How much oil does your GS use?

[Crackavelli]

Hello all, I just purchased a '89 GS, and took it on its maiden voyage (with me anyway) from Phoenix to Denver (about 900 miles).  I went through about 3 quarts of oil on the trip.  Is that normal or cause to be concern?

[banner]

i would be concerned. Mine eats maybe 1/5 of a quart in between oil changes (3-4K miles). Were you measuring the oil correctly when the bike was on the centerstand?

[Dr. Love]

(0.75*3.785)/(900*1.6)*1000 = 2 ml/km of oil
say 50 mpg = 21.26 km/l or 47ml/km of gas

... 2/47 that's ~4%

My 2-stroke uses about 75ml per 5l petro... that's about 1.5%... If the oil isn't lost elsewhere, you'd be smoking the whole way...

I'd be concerned.  I mean, 3 US quarts = 2.83905885 litre... that's one oil change!

[RVertigo]

I'd say that 3 qts in 900 miles is excessive, unless you were really on the throttle and in high revs a lot.

Look for leaks.  If you don't see leaks anywhere, then you may be burning oil...  At very least, keep your eye on it.

[Trwhouse]

Hi there,
Three quarts in 900 miles is insane.
It's either leaking out or being burned, and either one needs to be fixed.
My 1991 GS500 with 18K doesn't use any oil between changes at 3-4K miles.
I'd start by cleaning the engine well, especially underneath near likely candidates such as the oil pan gasket and around the countershaft sprocket, so that you can then watch for and detect any large-scale oil leaks. For that much oil to disappear, I'd bet it will be an obvious leak if it is leaking somewhere.
Also, is the engine smoking all the time when you are riding?
If the oil is being consumed, it could be bad valve guide seals, worn piston rings and worn cylinder walls, or even poor break-in procedures are now catching up to you.
How many miles are on the bike?
Do you know anything about it's history? Maintenance?
Someone might not have cared for it very well, it sounds like.
Clean it well, check it out some more and let us know what you find.
Good luck,
Todd

[JamesG]

Its an '89 man.

Probably needs a top end job. Valve seals, cylinder boring and +1 pistons & rings.

[GeeP]

Check the compression.  If it's within specification replace the valve seals.  If it's out of specification it's time to overhaul.

[natedawg120]

Yeah you have a leak somewhere and if it isn't leaving puddles then its going out the exhaust.  I agree with checking the compression for a start or just pull the plugs to see if they are oil fouled. 

and as for how much mine uses, I am one of the few around that is lucky enough to have a bike that doesn't burn a drop.

[pwalo]

Mate, you have definitely got a problem. Not too sure how other people get on, but my K1 doesn't use any oil between changes.

Are you sure that you were measuring the oil level correctly. I'm surprised the bike didn't sieze on you. Good luck with finding the problem, but you must have a leak, or faulty valves/rings to lose that amount of oil.

[ashman]

on a trip 2 years ago i  did around 2000 miles and ended up using a little over a quart the whole trip. thats on a 93 w/ 17k or so @ the time. During regular city use i dont burn much of any between changes, the high revs caused increased consumption. recently i used part of a can of high mileage engine reconditioner, aka stuff to recondtion seals. I'm not sure if its a good idea for the engine/ clutch ect. but seems to of had no ill effects.

-ash

[Crackavelli]

thx for the replies.. yeah I figured that was not normal, but I kept on reading about how these bikes were known to burn oil.. just wanted to get an idea of how much was normal.  Taking a closer look at the bike, the leak is pretty obvious, there's oil spattered on the frame just behind the motor.

[JamesG]

The GS isn't know for burning oil, anymore than any other bike. Its just that there are alot of older, high-mileage ones out there (like yours) that get worn out.

If there is oil on the engine or frame, your bike isn't burning or even "using" oil. You have a leak somewhere.
Look "up wind" at the motor. The place furthest forward on the engine you see oil is where it's coming from. Probably a side cover (right side more than likely) or a blown head gasket, but could also be the tach cable housing.

[MarkusN]

Or valve cover gasket. Pray that it's that one; that's easiest. (Ok, tach cable is easier.)

[Egaeus]

My GS uses 1 quart per hour when I forget to tighten down the cam chain tensioner and it comes loose.  Luckily I only rode for 30 minutes.

[The Buddha]

I had an 89 that was using a quart in under 300. It had 48K miles, and will use that much oil even under commute conditions.
Cool.
Srinath.