Gas in oil (help!)

I have a new to me, totally stock 08 WR250X. PO said he bought new last year and changed oil every 2K miles.

When I went to look at the bike, it started right up cold and seemed to run fine. I took it down the highway and it pulled nicely through all gears. So, I loaded it in the truck and brought it home.

I was out in the garage today going over the bike, and I noticed the oil level looked high in the sight glass. (I feel like an idiot for not noticing this before I bought it.) Opened the oil fill cap and sniffed it, and it smelled pretty strongly like gas.

So, now I'm freaking out. I don't have a lot of money, and I'm sick over the idea that I got screwed on this bike.

I'm only a mediocre shade-tree-mechanic, so I'm at a loss for what to do (or how bad this actually is). Some research suggests it's either a problem with the injector, the ECU, or bad rings. Does this sound correct? Any easy way to check the injector or ECU? Should I bite the bullet and just take it into the dealer? Or worse, sell it at a loss?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Why not try changing the oil first?

Before you jump to conclusions...got get some relatively cheap, but fine to use motorcycle specific oil and a new filter.

The bike only takes 1.6 quarts of oil.

Change it, and ride it for a day or two then see what you find.

You'll also get a much better picture of what the old oil looks and smells like when it's in the pan and not in the bike.


You'll also know if there's really a problem or not.


That's where I'd start.

Edit to add: Be real careful with the oil filter cover bolts. They are very soft. Don't over torque.

Because of the low oil volume these bikes will read high/low if they aren't on perfectly level ground and stood straight up.

It may not actually be overfilled.

Mine normally smells a bit like gas, in fact I can't honestly say I've ever owned a motorcycle that didn't have oil that smelled a little like gas after a 1000 or so miles.

I agree with motokid, change the oil (if you're on a real tight budget you can use Shell Rotela T 10W-40, but my tranny shifted rough with it) and see where you are after a few days.

Other things to think about:

1) If it is the rings, you'd be belching blue smoke out the exhaust.

2) If it were the ECU you'd be belching black smoke out the exhuast or the bike would just bog/stall from being so rich.

3) If it's the fuel injector it's an easy and relatively inexpensive fix. This is very uncommon with modern electronic fuel injectors though. Change your oil, run it for a few days, and let us know if you need more help. I can step you through checking the injector.

Thanks for the replies. The concensus throughout the various forums seems to be to stop freaking out (for now, at least). *phew*

I've got a bunch of consumables on order, including oil filters and Silkolene Pro-4 (worked great in my old DRZ), since I was planning on changing out all the fluids anyway.

No exhaust smoke at all, but the oil level is definitely high (top of sight glass--checked on level ground with bike balanced vertically).

I've got house guests this weekend, so I might not be able to change out the oil until next weekend. I'll update the thread as I work through the bike.

In the meantime, I'll just have to be happy peeking at it sitting in the garage instead of riding.

If you can still see the line of oil and air in the sight glass I wouldn't sweat being too overly filled with oil.

Just for piece of mind though I would drain it and start fresh since you are worried about other issues.

Changing the oil and filter on these bikes is a 30 minute job tops. Surely a new owner can find the time to change the oil even with house guests. It's your new baby. Your guests will understand.

Especially if your guests are guys.

Ha! Guests are parents who disapprove of my two-wheeled lifestyle choice.

Besides, I like to take my time when I'm working on a new bike to get to know it a little bit, find any potential issues, and not rush and strip a bolt or forget an O-ring. Not that I've ever done that.

Understand. Take your time. Get intimate with your new baby.

Have a great weekend.

Been there, done that. If your oil level is rising and your oil smells like gas, you have a problem!

Raw fuel is making its way past the head gasket and into your lube system.

I have a thread going on about this somewhere on this site. Haven't updated it lately, but new top end gaskets are in the house, as well as a new piston and I have a ported head on the way.

Gas in the oil = bad.

Jeez, Bob. You couldn't let me get one good night's sleep?

Sounds like that's definitely something to keep in mind, though I'm guessing I'd see oil leaking around the head as well (which I currently don't). Installing a new head gasket wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be a PIA. Just as long as there's no damage to the top end.

I'm going to start with an oil change and keep a close eye on things. I'm really hoping against hope that things will work themselves out, but I also know how ridiculous that sounds. Good thing I like wrenching almost as much as riding, though I'm a little better with the latter.

LOL.

I'm not really an alarmist.

The point is, if your oil level is rising, as you have indicated, and neither you nor anyone else has added anything to the crankcase, it can only come from one source.

Your gaskets don't have to be visibly leaking for this to happen.

You might also want to check your coolant. A blown head gasket can introduce a lot of air into the cooling system. Mine didn't have that problem, but it can happen.

Quote :

I'm not really an alarmist. The point is, if your oil level is rising, as you have indicated, and neither you nor anyone else has added anything to the crankcase, it can only come from one source.

You ARE an alarmist. The OP never said the oil level was rising, he just said he noticed it was high.

Quote :

I was out in the garage today going over the bike, and I noticed the oil level looked high in the sight glass. (I feel like an idiot for not noticing this before I bought it.)

There are several good suggestions on what he should try before jumping to any conclusions.

BuilderBob wrote:

LOL.

I'm not really an alarmist.

The point is, if your oil level is rising, as you have indicated, and neither you nor anyone else has added anything to the crankcase, it can only come from one source.

Your gaskets don't have to be visibly leaking for this to happen.

You might also want to check your coolant. A blown head gasket can introduce a lot of air into the cooling system. Mine didn't have that problem, but it can happen.

No worries. It's good to know all the possibilities. Changing out the coolant was on the list of things to do, but I guess I'll move up the priority on it.

ramz wrote:

The OP never said the oil level was rising, he just said he noticed it was high.

It's a fair assumption, but I can't be positive until I change out the oil and run it to see what happens.

I'm definitely going to take this one step at a time, though, starting with getting a good look at the oil.


Thank you, both.

ramz wrote:

Quote :

I'm not really an alarmist. The point is, if your oil level is rising, as you have indicated, and neither you nor anyone else has added anything to the crankcase, it can only come from one source.

You ARE an alarmist. The OP never said the oil level was rising, he just said he noticed it was high.

Quote :

I was out in the garage today going over the bike, and I noticed the oil level looked high in the sight glass. (I feel like an idiot for not noticing this before I bought it.)

There are several good suggestions on what he should try before jumping to any conclusions.

Merely suggesting a possible problem, one that I have experienced and have had to deal with.

On further thought, rings could be a source of the problem as well. And, as you have stated, after other, simpler suspicions have been eliminated.

That said, oil should not smell like gas. If it does, there is an issue.

Yeah - I'm a big fan of not assuming the worst and trying the easy stuff first.


OP says the bike ran strong on the "test drive" and it wasn't belching smoke.

motokid wrote:

OP says the bike ran strong on the "test drive" and it wasn't belching smoke.

Mine too was running strong with no smoke when I noticed the leaky gaskets, and then the gas in the oil.

OK, finally got a chance to change the oil. I drained every last drop I could get out of the bike and let it sit for a while with the cap off. Changed the filter, buttoned everything up and filled it with 1400 cc of oil per the manual.

Took a look at the sight glass, and it's overfull again!!! It's not due to fluid leaking into the case, because there was no time. I checked and rechecked the amount in the manual (mainly because 1300cc is stamped on the engine), and measured the oil with my Ratio Rite, so I know I didn't overfill it. I even checked my driveway slope with my level to make sure there was no slant. What's the deal???

I just changed my oil and filter the other day. I watched the sight glass as I poured. Once it was at the full mark I started it, let it run for about 30 seconds, turned it off, waited a minute or two, and added oil until I reached the full mark again. Done.

Owner's Manual section on changing the oil:

11. Start the engine, and then let it idle for several minutes while checking it for oil leakage. If oil is leaking, immediately turn the engine off and check for the cause.

12. Turn the engine off, wait a few minutes until the oil settles, and then check the oil level and correct it if necessary.

-----------------

If you didn't do this, you actually put too little oil in the engine.
.

ramz wrote:

Owner's Manual section on changing the oil:

11. Start the engine, and then let it idle for several minutes while checking it for oil leakage. If oil is leaking, immediately turn the engine off and check for the cause.

12. Turn the engine off, wait a few minutes until the oil settles, and then check the oil level and correct it if necessary.

-----------------

If you didn't do this, you actually put too little oil in the engine.
.

Yup. Did it. Still high.

No chance of too little oil. I measured precisely.

I have never understood why people would use any other method of adding oil than using the sight glass.
That's why it's there.

You can always suck some oil out, or drain a little out if you feel you need to.

More importantly, what did the old oil look and smell like when you drained it?

motokid wrote:

More importantly, what did the old oil look and smell like when you drained it?

Old oil was dark. Had gas smell. Viscosity seemed a little off.

I'm just thinking (hoping) that if I followed the directions in the manual step-by-step, and I still overfilled it, maybe that was the main problem with the high level before. Still doesn't explain gas smell, but I'd like to think that much gas didn't make it's way into the case.

Possible prior owner had used e-85 avoid it unless you burn it out before parking ...

motokid wrote:

I have never understood why people would use any other method of adding oil than using the sight glass.
That's why it's there.

I don't really like to rely on the site glass when changing the oil other than as a quick secondary check. I always change the oil on a hot engine and always change the filter. I like to measure the exact amount oil. I don't like the sight glass because it can vary dramatically with only a slight lean of the bike in any direction. I use the sight glass before rides as a quick check.

RattTongue wrote:

motokid wrote:

I have never understood why people would use any other method of adding oil than using the sight glass.
That's why it's there.

I don't really like to rely on the site glass when changing the oil other than as a quick secondary check. I always change the oil on a hot engine and always change the filter. I like to measure the exact amount oil. I don't like the sight glass because it can vary dramatically with only a slight lean of the bike in any direction. I use the sight glass before rides as a quick check.

The amount of oil that doesn't drain out of the motor can also change drastically depending on the angle the bike is parked on. 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I use the site glass... it's not rocket science so I don't see the need for a graduated cylinder and finding the bottom of the meniscus.

Arkmage wrote:

The amount of oil that doesn't drain out of the motor can also change drastically depending on the angle the bike is parked on. 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I use the site glass... it's not rocket science so I don't see the need for a graduated cylinder and finding the bottom of the meniscus.

Using the site glass only method, I've never over-filled my oil.

I've read numerous accounts of "over-fills" by people who ignore the site glass and try to accurately "measure".

Whatever works best for you.