Question about gas in oil.

I finally started wrenching on my xj650 yesterday and have a concern. I changed the oil and checked valve clearances. I have two valves out of spec that I will be ordering new shims for in the next week or so. I do have a question though...

While changing the oil there was a very strong smell of gasoline. Also, when I pulled the valve cover off the smell of gas was pretty strong. The bike hasn't ran since I got it. When I first acquired it I added fuel and noticed gas pouring out of the #3 carb. The pet cock was not working properly and the carbs need cleaned out. But, if gas ran into the engine and sat for a while could that cause a significant amount of damage? It was not ran with the oil and gas mixture.

I will be rebuilding the carbs and installing a manual fuel valve after I finish with the shims. Any insight on the oil and gas issue would be greatly appreciated though.

 

Gas in the oil is a 2 pronged issue, the first one you got correct: the petcock needs repairs.

The second issue is that one of your floats is stuck open and allowing fuel into the combustion chamber, which then leaks past the rings and into the oil. DO NOT RUN the bike until both issues are fixed and you've put fresh oil in the engine with a fresh filter.

A simple carb cleaning might alleviate the symptoms, but it will happen again until you address the floats. Can also check your fuel levels while you're at it.

 

PilotSmak gave you the solution. No shortcuts!

To answer the question you asked though: The gasoline didn't do any damage just sitting in there.

 

Awesome. Thanks!:

Is there a how to post on this site about checking fuel levels and adjusting floats?

 

Except for maybe hastening the demise of the clutch you needed to rebuild anyway (30 year old plates and all.)

Here's the how to for float levels: http://www.xj4ever.com/setting%20fuel%20levels.pdf