XS Oil Use?

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ian

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My 04 with 40,000 miles started using oil on a trip to the east coast in 06 at about 32,000 miles. I mentioned it to the dealer in February when the TPS was being replaced, they checked with Yamaha and (suprise, suprise) they didn't think it was excessive. I have YES.

The last trip to AR, I had to add a full quart 2,000 miles after the last change. I don't mind having to add oil but wonder if this is an indication if an impending problem. Ian, Iowa

 
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After the Tick was fixed on my 03 it has used a bit of oil when run hard in hot weather. I have added up to half a quart after a long day in hot weather. I would rather use a little oil and have the valve guides lubed than have it fixed again. I read somewhere that if an engine burned 1 drop on each power stroke it would consume a quart in about 2 miles so a quart in 2,000 isn't so bad. :)

 
Some engine oil usage is perfectly normal and actually desireable. Things like the upper rings and valve guides are lubed in a "total loss" fashion so zero oil consumption (however desireable by the consumer) means that the valve guides are running pretty dry. Using a quart per 2000 miles in a 4 cylinder engine is rather on the high side but could be considered "normal" so the Yamaha answer is not unexpected. A radical change in oil consumption is abnormal, however.

Two things would scare me a bit about your situation..... One, as mentioned, a quart in 2000 miles for a 4 cylinder is a bit on the high side for "designed in" oil consumption. Even very "wet" valve stem seals won't use that much oil. Secondly, and more important, is the fact that the oil consumption has dramatically changed from your description. If the engine used that much oil from the very beginning I would be far less concerned. Something suddenly changing to cause oil consumption to go from nil to a quart every 2000 miles is a trifle disconcerting.

Given the history of FJR tickers and observations of excessive oil past the valve seals when a ticker is diagnosed I would hazard a guess that this might be your situation. The root cause of the tickers (in my opinion) appears to be too "dry" of a valve stem seal design. Dry valve stem seals are good for oil economy but bad for valve guide lubrication. The relative lack of lubrication causes scuffing and scoring of the valve stems to the point that the clearance in the valve guide is increased. The large valve guide clearance leads to the "ticking" and to excess oil down the valve guide due to the abnormal valve stem motion (side-to-side) upsetting the valve stem seal seal. This phenomenon would certainly fit my pre-conceived notions of what could be happening in your case.

If you wanted to diagnose further you might pull the exhaust system off and inspect the exhaust ports for oily residue. There really shouldn't be much oil in the exhaust ports under normal conditions. Hear-say information is that tickers have excess oil in the ports and that one diagnostic check for a ticker is to check for oil in the ports.

Before you panic, did anything else change concurrent with this oil consumption starting? Type of oil used..?? Oil brand...?? Riding schedule...??....i.e...did it use zero oil in mixed urban riding and then start using oil on long trips, etc. Maybe there is a clue there.

I would certainly document the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation with a letter to your dealer and Yamaha so that the "compliant" will be documented during the YES warranty period to avoid any questions later if service is required. As long as the engine is running good and quiet I would ride it like I stole it and keep putting oil in. Something is not right, however, and service may be needed in the future so make sure the onset of oil consumption within the YES period is recognized as an abnormal event. This isn't the sort of thing that is going to leave you walking so I wouldn't worry in that context but at some point the oil additions will become more than a nuisance.

I had a similar situation happen on my old 1978 XS1100 back in the early 80's. At 60,000 miles it started using oil rather rapidly and by 70,000 the oil consumption was 500 miles per quart. I had to pour in a quart of oil every other gas stop on a long trip so it was beyond a nuisance. Pulled the jugs off and discovered that the rings were completely stuck in their grooves by deposits. Hence my fascination with oil..... Those SE grade 10W40 oils of the late 70's were trash and caused ring belt deposits and stuck rings as described. Textbook case. Cleaned the ring grooves and all was well. I did put in new rings (just because I already had purchased them and they were laying on the bench) even though the old ones were perfectly fine, just stuck. I doubt that rings are your problem, though, as those sorts of problems are highly unlikely even with the worst oils today.

BTW....I retrofitted my 03 FJR with the "wetter" service valve stem seals that Yamaha as been supplying for ticker fixes in the field. I have noticed a slight increase in oil consumption as would be expected with these seals....very little but maybe a quart every 4000 or 5000 miles.

 
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Jestal, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I notified the service manager yesterday, we'll see what Yamaha says. Ian

 
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