| Author | Message | ||
     Jhanz |
My 06 XB9SX (2200 miles) is consuming a fair amount of oil. I have had to add oil pretty regularly. I have also been trying to figure out what the metallic rattle/chirping sound is and have wondered if there is a relationship. I have it in the shop now and they said that the oil was super low. I just checked the oil a few days ago and it was ok. Since I last checked the oil, I have only put about 50 or so miles on it. It has also been getting bad gas mileage. Anyone have any ideas? | ||
| Sgthigg |
At first these bikes will use a little more oil. The best thing to do is to find you correct oil level. Ride for 30 mins get the bike hot. Drain all of the oil. Remove filter Replace filter Put in exactly 2.5 qts of oil. Ride for 30 mins Now check your CORRECT oil level. Mark it on the stick. This is the proper level. If you over fil it it pukes the over fill into the air box. Thus looking like your oil level is constantly dropping. I was chasing a oil consumption ghost for 7K miles. until i did this. I had it even figured down to the ounces it would use per mile..lol After i did this procedure i found out my correct level is below the add line....go figure. mine hasnt used any oil since i did this. Good luck | ||
| Davo |
Try to keep the (very hot) oil level just above the low end of the stick. On the second X from the fill line. The book says ride for ten minutes. You need to ride for at least thirty minutes before you do a oil check and in the winter it is hard to get a good hot oil reading. If you keep the level at the top of the stick it will go out the breather and get burned in the engine. It is my opinion that synthetic oil will reduce oil consumption, but that is a very intense issue. I am kind of sorry I brought it up but you asked for some ideas. If this doesn't help I would watch my engine temps. Are you having any pinging? Are you using HD 360 20w-50? | ||
| Jhanz |
I always check the oil as per the manual. i am positive that it is consuming oil. The service guy at Liberty Buell told me that the oil was extremely low. As I mentioned, I checked the oil a few days ago and it was above the add line, checked hot, on the sidestand, on level ground. I only road 50 or so miles, maybe 70 at the most before dropping the bike at Liberty. Davo- There is no pinging, but a metallic rattling/chirping that is most noticeable when applying throttle, after the bike is warmed up. I'm also getting bad gas mileage. Currently there is HD 360 20w 50 in there. It has been consuming oil from day 1, but I thought it was normal because the bike is new. Could there be an issue with the rings? | ||
| Davo |
You may be fueling the oil. Smell the oil and check for a strong raw gas smell. If you gas the oil then it is washing down the walls and you are loosing compression. The chirp could be an injector. Noise is just vibration at an audible level and injectors are like reeds in a clarinet! Try to pull a trouble code and check for a 23 or a 32. 23 front injector 32 rear injector There was a chirping thread not long ago on XB forum or the ULy forum (Big, Bad & Dirty) You might look it up a drop one of those riders a pm and see if they had oil consumption issues. | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
Davo, out of curiosity what would cause the gassing of the oil? | ||
| Davo |
Any condition that would make the bike go rich. A stuck open injector, a bad O2 sensor, a bad ET sensor, fuel pump pressure release valve failure(not sure if applicable to Uly), IAT sensor, a very dirty/oiled air cleaner, extremely retarded timing or even a thimble full of water in the fuel tank!!! The Uly a/f target ratio is about 14.7 to 1 and that is pretty lean. Anything under 12.9 : 1 is getting rich. 13.2-13.8 is preferred but is not EPA compliant. A plug read will confirm it as well. The plug will look black and wet when first removed. | ||
| Torq |
Jhanz, it sounds like similar issues I had with my XB12Scg. after several visits and inspections @ my dealer going as far as looking for leaks, replacing plugs,resetting static timing/tps/AFV,I began thinking I was chasing a ghost.Finally, Buell technical assistance and the technician chose to top off and check the levels himself @ 500 & 1000 miles. lo and behold the XB was using 1 quart of oil every 500 miles and the chosen course of repair was to replace valve guide seals and piston rings. upon tear down the technician noticed that the front cylinder head had a porous casting! he proceeded to replace the front cylinder head & recondition the rear cylinder head and rings. I then went through the break in process to seat the new rings. 3000 miles later, 500 with dino oil for break in and 2500 with synthetic afterward, the bike runs stronger and smoother, and has only used up 3/4 of a quart for the last 2500 hard miles. have your technician speak to technical assistance and maybe a similar course of action can be performed for you. | ||
| Ride365 |
That isn't the first time I've seen you all talk about porous castings! Seems like an issue, someone needs to clean those castings out better before fillin em for the next motor! ARG not a sign of good labor in the factory, either that or someone is pretending to be oblivious to the problem...  | ||
| Jhanz |
Torq, thanks for the insights. the latest update: I picked the bike up from Liberty today after an oil change and having them look into some noise issues. I explained to them that the bike was consuming a lot of oil. They didn't look into the oil consumption issue, I guess they don't believe me or something, or they don't want to be bothered. However, after riding the bike home, about 25 miles or so, I checked the oil and it was way overfilled. It was almost to the top of the dipstick threads. That pisses me off if that's the way they handle an oil consumption problem. Now I have to go home after work and deal with getting some of the oil out before I head down to the shore. I called Liberty and notified them about the overfilling. I guess I'll just have to keep a close eye on the oil consumption going forward. | ||
| Tiburondriver47 |
I have an 06 XB12R 7,200 miles. If i fill the oil to the full mark it will always pull oil out of the breather tubes until it reaches the half way mark on the dip stick. If i leave it at the half way mark it stays there, if i fill it back to the full mark it pulls it back out so i leave it at he half way mark.If you take off your air box cover you will see oil residue going into the TB. | ||
| Jhanz |
Tiburondriver47, The oil consumption I am referring to is not related to oil lost due to oil reservoir being overfilled. I am talking about the dealer telling me that their was less than 10 ounces of oil when drained, along with a chunk of charred oil. I had checked the oil about 70-100 miles(max) earlier and the level was in the operating range, above the add line - checked hot, on level ground with the bike on it's sidestand. | ||
| Davo |
I would run a compression test but that is easier said than done There is not much room to get the gauge hooked up. The charred oil part has me thinking about a casting issue as described above. Other than consumption does the engine run well? How about a plug read? Compare them to see if one is significantly different from the other. | ||
| Sgthigg |
Sounds all to familar | ||
| Torq |
Jhanz, keep a close eye on the oil levels and take notes as Sgthigg has done in his oil level concerns. I myself remember absorbing his experience and self tests and only then was I positive there was an issue. after repeated drain and refills and measurements did I positively know there was a problem. Buell stated that 1 quart every 800 miles was "normal" and I always exceded that amount of consumption. be sure for yourself!!---during my experience, both I and the technician checked plugs and compression and even a scope was placed into the cylinder to try and diagnose the situation. I'm not saying my problem is the same problem you have, but I am saying to be absolutely sure you have a "problem" as is what I believe others are trying to express to you. Sgthigg,I'm glad you finally have settled the questions you had about your oil consumption issues and also wanted to say thanks--a good part of my own diagnosis' were attributed to the information you posted. they were quite valuable and allowed me to also have good evidence and documentation to my concerns! |
