the xj party is over for this guy

today, i finally got to ride my xj for the first time in about 3 weeks. i had been sick and unable to ride coupled with some rewiring that needed to be done to hook up my new turn signals and brake lights.

i filled up the tank and rode around. the bike was running better than ever. i pulled up to a red light and stopped. when the light turned green, i let out the clutch and the bike just died. i pushed the bike out of traffic only to notice oil POURING out of the bottom of the motor just above the exhaust collector. 8O i couldnt locate exactly where it was coming from but i think that was the nail in the coffin for this project. little stuff is worth fixing but this looks way to hairy for me to dive into. its been fun but too expensive and unreliable for what i had envisioned as my venture into riding a bike. im not settled on what to do just yet. i may part it out to you guys or sell it with all the spare parts here locally.

this forum has been crucial in getting me going on my bike and i thank you guys a ton for the wealth of info you put out into the world.

 

Maybe its the Oil Drain Plug?
Easy fix.

 

nope the plug was still there. that was the first thing i thought of. no such luck.

 

"They are hard to kill. You have to deliberately abuse an XJ-Bike to mess it up."

Exactly. Unless a part exited the crankcase in an explosion, I wouldn't call the coroner just yet. It sounds like the carbs flooded and filled the crankcase full of fuel. Have you checked the air box to see if the oil was running out the puke tube? It may be just a stuck float valve. Easy fix.

 

Does the oil smell of gas? It may be a stuck float or needle/seat in one or more of your carbs. This would also cause your crankcase to be fuller than a prostitute with a runny nose. Check your airbox for oil (assuming that you aren't running pods),as once the crankcase fills up it will discharge through the crankcase vent and into the airbox. Just a thought.

 

Darn it Don,you beat me to the punch! I had the same thought as you.

 

Great minds think alike!

 

IIRC, Turtle's bike doesn't have an airbox, oil spewing out the breather (or the "puke" tube if he does have one) would probably go right where he described. I vote over-filled crankcase, either due to the classic petcock/float issue or human intervention...

 

DONT GIVE UP!!!

 

well for now lets hope that no one steals it. i couldnt get my friend to get it until tomorrow so its sitting in the middle of town in a not so great neighborhood. when i drag it home tomorrow, ill know more.

 

correct, it is running on pods. and it has a pod breather but there was no oil coming out of there. it was coming straight out of the bottom of the motor. behind the filler bolt from a recessed area. (as best as i could tell).

i neglected to check to see if the oil smelled of gas. it didnt look to thin, i just changed my oil about 100-200 miles ago but it looked dirty. I think the motor just may have been on its way out. I may just have to find a better motor on CL. thing is, i kind of live in the sticks of CA. not much ever comes up here so it could be a long wait. shipping on a motor from ebay would be too much $$$

 

Like Don said, unless a major engine component decided to exit through the bottom of the crankcase, it's probably something simple. I doubt there is a crack in your cases, something came loose somewhere or a bolt is missing, or an o-ring got pinched in reassembly. Don't give up, you're too close.

 

Turtle, where are you at? So Cal or up North?
Don't give up the ship until she slips beneath the waves, and you aren't there yet...

 

I live up in the redwoods. Eureka CA

 

if it is an overfilled crankcase, what would the possible damage be to cause all that oil to drop out of the bottom?

 

Turtle J.

If you can figure a way to come and get it, you can have my spare motor. 1981 XJ750 Seca. The trans has a bad shift fork, but the top & bottom end are good. I’m in San Diego area, so that might be trouble for you.

81 Seca 750
"inwork"

 

TJ: Damage is such a harsh word. I'm betting it's something dumb/simple and as soon as you dig into it you'll figure it out. Go get the bike back before it grows feet.

 

The excess amount of fuel attacked the O-ring Seal in the Oil Level Sensor?
End Plugs for Oil Gallery (below the Crankshaft Covers)?

I'm interested to know what did spring the leak. There aren't too many places for a leak to happen.
Oil Level Sensor
Middle Gear Plug
Neutral Switch
Oil Drain Plug
Both Oil Gallery Caps

I hope it wasn't something that penetrated the Case.

 

I'd imagine that if something had jabbed a hole in the case or oil pan, he'd have known. I've never seen a motor not make horrid noises if that was the case. I vote for blown oil level sensor o-ring, maybe missing middle gear plug or neutral switch issues.

 

yeah, you just got my headlight, you cant just call it quits. Sounds like a seal of somekind to me, i overfilled my oil a little earlier this year when my float stuck, now theres gaskets going to heck all over the bike, but im willing to dig in.

 

TURTLE, hey, UNDER THE ENGINE, I THINK..there is a SECOND Drain Bolt for the OIL RESERVE , it may have vibrated out...

 

ALSO MAKE SURE YOUR OIL LEVEL GLASS WINDOW HASNT FELL BACK INTO THE CRANKCASE.

 

THERE WAS ALSO A RECALL ON SOME EARLY XJs WHERE SOME PART ( trying to remember which one) CAUSED THIS EXACT PROBLEM, SEEMS IT WAS PART OF CARB OR SOMETHING... CHECK THE RECALLS

 

I'm betting oil level sensor o-ring. Mine leaked and it looked real bad but was an easy fix. I was thinking the oil pan had to come off. But I only had to pull the exhaust. Hope thats all it is

 

The Oil Level Window "Falling in" happened to a later model Seca-II.

I have not heard of it happening to an Early XJ-Bike.

Not that it would surprise me if that's what happened.
Just when I thought I had heard them all ... somebody comes-in with story straight out of the Twilight Zone.

(Speaking of The Twilight Zone. Full episodes of the original CBS Series, The Twilight Zone are now available from Comcast On-Demand. Not bad!)

 

That would be a pretty rockin answer. and i'm sure an easy fix!

Good catch on the Twilight Zone episodes Rick, love that show!

 

haha Eureka is hardly the sticks! Lived there for years. Hated every minute -- but there's a Costco that sells Glenlivet fergoshsakes. The frankenmaxim will live again!

 

Depens... on how long it ran that way. The gasoline thins out the oil which reduces its lubricity. Chances are, you're fine. Fix the carbs, drain the crankcase (get a big container), then replace the oil and filter.

 

Any chance he just changed out the oil and filter and has a bad o-ring on the oil filter bolt?? I agree with everyone else, unless it was making some really bad noise, its gotta be a bad seal or oring. I have had an oil line come off of a custom oil cooler and drove that for two miles without any engine damage. Just remember coming off of the freeway with the oil light just came on. Went to closest gas station to buy a new hose clamp and some oil. When I tore that motor down to rebuild it, the main bearings didnt show much wear on them, crank and cam surfaces were still smooth.

So far after 20 some odd years of abuse to XJ motors from drag racing them to road racing, I have only screwed up one engine. Saw one of my competitors have there engine eat a valve, which was the same thing that happened with my motor. Unless you severly abuse it they are bulletproof. Trust me I tried to kill it once, There was a reason why my racebike was called the roach I remember going to the USGP and someone took a FJ600 out for the burnout contest. After a few minutes the header starts glowing a very bright red. Engine never gave up but the tire did Dont give up it's gotta be something simple.

Sean

 

well my roommate flaked on me this afternoon to help me go pick it up. so, its still sitting there all alone. but im pretty sure its going nowhere. ill cruise by in the morning to make sure. he promised me he would pick it up tomorrow without me.

you guys are giving me some hope. i just figured seeing a gallon of oil fall out of your bike meant it was OVER.

more to follow...

 

Turtle, you are blessed. Eureka is a beautiful part of the state!
An over-filled case will puke oil out the back end something fierce! Drain and refill if you smell gas. If no gas, ensure that you are reading the oil level with the bike on it's center stand and on a level surface.
Oil leaking heavily out the bottom of the engine could be a few things. Did you disturb the rear drain bolt? Is your neutral switch in tight? Is the oil level warning switch leaking? Any of these items gets loose and you have a problem. The switches could cause your no-start issue as well.

 

TURTLE, apparently these xj's can jettision oil at the drop of a hat and
its usually some weird but not fatal cause, hey, if all else fails, you can pour in more oil and see where it comes out at....

 

Duct tape a 6 pack to the seat and push it home like a real biker !

 

Where do you check for recalls on our bikes?

 

I'm with the poster who said the other drain plug.
The one you don't take out.

 

Well I guess he went this route since I haven't seen a recent post on his status :lol: