Very high oil consumption :(

[Dark Skies]

Just rebuilt my KZ1000 CSR engine (Z1000 J engine) and am using a LOT of oil over a short distance - about 1 and half litres over 450 miles.

I went the whole hog on this one - had a rebore done by a very good engineering shop I've used for years. New oversize pistons and rings, properly spaced and the right way up. All new seals and gaskets, had the valve guides checked, valves seats recut, I even had the crank rebuilt and balanced by Chris Applebee. Apart from the cases and gearbox cogs pretty much everything is new and properly put together.

There are no leaks, no white smoke, no rattles, it runs really sweet - it just uses a hell of a lot of oil. Could it be my choice of oil itself? I'm running it on Castrol 10/40 Power 1 (not the superbike version).

All suggestions appreciated.

BTW - I've been running it in fairly enthusiastically rather than going slow and lugging the engine. Plenty of short sharp shocks to the engine throughout the rev range in an effort to avoid glazing.

[PAULJAC47]

Sounds like you have covered most bases,did you use cheapo mineral on initial run in period?

[z1bman]

this has the symptoms of broken tabs on oil control ring

[Dark Skies]

Sounds like you have covered most bases,did you use cheapo mineral on initial run in period?

No - I wanted to use ye olde Castrol GTX which is what I used in my Z1000H back in the day but had a hard time finding some round here. Bloke in the H0nd4 shop reckoned the semi synthetic would be fine if I didn't ponce about and gave it some bouts of stick and didn't lug it.

[Dark Skies]

this has the symptoms of broken tabs on oil control ring

But wouldn't that cause a lot of smoke? I'm not getting any signs of oil burning and the pistons slipped in easily during the rebuild - I have the correct Kawasaki factory ring compressor.

[z1bman]

the z1000 j was notorious for using oil but 1.5 litres to 450 miles is a bit on the excessive side. if it aint leaking out the engine it must be burning it. the oil expander rings are very delicate + sometimes the ends can be overlapped causing the tab end to break of when it enters the bore. the ends of the expander ring are usually painted different colours to make it easier to check whether the rings are overlapped

[Dark Skies]

I'm confident the expander rings went into the bores OK - I agonized on getting them in the right position - even to the point of examining them with the magnifying glass to check they were in place correctly prior to putting on the factory ring compressors. So I'm sure they didn't overlap. As to whether they have broken during running ... I hope not.

And like I say there's no excessive smoke that I'd associate with a broken ring. I took the bike up the road and gave it some stick earlier and there wasn't any smoke in my mirrors. Standing by the bike and blipping the throttle doesn't reveal anything unexpected. There is some dark sooty smoke under quick blipping but this is due to it being a tad rich due to the larger jet kit to cope with the K&N filters.

I'm going to give it a plug chop in the morning and see what that reveals.

[z1bman]

warm up the engine then hold the revs at 4000rpm for about 2 mins the release the throttle + see if any smoke appears from the exhaust

[Dark Skies]

warm up the engine then hold the revs at 4000rpm for about 2 mins the release the throttle + see if any smoke appears from the exhaust

I'll try that - somewhere deserted - can't see the neighbours loving that.

[PAULJAC47]

You say she is running rich? bore washing? pretty sure you should used straight mineral to get ring to seat,not SEPP did the work by any chance?
Paul J

[Pigford]

ITS BEST TO RUN IN WITH CHEAPY NON-SYNTH OIL SO IT CAN BED IN PROPERLY

If you use a GOOD oil, it can stop it running-in so well

[Dark Skies]

ITS BEST TO RUN IN WITH CHEAPY NON-SYNTH OIL SO IT CAN BED IN PROPERLY

If you use a GOOD oil, it can stop it running-in so well

Any suggestions on a cheapy oil? Halfords and the local garages only seem to sell quality oils. It'd be helpful if they had a label on that said 'it's a bit crap but it'll do.'

You say she is running rich? bore washing? pretty sure you should used straight mineral to get ring to seat,not SEPP did the work by any chance?
Paul J

Not that rich - just a little - I fitted one of those Dyno kits which I suspect might be a little rich at part throttle.

[Garn 1]

Dark Skies, How did you measure the oil consumption and was it just the once and was the oil measured when filling?
I have seen a possible air lock in the filter chamber and clutch plates. there are many nooks and crannies where oil take a long time to reach, causing the oil level to look ok and possible be down about a litre.
The fact that it's not blowing smoke and it is assumed, there are no obvious leaks, leads me to think, that there was insufficient oil put in after the major overhaul. Hence, I think you will be lucky and oil level will not continue to drop after another fill.

If one or the other, top and second ring were put in the wrong way round, which is what I first thought was the problem, you would definitely see smoke.
I also thought maybe the sump oil ring must be limiting the oil going to the motor from the filter chamber and just returning to the sump... This also would not use oil or cause oil consumption. Is it getting into the air filter?
RegardZ.

[PAULJAC47]

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/

Pretty sure these do a mineral and even a special running in oil.
Asda do cheapo oils look for Carplan,sell that in Jet statiions...

[Pigford]

...as he said - ASDA, TESCO - own brands OK for first couple hundred miles