[tok-tokkie]

My TW seems to use much more oil when run flat out. I am going to open the motor to check the bore & rings but am wondering what others find as normal oil consumption.



My bike has 22 000 km (14 000 miles) on the clock; much of it touring on gravel roads. I have just abandoned a planned long solo trip through some remote areas because on the first day I used 500ml oil (1 pint). It had been only 250km (160 miles) of mainly at 90kph -100kph (50mph-65mph). Next day going home was on gravel so speed was down & I used hardly any oil. I have found this before that it uses oil when running wide open continuously. My last long trip I went 450km (280 miles) the last day & the oil was below the window when I checked it afterwards and very little oil drained when I serviced the bike - this may have contributed to the problem & it had happened earlier in that long trip.



The bike leaks a little oil. I replaced the left gasket & the outboard bearing seal before this trip because of that leak. I have a 3mm (1/8") bashplate under the engine which had sand & dust stuck to it so I never established where the oil drip originated before I fitted the new gasket. There was a small drip (I think-it could have been an old one but I think not) after this aborted trip. I washed the bike & there is no oil leak since then onto the bash plate. All of this makes me wonder if that oil had not been blown out through the crank case vent.



So my questions are:

1. Do TWs blow oil out of the crank case vent if the rings are worn?

2. Do TWs usually tend to use significantly more oil when run flat out?

3. Any other input would be welcome.



---------------------------

On another related point.

I made & fitted an oil cooler. It works excellently; can feel the difference between the temp of the pipes to & from the oil cooler. That oil is the feed to the gears & outrigger bearing (crank shaft & cam shaft have separate outlets from the oil filter chamber). That oil flow has stopped as the pipes do not get hot any more. I have cracked the banjo fittings on the filter cover & oil flows freely. I had to cut & tap threads in the oil cooler at home without an airline. I am assuming that some swarf has blocked the oil passage downstream from the oil filter cover. So I have to open the engine to sort that out.

 

[qwerty]

Tdub uses oil at highway speeds. Not so much around town or on dirt. I've had many engines for many uses over the years that do the same. Generally, the smaller an engine, and the harder your run an engine, the more oil it uses. I think this is normal for most all engines.

 

[JimmyD]

Tdub uses oil at highway speeds. Not so much around town or on dirt. I've had many engines for many uses over the years that do the same. Generally, the smaller an engine, and the harder your run an engine, the more oil it uses. I think this is normal for most all engines.

+1. Even my Accord uses oil depending how hard I push it on the highway. It's just working harder than it should to propel and maintain speed. That car won't use a drop at 100 kph but drive it at 130 all the time and I'll use over a liter between changes.



Same with the TW. The poor little thing just doesn't have the horsepower to push itself and a rider at higher speeds. Also, you probably have a base leak due to a pinched o-ring during assembly. I find this will weep oil especially when you're pushing the bike near the 100kph mark.

 

[davidsonsgccc]

i wonder if it could just be the crankcase vent getting overwhelmed. i wonder if the vent hose was longer and ran higher on the bike before arcing back down if that would make a difference. likely not but it was just a thought.

 

[turborob]

I rode around 700km's on the weekend at full-throttle in top gear with no noticable oil loss (rode 1150km's) total. Now has done around 23000k's.



Yours might be a little tired.

 

[tok-tokkie]

It is tired. Have had the motor opened & it is being bored 0.5mm oversize with piston & rings.

I have now learned to keep an eye on the oil level when touring at high engine speed.

What I would really like to do is increase the crankcase oil volume so that the level does not fall so much if it uses oil. Easy to do as i have an oil cooler but that will not help as the extra oil is not in the crankcase.

 

[owtcast]

Raising the level of oil in the crankcase is essentially "overfilling" it. Not sure that would be too good for the seals, rings, and such. If the air moving in and out of the block (due to windage) is compromised you could damage things. Now the oil cooler is a good idea....as long as the level doesn't rise in the crankcase.

 

[bluedevilfootballman]

i believe when he says "raising the oil level" he is referring to somehow adding capacity to the "oilpan" without making the oil level higher through the sightglass. on my dragtruck i have a moroso 8qt pan, a stock pan on a small block chevy is 5 qts, i still use the same dipstick and it reads the same mark with 8 qts of oil in the 8qt pan as it did with 5 qts in the 5 qt pan. now i may be totally wrong and this guy wants to overfill the engine, this is just my best guess.

 

[tok-tokkie]

Exactly as Tanner suggests. If I could double the oil capacity to 2 litres then 500ml would only lower the oil level half what it used to. Extra oil needs to be at same level as existing oil & best plumbed so it joins in the oil circulation.

 

[Woofhound]

the only effective way i know to increase the capacity would be to go to a dry sump system with an oil tank simular to a harley or older english bikes. sounds like way more trouble then it's worth. a cooler will add a little capacity but will not let you run a lower level before running out of oil. I also agree that the engine probably needs a rebuild... mine doesn't use any oil yet