ack.......help please. oil level rising

[techbota]

I just did my valve adjustment and cleaned the carbs. I thought all was fine. After it got really warm I noticed a oil leak!!!! No problem I found where that was coming from. A little peice of the valve cover gasket is tucked in just alittle bit.

The problem is weird though. I went to check my oil to see just how much I lost.

The oil level is now looking OVER full. Its past the top of the site glass??????????? What the hell could this be? Could gas be getting mixed in with the oil some how??? I cant see how this could happen. Or maybe the oil isnt making it to the valves and all pooling in the bottom case??? I know it was fine before so I hope you guys can help me out here.

[Fast Glass]

Can you smell gas at the oil filler hole?

[trinc]

my guess - you read it wrong one of the two times.

tim

[TemtnF8]

did you perhaps fill it while it was on the side stand? If so then you definately overfilled it.

The thing with the valve cover gasket... I did the same thing the first time I tore mine down. Ended up having to replace the gasket...

[techbota]

No I changed it about a month ago. Used a suzuki filter and valvoline cycle oil. After that I check the oil several times to make sure I had no leaks and it was right on mark. I put in just over 3.5 quarts.

So I know it was right. I haven checked the oil smell yet at the filler hole. I will do that. I was wondering.....MAYBE my oil filter failed and it is not retaining its half quart of oil.

I doubt seriously its gas thoug. I searched the internet and found a site on cars that said if the fuel mixture is to rich then you can get gas in the oil BUT it said it wouldnt be enough to notice a rise in the oil level only a smell.

I did take the carbs apart but only cleaned them. Not air fuel mixture adjustments.

I did muck a bit with the idle adjustment.

Im baffled!!!! The funny thing is when I took it to the store it ran like a new bike!!!! No valve chatter at all and crisp response. I only got 5000 miles on it and its a 2001!!!!! But it sat for a year so thats why I cleaned the carbs.

[techbota]

OK now im completly baffled!!!!

I just started it on the center stand and the oil level looks fine. I will have to give it 5 minutes to know for sure though.

Could it be that the oil filters DONT retain their quart of oil if the engine is shut off while on its side stand???????

[TemtnF8]

did you perhaps unbolt the oil cooler to be able to get to the bolts on the front of the motor?

[The CyberPoet]

(A) The correct procedure for check the oil on the Kat is somewhat complicated. It involves starting the engine, letting it run at least one to two minutes, then shutting down and checking the level at 50 - 60 seconds after shut down.

(B) If you check the level without running up the engine, you are getting an artificially high reading... running it will transport oil out to the upper oil galley (in the engine), the tranny and fill up the oil filter, which combined should hold about 1/2 liter...

(C) If you check the oil with the engine running, you will get an artificially low reading, because of the oil moving around in the lines.

Golden rules:
Too much is better than too little; too much will cause some power loss but no damages -- too little can cause serious damages.
The reason for checking the oil level after running the engine is to ensure even with the other pathways filled, the oil pump pick-up in the sump is always submerged, so the oil pump is constantly picking-up & delivering oil (this is also why too much is less dangerous than too little).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[techbota]

Well its back over the site glass after 30 minutes. S maybe thats it. It stayed good for about 5 minutes then started rising again. Thank you

BTW shouldnt the oil filter hold its half quart all the time??? Or does it drain out after a few minutes???

[TemtnF8]

The filter is level with the ground, more or less, so it would drain back in to the motor.

[The CyberPoet]

The filter is level with the ground, more or less, so it would drain back in to the motor.

+1

It holds about 1/3rd of it's contents for a longer period of time (as being trapped in the lower portion and/or sucked up in the actual filter elements; the rest drains backwards down the system after a while.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet