running fine, then no power, then noises, then smoke....

[mike_Parson]

I have an 87 1200 interstate that has 62000 miles on it. Last week i did a stator replacement on it. pulled the engine and did everythign by the book on it. new gasket and all. Once we fired it back up it had a small drip from the rear gasket on the very bottom of the case. I did some research and it seemed to be a bit normal that maybe the gasket just needed to swell and seal up. Anyways, i put in some Barrs no leak in the oil and after 3 days of friving it seemed that the drip had just about stopped. im not sure this has anythnig nto do with my problem but i wanted to get the history of the bike right incase it does.

so, after 5 days of driving it and the drivability of the bike getting better every day im headed to work this morning. When i started it up i had a small tick but it was not very loud or long in duration. once it was warmed up i got on it and headed to work. lots of power and drove fine. 65 or 70 most of the way. It was like this for 35 miles. no problems. then all of a sudden it was like the throttle was not working. i was slowly decelerating with no power. once i got down to about 35 MPH the bike setteled out on that and just crused there no matter what amount of throttle i gave it. then i heard a horrable sound like grinding or somethign breakign lose. i stopped the bike and turned it off. i let it sit for a few min and then started it up. it was hard to start and i had to choke it. it started adn the throttle seemed to come back. i got on it and got up to speed and it seemed fine. then in about 10 miles it started losing power again and then it just stalled. i coasted to a good parkign spot and got off again. i turned the bike off and just stood there in amaizement not sure what to do. i was only 5 or 6 miles from work. so i started the bike up again with the choke and this time i got smoke out of both sides. it ran ok with no really noise but i never had all the power back. it seemed the rpms were a bit high but it got to work. after a min on the road of driving the smoke seemed to go away. I shifted down to pull inot the parkign lot at work and the smoke came back.

What have i done to mess up my bike. its my only transportation to work right now and i am so fustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated. i hope someone on here can give me a direction to start looking for a fix to my issue. thanks again.

[mike_Parson]

i just went out and statrted the bike adn with the ckoke on it started upl after a few min i just checked the exhaust pipes. the left side were good and hot. the right side were bairly warm. could all this be from an ingition coil?? or do i have multiple things wrong with my bike? thanks again.

[Garycw]

Could be a good place to start and a lot easier than tearing motor apart.it must not be firing on that side & could account for the noise. Plugs may give some clues. I seems like if it was delivering fuel with intermittent spark there would be a loud backfire when spark restored, but maybe not. Sorry I couldn't be more help, I would be very frustrated. I'm sure NEO, Admin, or some of the others will have more help & suggestions for you. Let me know if you find it to be coil or wire related, I may be able to help you

[neoracer]

first thing i'd suggest is to have it towed home,any further might cause further damage,have GWRRA?
call rescue # listed on your card and/or open your "Goldbook"

in your stator repair did u replace cambelts?...who's stator?

once its home u can deleve into problem easier since you'll have some tools and test equipment

pm sent

[mike_Parson]

no i didnt replace the cambelts or anything else major. the stator came from Riders Passion in California. I dont see a PM from you so i guess it didnt go thru. I am going to replace the 2 spark plugs on the right side and see if it changes anything. i figure since its not firing right notw that is teh first place to start. then if i cant get it running well enough to drive i will haul it home on a trailer so i dont damage it any further.

[Tropicalsuns]

Anyways, i put in some Barrs no leak in the oil

Am I reading this right???

[Guest]

From what you discribed I would not run it any more. I would haul it home. The first thing I would do is pull the plugs & do a compression test, then check the timming. Check the nut that holds the stator on.

Poorboy

[admin]

Anyways, i put in some Barrs no leak in the oil

Am I reading this right???

I would also like to hear an answer to this question.

[mike_Parson]

yes i put no leak in the oil. i have not ever read anything that says not to and it says its safe for all gas engines. was this a bad thing to do? Im not an expert on anything but i did try to research it before i did it.

[mike_Parson]

i have found out the problem. well at least i have found out where the issue is. WHen i changed the plugs on the right side. the front one was covered in oil. the back one had been sheered off at the til. so somethign in the cylinder broke off and that is the sorce of my issue. I have to get it hauled home and then tear into the engine and see exactally what is tore up inside. I guess its time for a rebuild. Thank you to the guys that tried to help me with advice. i appreciate it.

[admin]

Barrs Leak is only to be used in the radiator coolant if it is leaking. It is never to be used in engine oil because it could seriously plug up important oil ports which may destroy the engine or at least cause serious damage. I wish you the best of luck with this but you may end up having to replace your engine. Some can be found quite cheap if you look carefully.

[mike_Parson]

i used the barrs no leak for motor oil. not for no leak for radiators. i do know the difference. i understand your point about the no leak may have done some damage now but it said it was safe for all gas engines. i guess my research was not extensive enough.

[admin]

I'm so glad you understand the difference. One thing you should do with your engine is install an oil pressure gauge to find out what the oil pressure is then you will be able diagnose the bike further from there.

[mike_Parson]

well i am sure i have done some serious internal damamge to the right side adn wont knwo what totally broken till i tear into it. i guess i need to hope the no leak didnt do any further damage. i will be draining it out since i have to repair the entire engine and it wont be going back into the bike. i just hope the engine is fixable and i dont have to get a new one as i cant afford an engine.

[admin]

You might want to start shopping for a used engine that is in good condition because just the gasket sets alone will cost you more than a complete used engine. The least GL1200 engine I replaced for a member here cost only $300. and it runs like a brand new engine. Do what you want with your engine, just be aware that parts are expensive for these engines and some parts like oil pumps are no longer even available. Maybe you'll find that a timing belt broke and you just need to fix one head, but, if you find no oil pressure after installing a gauge then it might be wise to find a good used engine that you can install in one day and you are riding a reliable machine again without much trouble. Eiter way, good luck to you and we stand ready to help with all the advice we can offer.