My 06 is stinky! whew... or help, the search is disabled :(

[Reyndogg]

Yesterday morning i went out to the track, and right when i started my bike for the first time my friend says "dude your bike smells like it's burning something" and later, i passed a guy on the track that I know and he said he could smell it when i went by. I can smell it too. Yesterday is not the first time i've smelled that smell, but it was much worse. Smells like burning oil.

Before riding yesterday, the bike had fresh oil, oil filter, etc.

Im wondering if it's a heat issue, somewhere. I have noticed that i have to back the clutch adjuster out some after a bit of riding, almost like its expanding? Running engine ice, rad's are full, no fluid leak that i can find there.

Could this be caused by over-filling the oil maybe? Im very careful and measure and check, but it could still be possible i guess.

Oh yeah... 2006 YZ450F, 60.4 hrs on the motor.

Thanks in advance for any ideas before i take it to get looked at by someone smarter than me ?

[Jaycycle]

It sounds like it could be caused by over filling and burning access oil. Another thing that happens to me is after a wash I will clean the header with what ever cleaning solution thats around. Often after I start her up she will smoke a bit and smell funny, but I don't think to such an extreme as your experiencing. Just a few thoughts. ?

[drz400boy]

I just picked a '02 yz 426 and it smells funny too...I don't know what it is either.

[grayracer513]

Check the manual for the procedure on using the overfill check/drainbolt. At east you can rule that out. Or in.

[ben_suhard]

Could this be caused by over-filling the oil maybe? Im very careful and measure and check, but it could still be possible i guess.

You can check if it's too full by taking out the check bolt(Edit: grayracer beat me to that one!). As Jaycycle said, the smell may just be something on the header that's burning.

[Reyndogg]

Check the manual for the procedure on using the overfill check/drainbolt. At east you can rule that out. Or in.

sorry i didnt mention that before, part of my post oil change check is removing that check bolt. usually jsut a tiny bit comes out.

[barch88]

I noticed after I clean my bike, and get it all shined up the header usually will smell for a few minutes while its burning the oils and whatever I got on it, also, check you're idle speed.

[Reyndogg]

I appreciate the feedback, but i very much doubt what i last cleaned my bike with (water is what i had last used to clean my bike) would cause this issue - especially not after almost an hour of engine run time at the track.

My idle is set very low, not sure how this relates though.

[grayracer513]

Can you tell if it is using any oil between changes?

[Reyndogg]

I haven't checked, which is probably a mistake. It checked perfect today after running yesterday for .7 hrs worth, though.

I wonder if it's something dumb like oil from the oil filter cover area (that annoying drip and crap when you take the cover off) burning off the motor and such, but in my head i wouldn't think it would smell for so long. I washed it when i got home, so i may take it out tomorrow and run it for a bit and do some "testing."

[grayracer513]

That's a good idea. Test it. Take several of your best friends and spend the entire day testing it at your favorite venue. The more you test, the better the results you'll get. In fact, I better go test mine. ?

[Reyndogg]

well, as you probably well know, the concern is something going boom... hehe

[grayracer513]

Well, yes. So I suggest you pay attention during the testing.

[kyleyz]

ate too many bean burritos last night

[Nashty]

I put a YZ mid/muffler on my WR and the fender started burning where it needed to self clearance. It was literally melting and smoking.

Worth checking, might be something on the exhaust somewhere.

[WFOracer]

What kind of oil are you using? I know that some of the Rotella oil guys get a nasty smell from it. Do a search, I think RedBeard brought it up on the yz450 forum before.

[dangwartz]

If you're worried about your engine temp, try some temp strips from Pro Circuit. They just stick onto your cyclinder. I think I bought a couple for less than $20. Mine seems to run between 171F-182F according to the temp strip. That was on 98F day in TX.

For the smell, have someone ride behind you to watch for blue smoke from your exhaust. This is sign of burning oil in your engine. Also, check your exhaust system for any black, oily drool. Look at the end of your muffler and make sure its dry. Should only be dry, black carbon residue, but no oily drool.

Good Luck

[Budlite]

I second the smell from the Rotella. It smelled like the clutch had fried yet nothing was actually wrong with the bike. I switched back to Mobil 1 and the smell has not returned...strange, I've never run into this before if there were no oil leaks. I drained the excess so I know it wasn't overfull.

[Reyndogg]

The only thing with the rotella theory is that my room mate has a 06 YZ450F, uses the same rotella oil, and his doesnt make the smell. Unfortunately for me, and good for the area, is that it's finally raining here so this mystery lingers on and on ?

[adamdf]

Have you ever changed or cleaned your oil filter? If you have, then you may have misplaced one of the o-rings that goes in the cover, i made that mistake with my 06 YZ250F and it leaked oil from the oil filter area. It is worth a check.