stevel Posted September 6, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 6, 2009 Hello to all. Just returned from a 3800 mi trip. I noticed some spots of oil on the floor on the floor this morning.Not sure where is is coming from but it looks like around the back of the engine on the drive shaft side. Upon further inspection I see I have used about 2 quarts of oil on the trip. It seems to have dropped very quickly as I looked at the oil window a couple of times on the trip and never noticed it being very low. I was driving hi speeds the whole trip. One thing I did do before the trip was to change to Amsoil Synthetic oil .Wondering if any one has ever had this issue. One other thing I noticed was after removing the air cleaner lid I see a lot of oil in the housing. I do know about over filling can cause oil to accumulate in the housing, but I was very careful not to over fill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M61A1MECH Posted September 7, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 7, 2009 Check your coolant overflow bottle. Sometimes if the oil seal on the water pump goes bad it will pump oil into the cooling system. Had that happen on a 98 Royal Star, I do not think I ever lost 2 quarts. It is very unusal for Royal Stars to use or lose any oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevel Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted September 7, 2009 Coolant looks good. The plugs look very clean as well.I,m a little confused as the bike only has 35000 mi on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyRich Posted September 7, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 7, 2009 If its not burning it then you should have a trail of oil all over something. Then trace back to the point of orgin. Check around the valve covers also. they tend to leak after a while if they have been replaced for any reason. That much oil coming out would leave something coated and then dirt should be sticking all over it by now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevel Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted September 7, 2009 Yea That is what puzzles me. Don,t see an oil trail so I don,t think the major loss of oil is from a leak. Noticed one time a slight amount of white smoke on the left side when I started it this morning. Guess I need to start running compression check and leak down tests to see about issues with valve guides and rings. Just cant believe with so little miles on engine it would have any of these kind of problems. Any advise from the pros out their on where to start ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big69 Posted October 7, 2009 Share #6 Posted October 7, 2009 Hi new member here looking around just had a q' did you have any oil in your air box breather hose might be pulling it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalstarjac Posted October 7, 2009 Share #7 Posted October 7, 2009 You are standing the bike level when you check the sight glass, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogmaster Posted October 7, 2009 Share #8 Posted October 7, 2009 Hello to all. Just returned from a 3800 mi trip. I noticed some spots of oil on the floor on the floor this morning.Not sure where is is coming from but it looks like around the back of the engine on the drive shaft side. Upon further inspection I see I have used about 2 quarts of oil on the trip. It seems to have dropped very quickly as I looked at the oil window a couple of times on the trip and never noticed it being very low. I was driving hi speeds the whole trip. One thing I did do before the trip was to change to Amsoil Synthetic oil .Wondering if any one has ever had this issue. One other thing I noticed was after removing the air cleaner lid I see a lot of oil in the housing. I do know about over filling can cause oil to accumulate in the housing, but I was very careful not to over fill. OIL DYE Link: http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272471.html?page=2 Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted October 8, 2009 Share #9 Posted October 8, 2009 (edited) Hey Steve, Well the good news is your intake system, Carb. boots, and seals are in very good condition with no air leaks what so ever. The not so good news is that your PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system is actually vacuuming the oil right out of the crankcase! Highway speeds create a tremendous amount of vacuum in the PVC system and will pretty much suck all of the oil out of the crankcase. When I swapped out my stock final drive on my 87'VR to the 2005 FJR1300 final drive the higher RPMs did the same thing to my engine. The fix is simple, Replace the hoses going to the air box with a crankcase vent filter and never have an air box full of oil again. I have attached a link to the crankcase vent filter: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2333 Once installed, (see pic below of vent filter installed) you will see a gas mileage increase, more HP and no more oil in the air box. Plus your Carbs. will get a shot of clean air every time, no more oil mist going into the carbs. If you have questions, PM me. Earl Edited October 8, 2009 by skydoc_17 ADDED PIC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7Goose Posted October 8, 2009 Share #10 Posted October 8, 2009 Hey Steve, Well the good news is your intake system, Carb. boots, and seals are in very good condition with no air leaks what so ever. The not so good news is that your PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) system is actually vacuuming the oil right out of the crankcase! Highway speeds create a tremendous amount of vacuum in the PVC system and will pretty much suck all of the oil out of the crankcase. When I swapped out my stock final drive on my 87'VR to the 2005 FJR1300 final drive the higher RPMs did the same thing to my engine. The fix is simple, Replace the hoses going to the air box with a crankcase vent filter and never have an air box full of oil again. This is about one of the most nonsensical things I have ever seen. It there was even a hint of truth in it, then everyone with the same type of bike would have the problem with oil loss, and it just ain't so! Stevel, you don't tell us what bike you have, but I am going to assume it is a 2nd gen. If so, then a few drops of oil from the vent hoses on the let side under the battery area is not uncommon, especially after extended highway riding or when the engine is over-filled - this is from normal condensation of oil vapor inside the air plenums above the carbs. I do not know where your oil went, but if you are really missing 2 quarts after 4,000 miles, that is very significant. If you saw any white smoke on starting in the morning (real smoke, not water vapor), then it likely is coming from valve seals/guides. But if it is burning that much oil, I'd expect to see some sign of it in deposits on the plugs. Goose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogmaster Posted October 8, 2009 Share #11 Posted October 8, 2009 His profile says 97 RSTD... He posted in RS and RSTD Tech Talk... Steve will have to confirm what Bike he is talking about here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7Goose Posted October 8, 2009 Share #12 Posted October 8, 2009 His profile says 97 RSTD... He posted in RS and RSTD Tech Talk... Steve will have to confirm what Bike he is talking about here? I rarely take my own time to try and ferret out this information from the poster's profile or earlier posts. If they are asking for help, they should either put the information in their request or make sure it shows next to their avatar. As for the particular forum, that doesn't tell you much. A 97 Royal Star is quite a different animal from the 05-09 RSTDs. In fact, if he IS asking about a 97, I have no idea if the vent hoses to which I referred are on that bike or not! My own personal knowledge is primarily on the 99 and later Royal Star Ventures and RSTDs, and I have made the mistake before of offering information that is not applicable to the poster's bike wen they do not say. I now do my best to remember to qualify my advice! Goose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted October 8, 2009 Share #13 Posted October 8, 2009 Well, I would look for " obvious leaks " --- If none found, after checking the coolant, I guess I would let the Engine Idle for about 15 Min. then pull out the Spark Plugs, and check for any excessive amt of oil on one or more of the Plugs. If any oil found on a plug, then I would do a Compression Check. If Compression is OK, then I would Suspect the breather system. However 2 Qts dissapearing thru the Breather system, would seem to me to be way out in Left Field. Another thing I might do Is give the bike and engine a good pressure washing, then do some driveing, and carefully watch for any sign of leakage. Something might show up that way. You also, might pull the mufflers, and check for any sign of oil in the exhaust system. ( again, left field ) Also, I would drain the oil, and save it, and measure the exact amount that comes out of the drain. Also remember there is about 4 oz. of oil in aft end of the transmission that does not drain out. ( at least on the 1st gens, not sure on the 2nd gens ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted October 8, 2009 Share #14 Posted October 8, 2009 A. The pcv valve uses vacuum created by the engine sucking air through the intake manifold to suck vapors from the crankcase into the cylinders to be burned with the air/fuel mixture. The likelyhood of this system to suck 2 quarts of oil and run it back thru the cylinders is about as remote as me winning the lotto ... probably more remote. Now, if you had ring blow-by or bad valve seals, it would be more believable. I would be looking for those possible causes (barring any chances of it just leaking out). As prev mentioned, oil in the coolant is also a suspect but 2 quarts in 4000 miles.... something has to be visible somewhere coz ya can't overfill the reservoir by that much and not notice it (just my $0.02) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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