Noise 2 - Just when you thought.............

[rgakrill]

I posted a couple of months ago about, what seemed, excessive noise from my Stelvio when hot.

I received many good replies, the last of which was from Brian UK asking whether the bike had the right oil in it.

The oil was changed at the 1500km service by Shorrocks of Preston. I dug out their receipt and, sure enough, they had used Motul Fully Synthetic 10W40 oil!!

I have now put the right viscocity of oil in the bike. The bike is quieter but still noisier than I would expect.

My question is - Given that I have now done 4000 miles with the wrong oil in the bike, what are the chances that there is permanent damage to the engine?

I would have posted earlier but my usual user name, Ackers, seems to have locked solid and no-one has heard my cries asking for a re-set.

Over to you gents - please be gentle - I know I should have checked the receipt earlier but I find it hard to believe that incompetance is inherrant in all dealers - not just the lowlife one who sold me the bike in the first place.

 

[Penis Rotor]

I honestly don't think that in a country with such generally low ambient temps as the UK that this would be a problem.

You are, I assume, aware of the cam non-recall, (The recall you have when you aren't having a recall! :roll: ) on early 8V motors. Is your bike eligible for this work? if so has it been done? I would strongly suggest you find this out before you ride it further.

If it isn't in the range for the non-recall work then I'd suggest checking the tappet clearances or taking it to someone who is willing to do the job properly and I'm afraid that while I'm not a paranoic about oil the oil in the 8V engine IS asked to work hard and tharefore I stick to a specification as good, or higher, than the factory's.

There are plenty of oils around that DO meet the specs. why would anyone with half an interest in customer service use anything less. Oh, thats right, 'cos they don't understand how oil works! Silly me!

Pete

 

[rgakrill]

Pete

Thanks for your reply. The cam non-recall was allegedly done before I picked the bike up in March this year. The dealer made a big song and dance about it and was adamant that the engine must not turn over until it was done. Having said that , I found out later that the new plug caps that should have been sent to him with the parts for the cam work were never fitted (cue another breakdown and 2 mile push home). So I really dont believe a word that was ever said by him. Aprilia UK have stated that the work is logged as done but what is to stop him lying to them as well as me?

I dont tend to rev old Stevio too hard but I dont hang around on motorways which means she is up at 5000rpm for long periods of time. It is after this kind of riding that the engine seemed exceptionally rattly. But it is mechanically quiet on first starting so I dont expect there is any lumps of metal flying around.

When I bought my first Guzzi, a 850 T3/LeMans conversion, the local dealer, Italsport, told me that "you must run your Ducati 750GT on Fully Synthetic AGIP 2000 and change it every 1500 miles or it will destoy its main and big end bearings (which it regularly had done in the past), regarding your Guzzi, you can run that on old chip fat and it will never go wrong." I did use good oil but it never did break down or ever stop on the road in 30,000 miles - how things change!!

Once again thanks for your advice Pete.

 

[Penis Rotor]

Look, that being the case I'd just pop the lids, (I haven't done a Stelvio yet so I can't say how hard this is but i can't imagine it would be too hard or everybody from Copenhaggen to Cinncinnatti would be whining about it :roll: ) and check the valve clearances and see if they are anywhere near spec. Of the few other 8V bikes I've seen the clearances have been way too wide and all I can put this down to is people being lied to about their servicing. After I did the cam-non-recall on mine I checked the clearances ONCE when the bike came back from it's sojourn with a Dutch visitor and it had spat an adjuster nut, (My fault, I obviously didn't do it up tight enough!) and then again today. The RH exhaust valves were a trifle tight, (Using a 5 and 7 thou guage as go/no-go guages rather than setting then at 6 thou.) apart from that all the other six were still spot on. Mine makes a little bit of a 'ticky-ticky' noise if I've been riding it gently. If I take it for a flog it quietens down, presumably because it cleans up the valves and seats a bit but what would I know?? Do I care? No. It just continues to hoover up horizon and make me grin.

S'much better now since I did a final *fix* on the 'Zorst so it's now gas tight PERMANANTLY!!!! No more silly 'Service' light and triangle, smoother, (I wonder why? :roll: ) and it STILL goes like a rhino with a spear up its chuff!!!

Pete

 

[Penis Rotor]

I dont tend to rev old Stevio too hard but I dont hang around on motorways which means she is up at 5000rpm for long periods of time.

(gurgle!) 5,000? the motor is only just beginning to get into it's stride! It's got a rev limiter at about 8,750. Try and see if you can find it! At WFO it gets *interesting* in the lower gears at about 5,200 you should even be able to pull a fatty on a great munter like a Stelvio in 1st and 2nd at least, If I give the clutch a bit of welly and the bars a tug it'll do it in 3rd! :twisted:

Pete

 

[John in PA]

S'much better now since I did a final *fix* on the 'Zorst so it's now gas tight PERMANANTLY!!!! No more silly 'Service' light and triangle, smoother, (I wonder why? :roll: ) and it STILL goes like a rhino with a spear up its chuff!!!

Pete

Pete, please elaborate! Can't find "'Zorst" in the parts manual. :lol:
What did you fix that stopped service codes??

 

[WayneOrwig]

I would:

Check the valve clearances.

Go ride.

 

[Penis Rotor]

Pete, please elaborate! Can't find "'Zorst" in the parts manual. :lol:
What did you fix that stopped service codes??

My Right exit exhaust was a prototype for the 8V made to the same specs as the 1100 pipe. Unfortunately the 8V pipes are slightly bigger so I couldn't use the original gaskets. I kludged it up with some shimstock but after a while it would leak again, when air gets in it throws the signal from the O2 sensor outside the parameters the ECU will accept as *Normal* so it throws up the service icon.

I ended up removing the headers and taking 'em to my local exhaust shop where they made some adapters and crimped 'em down to gasket size, then they sawed off the too big bits off the 'Y' piece and tiged on the new adapters. I went back to the workshop, re-installed the headers, slathered the gaskets with maniseal and slipped the 'Y' piece on and then tightened everything up prior to puting on the pipe. Start bike, check for leaks, warm up, turn off to allow maniseal to cure. come back after lunch and go for a good flog, no more silly icon or service warning!

Job done.

Pete