v7 cafe classic

[jmac]

Hi new to the Guzzi experience and love the bike. Well i did until it started pouring white smoke out of the nearside exhaust so much so that i couldn't see any vehicles behind me. Exhaust has oil in the end of the muffler and oil in the threads on the plug. Wouldn't mind but the bikes only done 700 miles. I think it might be the piston rings. Anyone had the same thing happen ? :S

 

[john zibell]

The fault could be one of may things. Since it is a new bike, I suggest you return it to your dealer for a proper tear down and inspection. When they determine the fault please let us know.

 

[jackson]

Smallbock Guzzis are especially sensitive to being overfilled with oil and will throw any excess (and I mean any excess at all) into the airbox. Some will get sucked into the throttle bodies and it will cause smoke like you're describing. Look just in front of the rear wheel and you'll see a pair of tubes hanging down that have plugs in them. Pull the plugs and see if any oil drains out. If it does, you overfilled the oil sump. If not, see your dealer.

 

[mwrenn]

Just so you know, it is very easy to over fill the later model smallblocks just by using the service manual as a reference. If you check the owners handbook, it says to screw the dipstick all the way in to check oil level. The service manual says to unscrew it and insert it until it just hits the top threads. Needless to say, if the oil level was serviced using the latter method, it will be too full.
Let us know what you find!

 

[Holt]

Just so you know, it is very easy to over fill the later model smallblocks just by using the service manual as a reference. If you check the owners handbook, it says to screw the dipstick all the way in to check oil level. The service manual says to unscrew it and insert it until it just hits the top threads. Needless to say, if the oil level was serviced using the latter method, it will be too full.
Let us know what you find!

The manual also also sez 1,8 liter. I suppose you change the filter at every oil change. And that measure is with no sumpspacer mounted. :whistle:

 

[oldmanjob]

Bring it back to the dealer to check out.

Bill

 

[jmac]

Dear All,
thanks for the pointers ; you're right i've overfilled it !! Its very confusing having the 2 options for checking the oil level - I've gone with 2nd option of adding oil and checking by simply popping the cap in the filler hole instead of screwing it in and checking it hence the overfill. When i was looking at the bike i noticed that the breather tube had oil in it so i drained it out and ran the motor a little while and more appeared in the tube.

I'll drain a bit out and re check with the dipstick screwed in . I assume i'll need a new air filter ? Thanks for the help by the way

 

[mwrenn]

Glad you found it. Those drain tubes are below the air filter in the airbox, so your airfilter should be OK. Oil capacity is 1.78 liters. Enjoy your new bike!
Cheers

 

[jmac]

Cheers for the advice - Whilst i've got you ;i understand the cylinder head gaskets are prone to blowing and that re torquing is advised. I've found the two big head bolts and i assume there's only the one thats round the back of the head . Is that right and if so do you know what the torque settings are for each.

Regards John

 

[jackson]

You'll keep finding oil in those drain tubes until all of it finally gets out of the airbox. Just keep draining it until you no longer see it. I have an 07 Breva 750 and did the same thing due to a run of those bikes leaving the factory with an incorrect dipstick. I finally figured out the problem and never had another one. I am not aware of it being necessary to re-torque the heads so maybe someone who knows the answer will jump in and tell us. Glad you solved the problem easily.

 

[kinkajou]

You'll keep finding oil in those drain tubes until all of it finally gets out of the airbox. Just keep draining it until you no longer see it. I have an 07 Breva 750 and did the same thing due to a run of those bikes leaving the factory with an incorrect dipstick. I finally figured out the problem and never had another one. I am not aware of it being necessary to re-torque the heads so maybe someone who knows the answer will jump in and tell us. Glad you solved the problem easily.

The heads need to be re-torqued around 1000km....so 600miles depending where you live....I you dont do it, it (the head gasket) will most likely leak way faster than it was meant to...It should be part of you initial service....
Hope it helps...

 

[jackson]

kinkajou: Thanks for the info on torquing the heads. I bought my Breva 750 used with 1200 miles on the odometer and the 600 miles service had been performed by a MG dealer for the original owner. I now have around 6k miles on this bike and I've adjusted my own valves, etc. with no engine problems except the overfilling problem that was caused by having a dipstick that wasn't marked correctly from the factory.

 

[Holt]

kinkajou: Thanks for the info on torquing the heads. I bought my Breva 750 used with 1200 miles on the odometer and the 600 miles service had been performed by a MG dealer for the original owner. I now have around 6k miles on this bike and I've adjusted my own valves, etc. with no engine problems except the overfilling problem that was caused by having a dipstick that wasn't marked correctly from the factory.

Must have been a very early '03 model. Or a dipstick collected from the bin, which is a very likely possibility... :mrgreen:
I've got an '03 model equipped with a corrected dipstick

Luigi striked again! :woohoo:

 

[jackson]

kinkajou: Thanks for the info on torquing the heads. I bought my Breva 750 used with 1200 miles on the odometer and the 600 miles service had been performed by a MG dealer for the original owner. I now have around 6k miles on this bike and I've adjusted my own valves, etc. with no engine problems except the overfilling problem that was caused by having a dipstick that wasn't marked correctly from the factory.

Must have been a very early '03 model. Or a dipstick collected from the bin, which is a very likely possibility... :mrgreen:
I've got an '03 model equipped with a corrected dipstick

Luigi striked again! :woohoo:

Nope, you would think that this would have been the case based on a MG technical memo that I read on this subject in my search to find the cause of the problem but my Breva is a 2007 model. The way that I finally found the correct level was to unscrew the pipe from the rear of the sump that allows the crankcase to breathe. I let the excess oil drain out of that opening and then put it back together. It's never thrown any more oil in the airbox since then. The next time I changed the oil, I put exactly 1800 cc's (with a filter change) of new oil in the bike and took it for a 30 minute ride. When I got home, it had thrown a very small amount of oil in the clear drain tube and never threw any more so now, I put 1750 cc's of new oil (including filter change) in the bike when I change the oil and get none in the drain tubes. I scored my dipstick with the appropriate mark for "full" because it was approximately a little over 1/2" too high from the factory. I thought that something was wrong with the bike when this first started happening but after a compression and leakdown test showed excellent compression and no problem with the leakdown test, I suspected exactly what I eventually found. It was a real PITA but now that it's solved, I'm very happy with the baby Breva.

 

[mwrenn]

Cheers for the advice - Whilst i've got you ;i understand the cylinder head gaskets are prone to blowing and that re torquing is advised. I've found the two big head bolts and i assume there's only the one thats round the back of the head . Is that right and if so do you know what the torque settings are for each.

Regards John

Yep, the heads need to be re-torqued after the first 600 miles or so. The 600 miles allow the new head gaskets to compress and seat in, so after the initial re-torque, you won't have to do it again. You will need to take off the valve covers to get to all the head nuts, there are two different sizes. The M10 nuts torque 40-42 Nm. The smaller M8 nuts torque to 28-30 Nm. The procedure I have used is to first back the nut off a little, then tighten it to the torque value. Doing them one at a time. I have had other people tell me they just put a torque wrench on the nuts and check the torque. You will want to set your valve clearances after the heads are done. There is a link on this site under downloads to the service manual if that will help you.
Cheers.

 

[sign216]

Regarding torquing the head bolts, on the Guzzi 750 yahoo group is a short tutorial on getting it done. It's on the Links page, under Repair + Maintenance. And you might appreciate the glimpse of my assistant. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/MG_750/


Joe