Ran it out of oil :(

Well I am a jackass. I have a valve cover leak, but I didnt realize how bad. I drove from citrus heights up to auburn ( 35 or 40 minute ride ) and on my way back my bike started to cut out on me. I had no idea what was wrong, this is a new bike to me. 1985 vf700f. She is beautiful and a steal at 1000$. Rather then replacing the leaking valvle cover gaskets, I just put oil in weekly until my vacation when I was going to do all the "little" things she needed. Now maybe I will need a new engine,
Cutting out on the freeway felt like a bad fuel filter. he oil light never came on, but she just kept slowing down and then speeding back up. once I got to the on ramp, and I downshifted there was no first gear or nuetral. I stalled out and pushed her to the side of the road. panicking. after about 5 minutes I was desperate so I tried to start her again, all the sudden there was a first and n gear. ( cant start with no n gear as we all know ). made it down the road halfway home ( freeway is 2 miles from home ) and died at the halfway mark. Still confused, tired what previosly worked. waited a few minutes she started again and made it home.
Now, i have this bike that I love sitting in the garage possibly ruint.
suggestions?

 

You a brave man posting this here. Prepare yourself. Fix the leak obviously. Nothing worse than oil stains everywhere and of course the hazzard to your ride. Those more qualified than I will post up I am sure. We al live and learn. For me I have to do a lot of livin to learn though.

 

...............Pray.

 

Whew!!!!!!! Man o Man Hmm well first I'd drain whats left of the oil to get an idea of the damage, anything that didn't get lubed well well create flakes that will settle out. yes one could run out of oil and if your oil light was working it would have came on due to the lack of pressure. so if it didn't come on meant you still had enough to lube the engine, but that's if it worked, also you would have heard it making weird noises too, which by then it would have been to late, damage done. thing is with these VF versions they had minor oiling issues (I'd like to think by 85 they solved the problem) in the cam bearings so any oil staving would have done in the head first. I wouldn't get to crazy just yet as there a few reasons why it stop running.
I'm not understanding what you are saying about all of a sudden 1st gear? can't get it in neutral? that's another set of circumstances. But do drain the oil to see just how it looks, if your not sure what you are looking at find some one that does. Sorry to hear this, life lessons sometimes come the hard way.

 

yes what a steal that guy took your 1k....joke ok; it should have not leaked a huge amount outta valve cover or it would be all over fairing and on your shoes. did you run outta gas??well clutch might be gone but you may have got lucky with the rest of engine.. I would fix the valve cover leak and add oil to proper level..give test ride i would imagine your clutch is toast..replace it and go from there.. did it smell really awful when you got it home? burn metal type smell? did the temperature guage get hot??also check all fuel lines and tank sounds like could have been starving for gas also.. check your plugs they will tell you the story about the cylinder,they never lie(like obama) hopefully they are not grey metalic looking bad times..good luck post your progress..always pretrip your motorcycle !!! loose nuts bolts air pressure oil level etc.. come on people its your bike take care of it...hope it works out 4 you the bike looks like it was in good shape seeing the pic...

 

I second the check the oil..... drain it change the filter and look for metal bits ... if there arent any you got lucky... fill her back up and test ride for the same time... check your fuel system make sure that gas is flowing. and check to make sure your vent on the fuel cap is clear. good luck Amigo

 

I guess I will change the oil tonight, inspect and hopefully test ride. Will post results.

 

I think a couple of things, first drain the oil-hopefully some is left- and measure how much came out. Subtract what it takes at full minus whats left and you have the approximate amount that you were running low on oil.As
the guys said look for any debris/chips that came out. If the oil came out with chips and stuff it would be smart to remove the filter and see what if anything is in there. Also from what you explained your engine may have been starving for fuel,thats bad but not as bad as starving for oil.You
did not mention, does the engine still turn over??? Meaning when you hit the start switch,does the engine spin like it wants to start or it is it locked up??
Another way to check if the engine is locked up is get the rear wheel up of the ground,put it in high gear and spin the tire, some other things that you should have been observing while this problem was going on like someone said is, how hot was it running ,were you smelling anything strange and were you hearing any clicking or knocking from the engine. Now everyone has tried to honestly help you here with our combined years of experience ,so please give us the details as you are following our instructions.

 

Well it may not be the end of your engine. Drain the oil, change the filter. Look for metal shavings in the oil you drained. Fill it with fresh oil and try starting it again. If it starts, watch the gauges while it idles but don't rev it. You're looking for normal temp readings and no Oil Pressure light. Change the oil and filter again. If you can get a magnetic drain plug for it, that would be ideal. Once you've done this, you could try a short ride around the block to see how it feels. This is what I would do; YMMV.

 

oil

If you would like me to come and take a look I would be happy to. I am in North Sacramento and have repaired quite a few of these engines. On the plus side they make a ton of noise when rods fail but run for quite a while. You could very well have a problem that is not that deep at its core given the age.We can pull an oil sample or cut a filter open and see.Please let me know if I can be of service.:thumbsup:

 

YOU GUYS I MISDIAGNOSED IT!
In the middle of the night by the freeway I thought I was very low on oil. After taking your advice, I did an oil change. There was way more oil then I thought. But still confused at why it acted like that I started it and took it on a short ride. I noticed that the shifter is getting caught on the kickstand!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the whole problem that wouldnt let me start it and made my think the engine was locked up.
I have no idea why it was surging on the road, and I will have to look into it. But I think my engine is safe and sound.
if there was a smiley for hew: I would post it here!
Thanks everyone for their help. And I am sorry to have "cried wolf" on this one.

 

P.S. I posted here cause it said 1st and 2nd gen, but now I see another area with first and second gen. I may have posted this in the wrong place. I will go and read the rules, I feel like a doosh as it is , for the mis -diagnoses, I am still new and I dont want to be rude.
Thanks all

 

glad to hear it.. I honestly tried to help you sounded bad but good times now just check fuel lines maybe air filter or carbs need to be cleaned are next on the assignment.. glad to hear your bike is ok HONESTLY:thumbsup:

 

way cool. another machine is back on the road.....get that fixed already will ya........ try cleaning the carbs with seafoam (SP) that should clean them out change your plugs, and ummmm....... heave some fun eith the bike...

peace.
Crusty

 

Seafoam is the SHITE. love it in old machines....

 

Good to hear. Now go and learn the rules of pre-flight.

 

You know, my first Sportbike was an '85 Interceptor. I am very happy your bike's gonna be ok.

PS: Members of the One True Bike, I feel we should now lift the assassination order and have the Strike Force return to base...

 

Rev's avitar made this whole sad saga worth reading!
Nice Dude!