Good News Regarding My Oil Consumption!

[Smokey]

Someone would have to explain to me how valve adjustment could cause oil usage because I don't believe that's possible. The oil should never make it down the valve stem into the combustion chamber regardless of adjustment. If the seals were shot (assuming they have seals like a car) that is possible but it would have nothing to do with adjustment.

 

[ReX]

An update from the dealer. Before any rings are changed, please check your valve measurements. The dealer highly suspects that this is causing the oil usage, not rings. That would be a lot cheaper to check this to make sure everything is in spec before opening up the engine and changing rings. I hope this might save some of my TY brothers some money.

It's interesting you'd say that. My 05 was burning about a quart per 1000 miles and I previously always assumed it was the rings (like the 03/04).

Neither a dose of Seafoam (I didn't put it in the oil though, just some in the gas) nor Yamaha combustion chamber cleaner (followed the Yamaha procedure exactly and then changed the oil) fixed the oil consumption. Neither treatment made any difference at all as far as I could tell.

Now that my motor has failed we inspected and measured everything carefully and found everything is within spec as far as the short block is concerned, including pistons, rings, and cylinders. The rings aren't stuck in any way either.

Our best guess is the valve guides/seals were worn and that's where the oil was going. One thing I did notice is the only time it blew blue smoke was after the sled was parked for long periods of time. It would start smoking after idling for a minute or two (warming up) as if oil was sitting in the exhaust. Once it warmed up and was driven a little there was no more visible smoke.

Earlier in the engines life it suffered some major crankcase ventilation freeze ups (blowing oil out of the valve cover and PTO seal) and I wonder if the oil consumption at the time was from being forced down the valve guides (every time it froze up the engine would go through lots of oil very quickly and my friends following would complain that my sled really stunk like a major oil burner).

Another thing that didn't make sense is Yamaha performed a leak down test on the engine late last season and said it was very good, yet it was consuming some oil at the time. Thinking about it more now, everything points to valve guides/seals.

 

[Boston RX1]

I would like to know this information as well. I am only repeating what the mechanic and service manager told me. If this is the problem from the factory, it would be cheaper to look at this first rather than tear apart the engine. Anyone else?

 

[ReX]

Someone would have to explain to me how valve adjustment could cause oil usage because I don't believe that's possible. The oil should never make it down the valve stem into the combustion chamber regardless of adjustment. If the seals were shot (assuming they have seals like a car) that is possible but it would have nothing to do with adjustment.

I doubt a valve adjustment would make much if any difference.

There are valve seals. Items 12 and 13 in the attached picture.

 

[hlmrx1]

I've got 2 03's and haven't had a problem with oil usage in either.

 

[ReX]

I believe here is proof for the source of oil consumption on my sled.

The pistons show virtually no sign of blow-by.

The head has lots of oil visible that ran down the valves.

How much seepage down the valve stems would be normal after the engine has been off for a few days? I haven't pulled enough heads off 4-strokes to know and I didn't bring the head to the mechanic that inspected the short block.

 

[nhsrx701]

I've been watching the oil comsumption topics because my 03 eats oil like you read about....and the valve comments have caught my attention. The last trip in Quebec both SAT and SUN morning during the initial start up.....The sled cranked and then got hund up on one cylinder and woundn't turn over with the starter. I have to open up the hood, grab the clutch and role the engine/force the engine over by hand. (And there is nothing wrong with the starter) The sled had hydro locked. once I got it past that cylinder I roled the engine over several times. When I did hit the starter after that instance it started right up.... now this is the deal....it wasn't fuel... I sled never completed a full revolution before getting stuck.. and I know it wasn't coolant...I would have a lot of other problems if it was.....three of us were looking at the thing and we are all tech.....agreeing it had to be an oil hydro lock... and I think rex is confirming this by asking "how much oil should you see on the pistons after it has been sitting?" My answer is for that is very little or none. This may very well change my thought on what I'm going to do with my 03....I was going to dump it and keep the srx but?????????

 

[ReX]

I don't know... I would be extremely surprized if your motor could have hydrolocked on oil.

If there was that amount of oil in the cylinder it would have smoked incredibly on startup.

Does it pump out tons of smoke on startup?

Unfortunately on just about every 03 that I've read about, the oil consumption is due to piston rings sticking. The good news is most have been able to greatly improve or even fix the oil consumption by giving the engine an aggressive treatment with Yamaha Ring Free or Yamaha Combustion Chamber cleaner.

You might also need valve seals like mine likely did, but you probably also need to free up or replace the rings.

The 05's had better rings but probably the same valve seals... (I haven't checked)

As far as why it wouldn't crank - who knows... Is it possible there is a weak spot on the starter? Weak battery? Something else?

 

[Sled Dog]

I agree if it had been hydro locked enough to stall a good running starter I dont care how strong you are you will not turn it over by hand with the engine cold yet. Nope wont happen your starter or battery is weak. Hydro locking has been known to take out or bend connecting rods think about it the fluid no matter what kind can not compress and has no where to go. Yet you managed to turn it over by hand I dont think so. So it is not hydro locking and must be something else.

 

[nhsrx701]

I could and can agree with the whole hydro lock ????? because it does sound that weird but when it initially happened I had run the sled all day Friday, and Saturday morning it was about 20 F. The Battery is new. I replaced it after having a trouble with a cold start at -20 I needed jump a month earlier at the Holiday INN at Saguenay. When the trouble occurred I rolled engine back and hit the starter and it again and it went and stopped at that cylinder again….after grabbing the clutch I muscled it past that cylinder and also went past the next cylinders compression strokes I was doing this because at the time I honestly thought something catastrophic had happened. The conclusion we came to was that oil had pooled in the cylinder and because of the angle the engine sits at the condition I described above occurred as soon at a I went past that compression stroke that cylinder was going to clean itself on the exhaust stroke. The whole thing was just weird….and I have been a tech since getting in the car business in 1992. So I’m confident that an obstruction of some kind was in that cylinder….especially considering that I did go to and go past the engines next compression stroke… I engine doesn’t role over a hard as one might believe….just as a note….if anyone gets any ideas of grabing the clutch and moving the engine over by hand….make sure the key is off/out of the sled and kill switch is down… I know, sounds stupid….but we all know that $h!t happens fast and if your fingers are in that clutch and it fires then……
I guess at 150-175 miles to a quart my sled will be a great example to take apart and document what I find so the next guy who has the same trouble has information to work with…plus I can’t really sell it or trade it with it eating more oil than a two stroke.

 

[Ron's]

I have been waiting for 2 months for them to decide if they will give me new coils. Yep Yammi Canada needs to open there eyes and realize that the Canadians talk to the Americans VIA the internet and if you are going to do something on one side of the border you need to follow suit on the other side. Like for instance, if you sell ring free in the States and people seem to need it then maybe you should make in available in Canada, or do we not have the "BAD GAS" north or the border?

I agree I'm in Canada too in Ontario perhaps I will speak to my Yamaha dealer and see what he says.

 

[Ron's]

Wa

I went to the dealer today and saw my sled in pieces. They are opening up my engine on Wednesday and giving me new rings. This is all on Yamaha's dime. I am thrilled a company stood behind their product. I will let eveyone know how the rebuilt went when I hear the engine run.

wS that on a 2003 Rx1 because that's what I have here up in Ontario, Canada

 

[Riceburner]

Wa

wS that on a 2003 Rx1 because that's what I have here up in Ontario, Canada

FYI :

Boston's post is over 8 years old.

 

[Ron's]

FYI :

Boston's post is over 8 years old.

Dang sorry guys! My bad !

 

[Sasquatch]

Wow another reserected for the deep far past! LOL! Thats two!