Dirty Oil and Spark Plug

[mick426f]

I have recently bought a 2001 WR426 with an unknown number of Km's on it.

I did my first oil change on it last week after having done three short rides and when I took the oil filter out it was covered in metal fillings. I wasn't too concerned though and replaced the oil filter, filled the bike with a synthetic oil and put a new spark plug in.

I took the bike for another short ride (50 km's) and then drained the oil again to see if I could flush the rest of the metal fillings. To my surprise the oil was black and when I took the new spark plug out it was black as well (more sooty black than oily black, but quite fouled for a brand new plug with 50 km's on it). There were a few more metal fillings in the oil filter, but a lot less than last time.

The bike also now seems to blow a bit of blue smoke when it's cold. Once it warms up it seems to go away though.

The bike seems to run fine and has plenty of compression when I kick it over.

So I'm wondering what my problem might be? Is it likely I've broken a ring and the metal fillings are from it or the barrel? I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar problem and what might be the cause.

[Vibeguy]

After a couple oil changes you'll get an idea of how much metal your engine makes under normal usage. These engines make metal and it's not uncommon to find metal flakes in the filter at every oil change. To track the amount of metal your bike makes flush the filter with carb cleaner into a clean container. Once you have all the foreign stuff from the filter in the container dump the content's onto a clean napkin/paper towel and let the cleaner evaporate. Once dry you can take a piece of clear tape and stick all the junk onto the back of it then transfer the tape to the inside cover of your manual, date it with the Km and you can start to track the metal your engine makes.

Engines will make "X" amount of metal when new as all the parts wear in, then the amount of metal you find in your filter should decrease and stabilize. A sudden increase in the amount or composition of the metal (ferrous/non-ferrous) could be an indication of impending trouble.

Sounds like the previous owner didn't maintain the bike very well. I would give it a good going over, clean and grease all the pivot points, clean the air filter, fresh fuel et. With a small amount of TLC these bikes are bulletproof.

If the oil is dark and smells burnt you could have a clutch issue or it could be that the new oil is cleaning out some of the deposits left over from years of not changing the oil, give it a few oil changes to see what you have.