Tapping and white smoke

Tapping and white smoke

by Doug
(Frierson,LA)

I have a 1998 cbr 600 it started shooting clouds of white smoke out the tail pipe and tapping after I changed the oil it only does it when I get over 9000 rpm

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Tapping and white smoke

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Oct 05, 2011

Wow, how ignorant!!
by: Judy

Hey, Anonymous poster: the only stupid person here is YOU. There are plenty of women who know some things about engines, and do their own wrenching, me included. We don't need comments like yours telling everyone that the rest of us are as stupid as you are!

Doug, first of all, white smoke can often mean there is a coolant leak, such as a failed head gasket, allowing coolant to get into your engine.
The fact you first noticed it after an oil change might be purely coincidence, and not even likely related to the oil change.

As to it happening over 9000rpm, that's a pretty high engine speed. Many modern bikes have rev limiters which will not allow your engine to run above certain number of revolutions per second. I don't know if one that old has one, it may not, but you really shouldn't be running your motor that hard, especially being fairly old. You should shift at engine speeds around 6 to 7000 rpm max., take it easier on your engine and give it a chance to last longer if it isn't already fatally compromised.

Check the oil after it's ran for awhile, if you can keep it running with the white smoke. If it looks "milky," which will look kind of like coffee with a lot of creamer in it, that means it's almost certain coolant has leaked into it, either from a head gasket gone bad as mentioned above, or another failure in part of the cooling system; perhaps a crack in a portion of the water jacket (coolant structures).

If you decide to try and tackle this yourself, get a genuine FACTORY manual, not an aftermarket one like Clymers, they aren't as good.

Chances are a mechanic might cost more than the bike is worth overall, so it might be time to just get that manual and try to fix it yourself.
Get two boxes of plastic sandwich and freezer bags, and bag & fully label all parts.

Good luck with your bike. Hopefully it's only a head gasket failure. If that's what it turns out to be, you need to make sure the mating surfactes it mounts to are totally flat and not warped. Also, don't keep abusing your motor by running such high engine speeds!

Oct 05, 2011

Oh for heaven's sake...
by: Sandra

Doug, I am female, and I don't know much about motors (those 2 statements are not necessarily attached to each other)...but I know rude and stupid!

Anon there does not speak for this forum. As women we tend to flock together and ask our "silly" questions that men don't always understand; but I do not want to be looked down on by guys because I want to ride my own and I CERTAINLY don't feel I should look down on guys for any reason.

I'd check w/a mechanic on that smokin' issue - I always thought smokey exhaust was a sign of the engine burning oil, but don't know why it would happen. Good luck!

Oct 05, 2011

Smoke
by: Marsha

Doug...sorry some people are rude. I am a lady and I do know motors, some. You may need to use a different thickness of oil or you may need a different filter.

I wish rude people would use their name instead of hiding behind a computer.

Oct 05, 2011

Deleted - webmaster
by: Anonymous

-- I'm inclined to allow men to post in the "Bike Questions" forum but much less so elsewhere in the other forums. The reason: Guys you don't know the answer to your motorcycle question - But SHE does!, and thats why your here. You have to ask HER! And I like that because it portrays the women motorcycle riders in a very positive way.

If anyone has an opinion about my views on the "Bike Questions" forum or any other forum please contact me through the contact page at the top of this page. --- webmaster

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