cheeky question; Guzzi

[Ogmios]

o.k - i know it's not boxer airhead, but c'mon - it's just a beemer with perky boobs and i need help.

i suspect there's something amiss (pun intended) with my right hand cylinder.

smokes heavily occasionally on start up.
mostly out the rear of the pipe / a bit from under the Bike (probably all them exhaust leaks i've never sorted. )

ANYhow,
once it settles down and the fog clears it's .... well, it's fine - runs grand .

WTF is it?!

~ i suspect a sticking valve, but have never had to diagnose this.
how do i find out?

~ if not a sticky valve, and i do wonder coz it runs fine otherwise....

WTF is it?
Please.
Pretty please.

Ta in advance.

p.s;
it eat plugs on that side - always has. for 50k miles, they last about 2k miles and then wont fire. dont think it's relevant / but dunno for sure.

 

[Straypuss]

It's probably just a worn valve guide and the smoke is its' impression of a BM boxer or brick left on the sidestand........oil is cheaper than a stripdown








then again it may be the rings..the chrome/nicasil/whatever bore outlasts them.






OR it may also signal the end of existence as we know it....but that may be taking it a bit far

 

[Ogmios]

It's probably just a worn valve guide and the smoke is its' impression of a BM boxer or brick left on the sidestand........oil is cheaper than a stripdown



so...
(eventually-get-around-to-it-stylee) strip and rebuild?



then again it may be the rings..the chrome/nicasil/whatever bore outlasts them.


so...
(eventually-get-around-to-it-stylee) strip and rebuild?






OR it may also signal the end of existence as we know it....but that may be taking it a bit far

so...
(eventually-get-around-to-it-stylee) strip off me pants bend over and kiss me ars...... HEY! hang on a minute!?

Thanks ... i think.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

RHS is opposite to the side stand - which is the usual cause of oil pooling in the head and leaking down a valve stem seal.

i'd say its the rings - the pistons expand pretty quickly to seal up the gaps.

a sticking valve would make it very hard to start - and guzzi valves go on for ever.

my LM2 used to smoke at start up and clear quickly - it was the rings - not the bores luckily.

a leakdown tester will show you for sure

 

[Ogmios]

Ta MotoMartin.

rhs = no sidestand, yes. but i didn't want to mention that (am grateful to the audience for listening! ).

She always starts easily.
so... rings?
hmmm.

will try to get a hold of a leakdown (compression?) tester.
and then ask here how the hell to use one.

ahem.
Next!
~~
TIA.

 

[cookie]

what colour's the smoke?

 

[hughguzzi]

guzzismoke

Yep , I' agree with motomartin, prob the rings, so borrow compression tester from a friendly garage, bung it in the plughole, turn engine over and check the pressure ! (take other plug out makes it easier to turn over on starter) At least its not too bad a job on a guzzi !! good luck.
Im doin' the clutch on my 1100 sport inj.... feck that engines heavy !! but the bikes nice and light now !(until I fix it )
looks so much smaller than me 1150 gs.
Love 'em both !!

 

[Ogmios]

only just noticed this
compared to my Guzzi - my (wonderful new works) eMail settings are ferked

o.k.
Thanks a lot folks for the ideas.

it'll be a while before i can actually get the time to strip anything down and a novelty rolleyes: ?) too, as the Bikes had very little spanner work on the engine.
a new gearbox (long story), a new U.J. a decent Dyna ignition, but nothing else.

as for the colour of the smoke..... y' know - i haven't a clue!
assumed it was grey/blue. but as it often happened at dusk / in the dark - i never actually looked properly.

it would kinda be a good idea, wouldn't it.....

to be continued

 

[Voyager]

It eat plugs on that side - always has. for 50k miles, they last about 2k miles and then wont fire. dont think it's relevant / but dunno for sure.

Is there anything obviously wrong with the plug when it fails ?

You know . . oiled up, coated in carbon, centre electrode burned out (seen it happen ) ?

That might give us a clue as well.

(If its oiled up, then a 'hotter' grade of plug might be needed to burn off the oil).

Bob.

 

[Ogmios]

Is there anything obviously wrong with the plug when it fails ?
...Bob.

Ta for reply
a bit of carbon build up and obviously it looked sooty as it begins to fail / not fire.

my cure - if it was one at all (until i gave up and found just replacing the plug was the cure ) was to pull the HT cap off, make a little distance from cap to plug.... the extra "jump" needed to get the current across the gap got it running on two cylinders again....
until the next time that is.

keep it up folks - it's making me think harder just having to explain it.
Thank youz

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

well i'd say your carbs are out of balance, or the choke is stuck slightly on - and the RHS pot has been getting too much fuel.

thats the start of the plugs hard life.

The excess fuel is also washing the oil off the bores and making the rings wear - causing oil blow by.

This also gives the plug a hard life.

Hence the smoke and plugs problem

......and your rear tyre needs more pressure

 

[Ogmios]

only just got a chance to look into this some more, and it'll probably be xmas before i can get a decent look into it.

Right!
Bike parked up since i started this thread.
went out - stuck the key in and....
she starts right away . lovely!
give her a bit of revs....
and wait...
.
.
.
she is behaving perfectly - i'm looking at a little bit of smoke on the RHS... no big belches, no fog cloud.
as she ticks over...
..at a steady 600rpm

it's grey smoke......

this perfect running is not helping the diagnosis!
cant even trust my Italian to be UNreliable

 

[Keith Chapman]

It is not just cold weather exhaust smoke is it? dissappears when warm. If the light is right you may only see one pipe smoking.

 

[Ogmios]

It is not just cold weather exhaust smoke is it? dissappears when warm.....

Sorry - i should have said at the start;
this happens hot OR cold. after a long run or a short one. a high revs blast up the Wicklow Mountains or a gentle cruise along the main road.

i learnt about the "cold-boxer-steamy-on-start-up" routine
yonks ago with my first BMW, but Thanks anyway .

.... the next time it does misbehave - i shall have Mrs Og (a Lady of taste and colour co-ordination) look and tell me EXACTLY what effin colour the fog is - but must wait until it misbehaves.

Thanks!