Valve Guide Seals

[banjoboy]

Hello gang, I have a question that you may be able to answer. My 2010 NT now has a bit over 22,000 miles (25k sticker coming soon). When I start my bike I get a plume of white smoke from oil for about one to two seconds and it goes away. I have a client that is knowledgable about bikes and thinks it's my valve guide seals. I took my bike in for an oil change and asked the mechanic what he thought and again said it was probably the valve guide seals and not to worry about it unless I'm using more oil or the spark plugs are fouling. It seems to run fine regardless. The mechanic said that this 'failure' was common on some of the older Gold Wings and not a big deal. Has anyone else has this issue? I'm not a mechanic of any sort and would have to have the mechanic do the repairs. Any guess of what this might cost to fix at a shop?

Terry

 

[docta]

At your next oil change, you might want to try one of oils formulated for high mileage cars....as long is is not labeled energy conserving......it contains additives that cause seals to swell slightly and often will stop minor oil leaks......has worked for me.....
Always ride safely and keep your airspeed under control.

TW

 

[DirtFlier]

The minor bit of smoking would have to get pretty bad to justify replacing the valve seals.

 

[Woodaddict]

isn't white smoke from "water or coolant" and gray or black smoke from oil? could there be condensation in muffler burning off?

 

[seagrass]

What oil weight are you using? If it is a zero weight it may be too thin

 

[Macka]

It may be smoke cause by oil leaking down past the valve stem (guide) seals but I would not have expected it at that mileage. Assuming that it has had regular oil changes and never been severely overheated the seals should still be fine. If it is oil it should have a blueish colour, smell "oily" and hang around in still air for several seconds. If it is condensation it will have no oily smell and disappear almost immediately when it exits the tailpipe. If you do not have an oil consumption issue it is probably not worth worrying about as it is a big job to replace them. As mentioned, there are additives that can be used to "swell and soften" failing seals. The best way to keep oil seals soft, flexible and functional is to change the oil OFTEN. I have been a qualified mechanic for 43 years and can promise you that clean oil prevents a multitude of ills. In the trade we always say that an oil change is cheap insurance. Modern oils are great but long oil drain intervals leave a lot of carbon and acid circulating inside the engine. The first parts attacked by the acids are the soft oil seals.

 

[Rich]

The deal with early Gold Wings is a consequence of a horizontally-opposed engine, combined with using the side-stand. A little oil would seep past the rings in the left-side and you'd get a bit of smoke out the left exhaust on startup. Using the center-stand exclusively eliminated this problem, but the center-stand didn't hold up in every day use. I broke 2 of them before giving up and living with the puff of smoke.

The NT doesn't have this kind of characteristic (horizontal cylinders), so it wouldn't be ring-seep, so not the same "feature" as GWs.

 

[banjoboy]

What a series of good answers. Thanks. It does seem to be a very small oil leak and I'll just watch it. Thanks all.

Terry

 

[docta]

isn't white smoke from "water or coolant" and gray or black smoke from oil? could there be condensation in muffler burning off?

If this were an Italian bike, I would say that white smoke would indicate a new Pope.

TW

 

[banjoboy]

What a bunch of smart people and an occasional smart a**. Thanks.

Terry