Oil Puking 2001 KLR 650 - Any ideas?
 

We've a 2001 KLR with 27,000 miles on it. While the bike run engine oil fills the air cleaner housing, then drains out on the ground. Not drips, but cups! It is definately sick. Is there a spring breather between the engine and the air cleaner that is broken, or PVC valve or reed valve that has gone south? Anybody know? Thanks in advance from the road near Fairbanks, Alaska.

You did not maybe overfill her?

Unfortunately it's your piston rings that have gone south.
Get the engine disassembled and the barrel checked and measured. If you are lucky it's only worn rings but you still might need to rebore and fit an OS piston.
If you have a broken ring you are in for catastrophic engine failure in very short time. If the problem started suddenly and did not develop over time I would be very careful to move the bike any further.
If you start the engine with the airbox open you can feel how hard she blows out of the breather. Not meant to at all. It's supposed to be more of an oscillation within the breather.

I just hope theres no bears at the side of the road to hassle you?

unless they help you push! LOL



Hope you get it sorted out soon. :thumbup1:


Roy

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"Whats in that thing??", An R1 owner said.

You don't say whether you've just bought the bike or had it for a while, whether this problem has got worse or suddenly happened........

For a start, drain the engine oil and refill with the correct amount. It could just be that someone has seriously over-filled it.

If it's been over-filled (and I've done this myself), then you may *not* notice it when you start the bike just after over-filling it. In my case, because it was a boxer (BMW), when I put the bike on the side stand after about 100 miles, it backfired, and started blowing smoke big-stylee. Oil had made its way into the cylinder through the rings when the cylinder was below the oil level, and the oil ended up being pushed into the airbox and exhaust, and *lots* of smoke (from the oil in the exhaust system) for about 10 miles.

As part of the cleanup, I had the oil window replaced with a new one, as the old one was stained, and quite difficult to see through.

Today seems to be my day for reciting all my oil-related bike dramas.. :)

It was a broken piston!
 

Piston broken between compression rings, about 2 inches worth. Did not harm the cylinder, fell out in hand when cylinder came off. Slapped in a used piston, rings, same gaskets, and she took off for Deadhorse. Who would have guessed?

You caught it in time. :thumb

Reporting back is always appreciated, otherwise we're just guessing our way through each issue, and with no more knowledge than before...

I'll second that.
Glad to hear that you have a solution and are on the road again - did you do anything with the original gaskets to re-use them?

Cheers,

Dave

broken piston
 

I just discovered I have the same problem with my KLR 650. Oil in the air box. Piston broke between the rings about 3 in. Was wondering if you figured out what caused it or had any further problems with blowback or another broken piston?