Oil/Smoke/Engine noise/Serious help needed!

So I have an '82 xj550 maxim and I've been riding it for a few weeks now, at some point last week it got knocked over and the gas stolen. There's a good bit of damage done(broken turn signals, scratched chrome, bent brake lever) but mostly the sound that comes from the engine. The only way to describe it is that it sounds like a lawn mower, not that nice subtle sport bike sound. It's sounds like the right side near the rear brake. And also the bike countinues to spew oil from the airbox as well as an unknown spot near the exhaust, and whenever the bike is running it starts to smoke something fierce. Is the smoke from oil on the exhaust? What could this noise be? And why is it dumping oil?

 

Being tipped over, it likely filled the crankcase with gas. Open the oil filler and sniff. If it smells like gas, change the oil and filter...run it a few miles, and then change again.

 

Oh my stop running it until you get to the bottom of this.

You need to drain your oil, pull out your air filter and clean out your air box, and examine the damaged side more carefully. Is the clutch cover dented in? Why do you think the gas was stolen? You could have oil on your pipes but don't count on that being the only source, it might be leaking from the clutch cover. Normally there is a layer of oil in that chamber that is held back by a nicely fitting cover with a gasket. It also sounds like you have fuel in your oil which is bad. And the rear lever may have impacted hard enough on the clutch cover to cause damage.

Examine it better and tell us what you find, pics would be good too.

 

Ok, pics will be uploaded in the morning. But I believe that the clutch casing is dented and I couldn't tell you why the gas was stolen. It was an entire tank, only around three gallons worth of gas. The oil was changed but it was almost all lost when it started spitting oil. And do you thing the lawn mower like sound is coming from the clutch?

 

If your clutch cover got dented, it's a possibility because the clutch is very close to the cover. Things could be bangin' around in there.

 

Should I remove the clutch cover and what should I be ready for?

 

Urk. Yes you should.

The clutch cover is CAST, the first thing to be prepared for is for it to be cracked. If that's the case, eBay a replacement. Any 550 cover, Seca or Max, '81~'83 will work (although there are three different "styles" they had the same PN all along.)

It's also VERY possible that the cover got pushed against the clutch basket, and that's causing your noise.

Here's what's in there: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29541.html

There's one other possibly serious issue that you may or may not find: if the cover got slammed in hard enough, it's also possible it bent the clutch basket. I got one of my 550s with a poorly-repaired clutch cover and a bent clutch basket.

Diagnosis is easy: Once the clutch is opened up, disconnect the TCI and hit the starter. The clutch basket will spin, and you'll be able to tell if it's spinning "true" or "orbiting." ***OILY MESS ALERT*** I recommend a couple of strategically placed hunks of cardboard to shield the general area (including yourself) from the oil that WILL get flung when you do this.

If you're lucky, it only punched a hole in the cover.

 

XJrider I should have been more clear. What I meant to say was what made you think the gas was "stolen" instead of just coming out and evaporating? If the bike sat on it's side for a while the gas might have come out and it won't take long once it disperses to evapo. Did someone bust open your cap?? or Siphon from your PC?

You will need a new gasket for that cover when you're putting it all back together new cover or not. Be sure and look at bigfitz's link so you know what it 'should' look like in there.

 

Thanks guys, I guess I'll be getting my hands dirty in the morning, I'll post pics and the steps I'm taking along the way. And as for the stolen gas, when I got to my bike, I pushed the gas cap down and it locked, I also found a knife dropped a few feet away from the bike as well as scratch marks under the gas cap, and my fuel lines all had been disconnected.

 

Seems like a lot of effort on the crooks part to get a couple of gallons of gas. They must have benn desperate.

 

@xj wizard Then I'm sure you can imagine how I feel. :-(