Depressed v. Engine Troubles

[Ryan_c_F]

This is a multi-season problem, so please bear with me as I explain the entire sequence of events.

For reference, the engine is a Suzuki 805cc V-twin lifted from the Intruder cruiser.

Bought a 1990 VX800 a few years back, first bike.

First season is flawless riding, really.

Put it away.

Bring it out the next season, clean the gas, change the oil (smells like gas Maybe just a hallucination? )

Take a short ride, no problems. Yay riding!

Month later - clutch slipping. :mad:

Take it into the shop, shop has it for a full month, $900 later, new clutch plates/springs, miscellanities fixed up too. Rides great.

Towards the end of last riding season, I lose my job, and the engine problem decides to rear its head. Rear cylinder floods frequently. Awful. Can't figure out why. Petcock works fine (tank off, no leaking with the manual petcock in any configuation).

Tear the engine down to the carb needles ( as apart as possible ). Nothing seems fishy. Nothing sticking, fouled, etc.

We find water in sparkplug bays. :mad:

Upon assembly, we find that the rear cylinder is getting gas properly, is carbuereted properly, and runs, but is puffing white smoke on every hit. Some radiator sealant works initially... but riding the bike to be garaged at my parents' house, it stops running again, starts puffing white smoke.

Thinking head gasket or cracked water jacket (water-cooled engine).

I'm mechanically retarded, and broke as a mfer. I can't sell the bike if it doesn't run, and don't have money for a mechanic repair.

Can anyone here clue me into the problems that I might be having? And if so, could some good samaritan come help me fix my baby so that I can be non-depressed come springtime? Payment will be in the form of modest cash amounts and beer. Possibly home cooking and funny jokes. I'm a good cook.

[Cheech]

Disclaimer: My engine experience is limited to tearing down and rebuilding my carbs. I've never touched the actual engine block on anything I've ever owned, but have been around a few engine teardowns.

I really can't see why it wouldn't be the head gasket. I really have no idea how a water channel in a block would crack into the cylinder, but once you take the head off it should be pretty apparent from the gasket if the channel is leaking in the cylinder. Tearing the bike down to the engine isn't the worse thing in the world to do on a bike, as long as you have some basic tools, metric ratchet set, few screwdrivers, so on.

[roncooper]

Check your oil if it's creamy your in trouble. Odds are the white smoke your seeing isn't smoke but steam. You always have fuel in the rear cylinder because your suck, bang, blow back there is broken. I'm sure there is someone here who will help you figure it out, if not bring it down to the shop, and we'll work something out.

[garysol1]

You always have fuel in the rear cylinder because your suck, bang, blow back there is broken

What I think Ron is saying is this. Assuming you have a cracked cylinder, head or just a torched head gasket you probably are loosing most of your cylinder pressure. No cylinder pressure equals no compression which means no combustion. No combustion in the rear cylinder means that the fuel will not burn and is just being pumped into and out of that cylinder.......

[magifesq]

I'd have to agree with these guys, maybe you could rent a compression guage from Autozone, take your spark plug in so they can get you the right adapter. Ask them how to use it or search online, maybe Ron could tell ya. A compression / leakdown reading helps narrow down exactly what's going on.

These engines are great when they're running right, if the rear carb is running lean then the rear cylinder head could overheat and blow the head gasket.