| Author | Message | ||
     Mattmcc00 |
Hi All, New issue with my Uly '08. When Riding this weekend my buddy pulls up beside me and tells me that my bike spits black smoke when i accellerate to pass someone on the highway. My bike has been burning about 600ml of oil per 800km latetly. Which is more than usual. MMcC | ||
| Blake |
Oil makes white or light bluish smoke. Black smoke is typically too much fuel, running too rich. Stock engine/exhaust? | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
stock. | ||
| Keith_mahoney |
how does your air filter look? Have you cleaned it lately? | ||
| Etennuly |
Probably need to crank it open more often. Carbon can build up in the muffler. When you crank on it to pass the valve opens in the muffler where it can potentially hold and or break loose a bit of carbon to have it shoot out the pipe. If the bike otherwise runs well the more often you whack the throttle the cleaner it will get, unless there is a fueling problem of some sort. If you are trying to keep the oil at the top of the XXXX's the oil will tend to go out through the air box. Try filling it to the bottom two XXX's on the stick. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Good point Etennuly - I opened up a relatively new muffler and was amazed at the amount of soot in it. | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
Thanks for your comments. Here are some aditional info for you to provide me with some advice please: -I rarely crank it passed 5RPM. My typical shift point is around 4RPM. -I fill my oil to the midpoint of the XXXXX. -Only other issue with the bike is that it randomly, under any riding condition, studders every now and then. Feels like someone blips (pulls and lets go) the clutch really quickly (like a fraction of a second). I could also describe it as if someon slamms on the back brake really really hard for a fraction of a second (without skidding). It can do this once or twice in a 30 km ride, or not at all, or more. seems totally random. i can ride 2 mins and it will do it then nothing for the rest of the ride, or sometinmes ride for an hour before it does it??? weird. -Also I lots of smoke coming from under the bike when I stop (say at a red light) in the rain. Suspect its water from on the exhaust steaming off. anyone else notice this? -I have also had the "exhaust valve stuck open" code on my bike. might coroborate the soot hypothesis. How do you suggest i clean it out? Cranking it seems like a fun way but not the best way. Also i get a clickity sound (like when putting away cuttlery in the drawer) when i frull throttle it, so may not want to do that. thax all, mmcc | ||
| Mnviking |
Matt, Your clutch is slipping. Make sure it is properly adjusted (the shop manual will walk you thru that.) Also make sure you're using the correct Trans/Primary lubricant. Mine slipped like you described when I used synthetic lube (Mobil 1 20w50) in there. Now I only run Formula + and haven't had a slippage instance once. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
One thought here, some HD dealers (not all) have dynos you can use for around $50 or so for a run. Do a run just to see where your Air/Fuel Ratio is. It'll give you an idea of where it is across the power band. You get a nice print out too. Information is a good thing. | ||
| Etennuly |
Yes you are building up soot, don't be afraid to reach out to the redline once in a while. The engine just starts to reach it's happiest cruising speed at about 4,000. It is not set up like a low rpm HD.....it likes to breathe! When your oil level is going down it is being dumped into your air box to be burned. That oil takes some harder riding to burn off. The exhaust valve can get stuck open because of soot build up. But it is best to take the air box cover off to make sure it is working correctly. It sounds to me like the bike is coughing or bucking shortly after take off. They will do that if it is not fully warmed up even in warm weather. I believe it is doing it switching between closed and open loop in the ECM. Because of this cough, which is actually like a miss then a backfire in a split second, you should take the air cleaner base off to check for the little cap that goes on a vacuum test pipe on the right side of the throttle body. A single back fire can pop this little cap off. This can cause a minor vacuum leak in the intake system which can make the pinging you are describing, on acceleration, more noticeable than normal. Too low of octane gas will do it also. I always run premium in mine for this an several other reasons. Whacking that thing wide open for a while if it is carbon-ed up is a good thing. You won't hurt it. Running it hard is actually good for it. It will keep that soot from building up in the pipe. You sure cannot get a pipe cleaner through one if you were to take it off! The stop light in the rain thing is just steam, if it were anything else it would show up when not raining. The oil level is best at the second X from the bottom. Set it there and see how long it stays compared to trying to keep it higher on the stick. I didn't read anything indicating clutch problems here. (Message edited by etennuly on August 11, 2011) | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
Thanks for all the info Etennuly. More info: I use AMSOIL 20W50, I use Formula +. I have a touratech handlebar bag:  On the buell it lies right in front of the air intack. I always felt like it could restrict air. Also that air intake seems SOOO tiny. I always wondered if it would not be better to lift the plastic airbox cover a 1/2inch in the front to facilitate air intake, and let the engine breath better. Any one ever experimneted with this before? Also, regarding the studder. It doesn't backfire, and it does it a random intervals. Some days it can not do it at all. Some days i can ride hours before it does it. some days it does it every 10 mins or so. | ||
| Etennuly |
Have you done the TPS reset procedure? I have a feeling that with your carbon issue, you may need to clean the carbon off from your throttle plate BEFORE doing a TPS reset. I just cleaned and lubed my throttle plate the other day. Man was it covered in a layer of thick black carbon mostly on the bottom side. I wish I had taken pictures. The way I cleaned it went like this. I use Bounty paper towels, they don't fall apart when you need them. I opened the throttle all of the way and locked it open. Then I used a very long pair of needle nose pliers and a very long thin screw driver to arrange a paper towel in the bottom of the intake to catch any solids. Spray the throttle plate with carb cleaner using a soft non metallic brush that won't melt(I used a paint gun cleaning brush), let it soak a few minutes and spray again before brushing. You don't want to spray the whole can in to flood a cylinder, so use the paper towels and brush to get the stuff wiped as clean as possible, spray as needed. The liquid carb cleaner will evaporate away if you leave the throttle open for an hour or so. If you felt you got too much in there blow through it with a heat gun to dry it out after all of the paper towels are out. Just for good measure I lube the throttle plate shaft and the ends of the cables with synthetic motor oil. Then do your TPS reset procedure. I have a Buell bar bag in the same place with no restriction from it. There are threads around here about drilling or cutting the inner air box to allow more air to the intake. It works great, and makes her honk a bit when cranking on it! The air also gets in around the bottom edge of the cover as well as through the right side of the space around the rear cylinder head. My checks for your studder would go like this; 1. clean TB and do TPS reset. 2. check grounds everywhere, battery terminals, make sure all are clean and tight. 3.wiggle test ECM wires, 4.pull wiggle all fuses and relays. 5.wiggle test every wire you can get your hands on under the seat and airbox. 6.go for ECM reflash or replacement (those require TPS reset). | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
Thanks again etennuly, I have a 2008 so TPS reset is pretty easy. As for the trottle plate not sure what or where that is? I was thinking of using a few plastic washers or spacers to lift the front of my air box just a tad. | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
So i lifted the front of my airbox a tad by inserting a nut below the plastic body work. Worked great. | ||
| Etennuly |
That is interesting. | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
Bike still studders and loses power though, but I find it more responsive, and seems like the power band has extended lower too? i feel like their is more go between 3 & 4 RPM then before | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
here are some pics:    | ||
| Whisperstealth |
I like that idea Matt. Have you done the breather re-route? And let the bike warm a full minute or two and the stuttering will be much less. I ride with-out the air box cover during the warm / hot months. Allows lots of air in, and also allows more air around the engine, specifically the rear head, to help keep it cooler. I have seen a picture of an air box cover that had, had the bottom edges trimmed off a 1/2 inch or so. I like that idea as well, but don't trust myself making a good line, and am afraid it would come out looking like crap. Hoping I come across a beat to crap cover for cheap, I can modify someday. | ||
| Mattmcc00 |
no re-route. THinking of doing it though. Just not sure if all that liquid might need to go bsack in the engine as lube or something |
