2018 RC390 -- white smoke?

[KodakMoment]

Hi all,

I've researched this issue a little bit and found it to be pretty prominent, but not much clarity or resolution.

There is white(ish) smoke when starting up cold, or hot. It continues when revving. I'll clarify a few points below:

- 400 miles
- There's no mixing of coolant and oil (I changed the oil to inspect)
- It isn't condensation
- I first noticed it after a week of letting the bike sit

Thoughts?

 

[chevaliernoir]

It seems I have the same since yesterday.
Quite surely head gasket issue....
On my case it happen also not on track, but just after a long period without using it...

 

[ReidMcT]

Does the smoke smell like oil, or coolant, or ... something else?

 

[KodakMoment]

It seems I have the same since yesterday.
Quite surely head gasket issue....
On my case it happen also not on track, but just after a long period without using it...

I highly doubt this is a head gasket issue. There aren’t plumes of smoke and the oil was clean. My coolant is totally clean, too. It has extremely low mileage, as well.

 

[thunderrun53]

Does the smoke/steam/mist every go away or is it constant as long as the bike is running? How thick are we talking smoke wise? I've only ever known white smoke when coolant is burning. If it's a light mist or vapor, it's nothing to worry about.

I know you can get a little smoke/vapor and a funny smell when you first break an exhaust in, but I think you'd be done with that after 400 miles. I hate to say this because it doesn't help, but can you take it to a dealer and have them look at it? 400 miles is obviously under warranty and now would be the time to catch any manufacturing errors.

 

[John390]

to clarify if its a head gasket issue you will have to pull the spark plug, pressurize the system with a coolant pressure tester and let it sit for a while. Then look down the plug well with an inspection camera and see if there is a puddle of coolant on top of the piston.

All head gaskets don't blow into the oil galleries. This is a good thing because if your oil has coolant in it, you will need a full rebuild as your bearings are damaged.

I hope its something more innocent and I am awaiting the eventual conclusion.

 

[=maz=]

John makes a great point. And, further to that, when the head gaskets went on our bikes there was no contamination of the oil or coolant...but the pressure was forcing the coolant into the overflow bottle.
Contamination of the oil in my wife's bike occurred when the water pump seal went.

 

[hvlmike]

to clarify if its a head gasket issue you will have to pull the spark plug, pressurize the system with a coolant pressure tester and let it sit for a while. Then look down the plug well with an inspection camera and see if there is a puddle of coolant on top of the piston.

All head gaskets don't blow into the oil galleries. This is a good thing because if your oil has coolant in it, you will need a full rebuild as your bearings are damaged.

I hope its something more innocent and I am awaiting the eventual conclusion.

A little water mixed in with the oil isn't going to hurt the bearings ...there's still an oil film on engine parts. I've had several motors loose water pump seals over the years and never had to rebuild the motor. Just flush it good ...I use WD40 to help disipate the water inside the motor. Might take a couple oil changes to get rid of all the water.

 

[KodakMoment]

I'll take a video and we can review it

 

[ReidMcT]

Does the smoke smell like oil, or coolant, or ... something else?

I'll take a video and we can review it

Engage your senses, too; video doesn't convey smell.

 

[KodakMoment]

No smoke since I first mentioned it. I checked over everything -- no leaks, fresh oil, no coolant contamination.