smoke from the headers

no this is not the lost verse to smoke on the water....

I see that others have recently had some exhaust needs... seems like good timing.

the bike in question is the zx1100 (1983)
I think I shared in the past that while traveling doen the highway my bike puked or pooped (since it is the exhaust) out the baffle and cap of the kerker 4 to 1 system that was fitted to the bike. so I ran with an empty can for a while and it was amusing to see all the daytona harley guys look at me like I am the annoying guy with the loud pipes. anyway, not my style, while I have not really figured out what I am going to do - I found a kerker cap what was not designed for my can but it kind of fit... so I kind of made it fit and it is at least better than an empty / open can.. now it is just an empty can (but not as loud as there is at least now a cap)
so....
it starts to run really poorly.. sounds like a plug has fouled... I pull the plugs and they are dark and wet.... oil past the rings? any way I put in new plugs and start to see if I have other issues... spark, general ignition... etc and all the sudden from #1 and 3 headers I get white smoke pouring out from around the collers... I am assuming that in addition to my other issues with this bike... that is still new to me.... I have headers that are not seated correctly???

I am lamenting and asking all in the same motion... where do I start????

Sorry, sounds like your head gasket.

hmmm
are you just messing with me?
"sorry it's the head gasket" sounds like what the mechanic would say to my wfe when she would describe any issue....

i have to agree with dr.Goose on this one .thats a water cooled bike start with head gasket hopefully its nothing worse.how many miles on bike?:whistle:

My 1983 1100 goldwing aspencade head gaskets went bad at 45000 miles. set me back around $600.00 back in 1991.

Post edited by: kwakagoose, at: 2006/03/21 20:39

Would it be possible that his head nuts came a little loose, making it look like the head gasket was bad? maybe try checking/retorquing the head? it would be a cheap fix if thats the case!
Scott

this is not sounding good...

but maybe it's not that bad....

the bike is NOT water cooled. air and an oil cooler mounted in front.

If it is the head gasket... since the bike is aircooled, the job should be very similar to replaceing the head gasket on the kz?

now help me with the reasoning... head gasket because of the wet plugs? smoke from the exhaust collars?

is this your 83 gpz/kz-1100?

zx11 has combo cooling water&oil cooling and is 1990 or newer.

if 83 GPz/KZ and white smoke, check compression and go from there.

-Duck

thanks duck.

Yes.
the owners manual says:

1983
GPZ 1100a (zx11)


it is fuel injected, air cooled. oil cooler.
(if I had an empty water cooler... that would answer a lot... not the case)

Now there is a strange thing (completely unrelated to the rest of this post) that seems to be limited to this year.. and maybe another.
my fuel petcock is the same as is my kz1000, that is on/off/reserve. I have no Prime as seems to be most common on other fuel injected models...

Prime is for carbs.
FI bike has a fuel pump to do the priming.
Petcock is there so you can have a reserve.

White smoke around the collars. Look close to see if it's leaking around the pipe or through the head-block seam.

If white smoke out the end of the pipes, check compression...

My first thought for white smoke is leaky exhaust valve. This prejudice is based on recent experience Smoke around the collars would take some looking.

-Duck

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2006/03/22 14:10

Compresion test(as was suggested) and a leak down test will give you a better idea of where to start.

Thanks guys.
you have given some good considerations... where to begin.

I am flying back to Daytona on Friday... I have a new weekend project....