Oil passage blockage

[xjwmx]

Such a great forum and good people, too. Thank you again to everyone. I'll certainly think twice before posting again.

The only problem I see is you aren't answering questions you're asked, and you aren't saying what happened when (if) you tried someone's test or possible solution. It makes them think you aren't doing anything except wasting their time.

It reminds me of one of my brothers actually. He will ask what's wrong with something, and I will say do this for me to help us find out, and then he'll just come back with another question. It can't possibly go anywhere. Then he eventually takes it to a shop, pays a few hundred to have something unnecessary done. After a few episodes of that he will sell the thing at a loss, to buy something worse.

So answer questions. Answer Gary's question about where the water for the steam comes from. For that matter where the steam comes from. If you spit on the head it will steam when temperatures are normal. This could be just a leaky carb or it could be an engine about to explode. We don't know because you aren't answering questions, mainly. By the way, are you my brother? If so, I'm telling Dad about this.

 

[ReycleBill]

xjwmx,
I think you and I have the same brother.

 

[gggGary]

Are you aware that there is a designed restriction in the oil pipe to the head? It is there so that the oil also gets distributed to the rest of the engine and transmission. First things second this is not an oil cooled bike it is air cooled. Sure the oil helps move heat around but the surface area and big fins on the head and cylinders do the most cooling. There are several threads where people have reported actual temperatures of various parts of the engine while operating. So if you "think" it is overheating your first step is to verify it by MEASURING. See we want to help, but you have to help yourself AND tell us what you have done. We see the same thing in carb threads, we keep pointing out where the problem likely lays and the owner does everything BUT check those areas. Doesn't have the tools, time, skills or is afraid of wrecking something, but they don't man up and say I have not checked THAT. Sometimes it's pages later that it finally comes out the early suggestions were never checked and they WERE the problem. And no matter how much we coach it's your bike at your house with your skills that will fix it or not. Hope you come back and tell us what you have and haven't done. Maybe you do have a weak oil pump. But I don't recall if you have checked both filters yet. If you dump the oil and it looks metallic that's not good.

 

[xjwmx]

xjwmx,
I think you and I have the same brother.

Same brotha from a different motha.

In my brother's case it's because he can't do the things I ask him to, but I'm hoping he will. He claims he has no mechanical aptitude, and he really doesn't know (or care - important; I'll get to that in a minute) which end of a wrench the round comes out of. But the thing is the formula for aptitude is aptitude = interest. The product of sincere, burning interest is ever-growing aptitude.

 

[vagabond]

Fair enough…in any case, thank you for the candidness. I suppose everyone stands to benefit from a kick up the ass now and then.

Going back to the bike...before it stopped turning on all together a couple das back...compression is coming in at 95-100 on each side with e-starter. It was starting fine two days ago, idling fine, but now it's not starting so I had to test compression on a cold engine, plugs out, throttle wide open, slides propped open. Did it several times to make sure. On the advice of an archived post, I put a bit of oil in each plug hole the second time around to try to eliminate the O-rings as a culprit, but this didn't change the compression, which from what I've read might indicate the valves.

So I adjusted valve clearances just in case, which were off despite having just adjusted them a week ago and having only taken the bike out once during that time. Without the benefit of the timing gun (timing was pretty much on last week with a timing gun) since now the bike doesn't want to start, the timing looked pretty close to right, with the points opening up right around the T mark. Points clearance is correct, points are clean. The plugs were surprisingly darker than last I checked a couple weeks ago. Noticed a bit of corrosion on the stator and the line I think connecting to the brushes. Voltage from starter to alternator was a touch low at 12.5 even when the bike was running fine--not sure about now.

Before the bike stopped turning on, I checked the oil again in the valves, cross-referencing against some archived posts, and they seem to be fairly well-lubricated. There's definitely oil getting up there--whether it's enough is hard to say.

Gary, to answer your question, what looked to be steam was coming off the clutch case on first overheat a month ago, but that could have been incidental to a humid morning. I suppose with high humidity this could happen at normal engine temperatures. That said, I had to wait a bit before I could get the bike started again, it seemed as if it had to cool down, so I assumed it was overheating.

 

[retiredgentleman]

95 to 100 psi compression test................top end is badly worn................top end re-build indicated.

In the "Tech" section there is a sub-section called Maintenance and General Troubleshooting................lots of info on engine problems.

 

[dwyatt]

I'm checking all offered solutions, Gary, but haven't been able to solve the problem yet. That's 3 people today who have accused me of this without knowing what I've done. That the problem hasn't been solved doesn't mean I'm not trying--I'm not sure how you all have arrived at that conclusion. I've tried to stay humble with my approach and restrained when called lazy on a public forum designed for asking questions, but I guess it doesn't matter really.

Such a great forum and good people, too. Thank you again to everyone. I'll certainly think twice before posting again.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm lazy........ Don't sweat it, do what you can, it's a hobby.

 

[gggGary]

The compression is low but "even" which is most important. Gauges vary. That should be plenty of compression for it to start and run. So it's probably back to the basics. Sniff your dipstick for gas smell, confirm good spark at the proper time and then fuel/carburation.Waiting for an engine to cool because it won't start.... Usually points at flooding, the float valves aren't doing their job. I see you have a 79 Special, looks to be the stock BS38's (nice looking bike) If you still have points, ignition is marginal with points, slightest carb problem and plug fouling is the norm. I recently brought a 79 special back to life it had points I had forgotten how poor points ignition was "back in the day" While sorting the one I was working on I bet I had the plugs out to dry them about 6 times. What has been done to your carbs?

 

[vagabond]

Turned out to be a mud wasp's nest between the cylinders blocking the air duct!

 

[gggGary]

Great! glad you found the problem but PLEASE be a little more descriptive. What "air duct"?

 

[Punkskalar]

GGGary... Hes talking about the open area between each cylinder and the camchain tunnel. It is often blocked with crud, dirt, oil, and such.... One of the first things I check on these bikes, along with basic tune-up stuff...

 

[angus67]

you mean the tunnelthat goes side to side above the spark plugs? that blocked causes over heating? wow. glad I look at my bike once in a while. Why didnt you see that? congrats on a easy fix.
I believe, and this is from my 650, I started my bike four individual times, with one tappet cover off to see if it was getting oil uptop. each time it fired, it sprayed oil, out, making my wonder why I was doing this in my garage. They are spraying equally, and I sugest you do the same. regardless of the overheating, the amount of oil going to each tappet should be the same.

 

[XSLeo]

I think the air duct he's talking about runs front to back. Any way good job finding it. One of my heads was partailly plug there. Poked a wire through several times and got most of it and scrubbed it out as best I could. Plenty of engine degreaser and elbow grease.
Some even carve out the duct larger so more air flow. My luck if I tried that I'd grind a hole into the cam chain tunnel and totally flock up a head.
Leo

 

[Purplezinger]

Vagabond this is an air cooled engine. They get hot, they get very hot, they get hot enough to burn your fingers. They're supposed to get hot that's the nature of the beast. Over the past 40 years I've put well over 30,000 miles on 5 or 6 of these things. From 500 mile days screaming down the interstate at 75 plus to long days puttering around and over the Blue Ridge Parkway, to grocery runs to get a 6 pack. I've rode in 4th of July Parade's where you sit in the hot sun with the engine idling and crawl forward at a snail's pace. The engine gets HOT, live with it. Now here's the KICKER....Yamaha knew that when they designed it. This may go against what you read on this board, but for anything other than WFO racing you don't need a oil cooler. Keep your engine in tune, cam chain adjusted, valves adjusted, points adjusted (if you have them) etc. You get the idea. Check the screen filter in the sump, odds are it's broken, repair it with JB Weld. You might want to do the oil pump check as suggested by others. Clean the side oil filter and change the oil ever 2000 miles and it will run far longer than you will...

 

[xjwmx]

I tend to put my faith in professional engineers working for one of the world's largest corporations in one of the capitals of engineering, rather than in someone who has a notion that both cylinders need to be running at the same temperature, say.

 

[Jimmyjames74]

Hi there, silly question but are you sure your not running too lean? Lean engines run much hotter.

 

[Mailman]

Hi there, silly question but are you sure you’re not running too lean? Lean engines run much hotter.

This thread is 12 years old, the original poster is long gone.

 

[toglhot]

Say what? I just wrote 8 lines of text, do you know how many of my brain cells died trying to think of enough words to fill 8 lines???

 

[Wingedwheel]

This thread is 12 years old, the original poster is long gone.

I think he moved to Florida……

 

[Grimly]

He got his passage cleaned, though.