Smoking

[Jimmyt]

I have a 2006 Sportster that I got just last year. It seems to smoke a lot all the time. I ask my dealer and he said that they do smoke a little? (not sure what a little is)
I also noticed late last year that if we are tubing heavy for a few hours the engine starts to act up and even stalled and I think overheated?
Now What? I did check the oil.

 

[Coastiejoe]

4-tec engines don't smoke. They are basically just like a 4 stroke car engine. No oil and fuel mixture like the 2-strokes which do smoke. I am wondering if you have a cracked head or jug and it is steam you are seeing? Is the coolant level remaining the same?

 

[Jimmyt]

4-tec engines don't smoke. They are basically just like a 4 stroke car engine. No oil and fuel mixture like the 2-strokes which do smoke. I am wondering if you have a cracked head or jug and it is steam you are seeing? Is the coolant level remaining the same?

No the coolant level is fine. White smoke always scares me.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Is this smoke blue or white, is it using oil? Overheating is not good, engine oil should also be changed when this happens b/c the excess heat damages the oil. Have cooling system checked, might have bad thermostat or plumbing mistake.

Generally, blue smoke shouldn't be noticable. Could be crankcase breathing issue or worn rings/damaged cylinder(check cylinder compression) or too much oil in crankcase (maintain just under the full line of dipstick in case of 4-tec).

 

[Coastiejoe]

I'd like to see compressions numbers but with a twist. A cold set and a hot set. As hot as you can get it under a normal hard run. This may help to isolate a good direction to head.

 

[Chakane]

Are you sure it's smoke? I know with my twin s/c speedster, when I am doing about 6 knots for a little while I get a little steam floating up out of the wake on certain days from the heat transfer to the surrounding water.

 

[purple_people_eater]

Are you sure it's smoke? I know with my twin s/c speedster, when I am doing about 6 knots for a little while I get a little steam floating up out of the wake on certain days from the heat transfer to the surrounding water.

was about to say the same thing, my rxt will steam a bit from the heat exchanger coming into contact with the cold mountain water.

 

[Jimmyt]

definitely white smoke and I don't think it is steam because it smokes when I start it with a hose in my driveway.

 

[Chakane]

The service manual for seadoo indicates that white smoke from the exhaust could be a coolant leak, a damaged head gasket or water ingestion.

Is the closed loop coolant dropping any? or any evidence of water in the intake manifold?