temps in air cooled XR4s cause valve seals to "embrittle" and leak.

 

[Wyvern77]

Hi mtngoat,
this is out of topic. I would like to find out how did put the logo 'DRN' in your message? I have been trying the whole afternoon, but i still cannot get it up :silly:
Please help! :o

 

[mtngoat]

You can't, but there is a way. Please consider sponsoring DRN, which will be rewarded (among other benefits) with the logo by the forum Administrator. In the FAQ section is a discussion of how and who controls "avatars". The DRN avatar is given to members who sponsor the forum (pay a one-time or annual contribution). Other avatars are generally awarded to members who post helpfully, frequently and substantively.

 

[Wyvern77]

Hi Rich,
i have collected my bike from the werkshop just now (cost me $450 to have the valves, pistons rings & shimes done).
I can feel the difference in the respond of the machine but the sad thing is whenever i gas the throttle, the machine will choke (or rather, cough) for a few times before the power band kicks in. The idling of the machine is rather wierd too, whenever i m coming to a stop, the idling will go real low for a few seconds & then it will shoot up again....( this is killing me, spent a bomb & still cant get it right *sigh* )
I was wondering if it is necessary to have the carbs check, probably check the pilot or main jet. Since the carbons build up & the piston is changed, will there be a change in compression (increased?) that i have to change the jettings or the pilot jets?:(