oil spooge down silencer crank seal or running rich

[joshbot007]

Ok so i bought a 1998 ktm 300 exc 2 months ago. And just recently to note it has been getting colder out. So after idoling for 2 mins the silencer gets a nice spooge line down it.(i know letting it idol is bad) it is takem for a nice run a few days later and there is lots more spooging out the back. Also this bike smokes alot. A litte less when it warms up. Also till it warms up the pipe spooges and leaks exaust at the cylinder head where it meets the expantion chamber. I am running 53:1 for reference. So after that ride i was like what exactly can this be. So after some research i was horidued to find that it could be a crank seal. The bike can idol real low and runs very smoothly when reved. Just a little boggy when slowing down using engin break. Did not foul a plug yet of the total hour it has been ridden sence i had it due to this issue. Smoke smells like two strokw smoke that i noticed.good to note that the previous owner only used the bike 6 hours(he was the second owner) never rejeted but added a aftermarket pipe. I can not do a run and oil drain test to compare quanites because there is a leake in the clutch cover now that leaks and that would defeat the purpose. No strange noises or feelings. As this is the first 2 stroke i ever owned. I will try to post a pic of the forst 2 minuet idol of spooge as that is the only picture i have. I have not checked the plug or other things yet. I am realy hoping this is just a case of the bike running rich. Like i said can idol real low and stay there. Starts on first kick as well. Please any thoughts are more than welcome and greatly apriciated! The smoke is mostly all blue excepr for a small puff of white after i blip the throttle. Also does only smell like 2 strokr from what i can tell. I changed the silencer to a core 2 with fresher packing and it still drulles on the silencer when idoling and bliping the throttle alot. (Trying to simulate a ride. I know it is bad but i can not ride it due to ollocation)

 

[arnego2]

Quite normal that it drips, I prefer to shut the engine off before letting my carb or crank case load up. I also would stuff those leaks. :)

 

[MxRed]

Try a hotter spark plug so it burns all that excess oil in the engine. Br8es NGK is what I've been useinf after having that problem and it doesn't do that now.

 

[MxRed]

Try a hotter spark plug so it burns all that excess oil in the engine. Br8es NGK is what I've been useinf after having that problem and it doesn't do that now.

 

[joshbot007]

Try a hotter spark plug so it burns all that excess oil in the engine. Br8es NGK is what I've been useinf after having that problem and it doesn't do that now.

I belive that is a possible. A ftiend that raced for a long time wants me to use 40:1. I did not inform him of this problem yet. I am just trying to under stand if it is mostlikely running rich or a crank seal leak. If its just running rich i am way more happy. Also worth noting the silencer is stock idk if the packing is worn. I have a after market i can put on. But it still smokes alot. I belive the smoke is mostly blue so i am going to run it again soon to confirm and i will keep informed. Possible could be some white smoke as i know that would be crank seals.

 

[joshbot007]

Quite normal that it drips, I prefer to shut the engine off before letting my carb or crank case load up. I also would stuff those leaks. :)

Fixing the leaks is a work in progress for the clutch cover. I am just asking if it could possibly be crank seals. Running rich i would be ok with. Seals not so much.

 

[joshbot007]

Try a hotter spark plug so it burns all that excess oil in the engine. Br8es NGK is what I've been useinf after having that problem and it doesn't do that now.

Also a hotter spark may not let me know if i have a crank seal problem. It may but the oil and i would not know till it is too late. Also i dont care it the oil runs down it as long as i know that i do not have a big problem like crank seals.

 

[arnego2]

Fixing the leaks is a work in progress for the clutch cover. I am just asking if it could possibly be crank seals. Running rich i would be ok with. Seals not so much.

Run ATF in the tranny and you will know immediately if the seal lets oil through. If its very little you might find out by measuring and filling the tranny with the exact amount the manual indicates and check after 4 to 6 hours; the difference would be what's burned off.

 

[joshbot007]

Run ATF in the tranny and you will know immediately if the seal lets oil through. If its very little you might find out by measuring and filling the tranny with the exact amount the manual indicates and check after 4 to 6 hours; the difference would be what's burned off.

Forgive me but what is ATF. Where to buy and what kind? Also how will i tell?

 

[CR3999]

ATF, auto trany fluid. It's probaly running rich. Pull the plug and see how it looks. If it is real black and wet it is running way to rich, Your looking for a honey color plug.

 

[BSWIFT]

There are quite of few of us that run ATF type F fluid in the tranny and change often. I use the cheapest I can find and change ever other ride. Read thru the link at the top of this forum and go thru it step by step with your bike. Two things will happen, 1)you will get your bike jetted properly for where you live and ride, 2) you'll know and understand your bike better.
Clean oil is the most important thing to the engine. It is not the brand or how much it costs. Tranny fluid inside a wet clutch will always become contaminated so changing it frequently is key to longevity. Some fluids aid shifting and some do not. It is best to try several before you settle on one type but do consider cost vs availability.

 

[joshbot007]

There are quite of few of us that run ATF type F fluid in the tranny and change often. I use the cheapest I can find and change ever other ride. Read thru the link at the top of this forum and go thru it step by step with your bike. Two things will happen, 1)you will get your bike jetted properly for where you live and ride, 2) you'll know and understand your bike better.
Clean oil is the most important thing to the engine. It is not the brand or how much it costs. Tranny fluid inside a wet clutch will always become contaminated so changing it frequently is key to longevity. Some fluids aid shifting and some do not. It is best to try several before you settle on one type but do consider cost vs availability.

Forgive me but what link?

 

[BSWIFT]

http://ericgorr.com/techarticles/carbtuning.html

 

[joshbot007]

Try a hotter spark plug so it burns all that excess oil in the engine. Br8es NGK is what I've been useinf after having that problem and it doesn't do that now.

I was going to go for that plug but the guy at the dealership did not llknow what it was pregaped to and i know the gapping is suposed to be. 024. Can i ignore that gaping distance and run a plug any way?

 

[_JOE_]

Ok, first of all, if the pipe was changed and it wasn't rejetted you need to do that first. I don't go over 40:1 on the premix, I prefer 32:1. More oil, more power, more life. Chances are your premix oil burns cleaner than the crappy pump gas we run. Going with less premix oil actually makes your air/fuel ratio richer. It's not so much how much oil is getting to the cylinder, it's how much fuel. Mixing in less oil means more fuel and richer air/fuel ratio. Follow the steps in the link above and post here if you have questions. If you run into trouble (like the engine doesn't seem to respond to tuning) then have a leak down test done by a competent, reputable service shop. If it starts easily and idles well the pilot circuit is probably pretty close, most likely the pilot jet can be left alone. You'll likely find that the main jet and needle are too rich because of the exhaust. This is pretty normal. Get a few main jets and take the bike OUT RIDING. You can't even think about jetting it until you can go out and hold it wide open through the gears under load. A large, flat field is the best place to work on jetting. Any changes to the main and/or needle should be slightly noticeable. Don't be afraid, you won't hurt anything if you take a test rip with the main or needle a step lean, but you should feel a decrease in power. Go a step at a time on main and go down until it starts to fell like it's not improving, I usually go back up one at that point for margin of safety. The needle clip position is last and should be vquite noticeable when you make changes. If you get it jetted for the best performance and it still smokes and spooges have a leak down done. Two strokes are incredibly simple to diagnose and tune, don't get psyched out. Sure, it would suck if you had to have the crank seals replaced........ but remember, that will cost you half the price of redoing the valvetrain in a thumper!

 

[BSWIFT]

Joe makes a good point but I would like to emphasize it. Make ONE change at a time. If you make more than one change before testing, you will NOT know which change made the difference. Buy several spare plugs before you start your jetting changes. A fresh plug should be used each time you make a change to minimize the differences. If you do this methodically, you should be able to get the bike spot on in a couple of hours. Be patient.
Once you are jetted correctly, you can zero in the throttle response with the needle. If you find the sweet spot is in-between two clip positions, you can get small washer/shims for the needle clip. I used these on my YZ and have literally not had to change the plug in 7 years! Granted, a few of those years saw little riding, it still runs like the day I finished the jetting. I still get some spooge at 40:1 but I have no issue with it.

 

[arnego2]

Spooge also has something to do with riding style and the premix oils flash point. Some oils have a pretty high flashpoint above 500 Celsius. I ride with a premix ratio of 20:1 and use an FD rated synthetic oil with a flashpoint of 240 Celsius. I get a few drops of the breather tube. I also run the bike pretty hard @ mid to 2/3 of Wot on the throttle.

 

[_JOE_]

From what I've been told, car fuel doesn't burn completely in a liquid cooled two stroke. Even modern thumpers. Even with a perfect setup and tune you'll likely still have some spotting and maybe even dripping. You can go to race fuel at $15+/gal or wipe off some spooge here and there. I'm not that picky. If it runs crisp and doesn't foul plugs I'm happy, lol.

 

[joshbot007]

Thank you! Every one. I have found the crank seal is not bad and thank you every one for your sugestions!!