Can anyone help!

[colin]

After a bit of advice really wondered whether anyone coud give me a few pointers as the engine on my wife's trike is pouring white smoke out of the crankcase breather pipe gets worse the warmer the engine is, the head gasket seems to be leaking wondered if it had anything to do with that.. oh its an xj650 motor.

Cheers :D

[xjtriker666]

looks like it ...drain oil out an see wots in there...

[colin]

Drained the oil out after the missus over filled it - she said that she couldn't see the oil in the little window so thought she would add some more :rolleyes: Didn't see anything untoward in there just a bit black.

[PILRCGeff]

Sounds like you have water in your oil! either a cracked head or head gasket.

[colin]

hmmmm, this sounds plausiable but wonder how water woud get into the oil as its not a water cooled engine. :D

[Mustang Boy]

If the trike's only used for short runs that'll cause condensation in the casings and give you the white smoke. If it runs ok i wouldn't worry.

Cheers'en.

[colin]

Was the first time it had been taken on a run after just been finished and MSVA'd, I was taking it for an MOT did about 10 miles and it got bloody hot and when stopped at a set of traffic lights it looked like I was riding a fog machine. Then when riding it back from the MOT it did it again then the bastard thing stalled and wouldn't restart - but that was down to petrol :rolleyes:

[smeghead]

refill the xj to the correct level and try it again, xj's do blow if they are overfilled, if the oils emulsified youd have what appears to be mayonase in the oil when it was drained hth

[johnr]

are you sure its smoke, and not steam? a nice long run should get it hot enough to expell any moisture from the crankcases.

[PILRCGeff]

If its an aircooled engine then that eliminates one source of problem which is water in the oil in any significant quantities!

If the smoke is definately white not black, it isnt oil related but unless it is steam, I dont have any idea what it would be. Simple question but do you store it outside and do the exhausts sweep up at the back? Could it simply be a lot of water collecting in your exhausts to add to the usual condensation youd get anyway particularly if you dont do long runs to dry the system out well?

[dracken1]

ok silly questions first.
is the breather pipe end facing downwards?
is there anything fixed to a airfilter housing box.
is someone putting water in the oil?

white vapour is water vapour and to be coming out of the breather pipe, it has to be getting in.
take the pipe off the motor and look if there is any thick cream in there.

[noizy git]

The only time I've known an air-cooled engine to emit lots of smoke from the breather it turned out to be an early sign of the piston rings going but that smoke was more blue.On tickover the smoke sort of pulsed out in time with the engine firing which is often a sign that the problem is piston/bore related.
If you need to change the head gasket then I believe you also have to remove the barrels and change the base gasket too on your bike so maybe a check on the bores and rings would show something.

[Mad Dog]

Burnt oil is blue, hot oil often looks like grey/white smoke.

If too much has been put in, then it can "burst" thru gaskets and seals and "smoke" on hot engine parts or exhaust.

The crankcase will be full of the stuff and will "pulse" out with the engine rotation

[colin]

ok ok I admit it i'm a fucking idiot its actually not the crankcase breather but the breather that comes off the left hand casing which has the gear selector behind it. Bugger. Thanks for all the help and advice. :D