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Aloha all, replaced my clutch cable and now it appears my oil is burning off or leaking while I'm riding. I say that because I don't notice drips under where I park it. Now it's not running. Could I have affected something I shouldn't have while messing around with installing the clutch cable?

I'm glad that you mentioned this, because I didn't realize it but the same thing happened to me: replaced my clutch cable, then noticed I was losing oil. I didn't equate the two to each other though, just figured I needed to replace valve stem seals, rings, or both.

I'll ask the same questions that I asked myself:
1.) Is there smoke coming out of the exhaust?
2.) Is there wetness around any of the gaskets/smoke coming off the engine when it's hot?
3.) Is there oil in the air filter?
4.) How is your compression? If low, does adding a dollop of oil to any of the cylinders correct compression?
5.) Has the engine been running particularly hot lately? (Could have burnt the rings if so)

You say it's not running. What type of not running? Does it crank? Does it idle so rough it kills itself?

Best of luck friend!

Jaytraeg wrote: I'm glad that you mentioned this, because I didn't realize it but the same thing happened to me: replaced my clutch cable, then noticed I was losing oil. I didn't equate the two to each other though, just figured I needed to replace valve stem seals, rings, or both.

I'll ask the same questions that I asked myself:
1.) Is there smoke coming out of the exhaust?
2.) Is there wetness around any of the gaskets/smoke coming off the engine when it's hot?
3.) Is there oil in the air filter?
4.) How is your compression? If low, does adding a dollop of oil to any of the cylinders correct compression?
5.) Has the engine been running particularly hot lately? (Could have burnt the rings if so)

You say it's not running. What type of not running? Does it crank? Does it idle so rough it kills itself?

Best of luck friend!

Last I remember there wasn't smoke coming out the tail pipe.
I don't notice any wetness around seals or in general around the engine.
I haven't seen any on the airfilter but I'll keep an eye out.
Need to get a compression test kit - will report back.
When it last ran it didn't seem to be running hot.

Currently, I don't have spark at the plugs so I can't get it started. Think I'll pick up a new coil, unless there is something else I should check first. But before it idled rough and would die, couldn't sit at a red light without it dying.

It might be worth it to check you points (gaps and point condition), as well as your timing. Out of spec timing can definitely make an engine run rough, and if your points aren't opening then you might not be getting spark at all. Easy to check and could save some money.
Also, might be worth it to check the ohms across your coil. I would take that reading with a grain of salt, but if you get an alright reading for the coil maybe look elsewhere for a bit for the no spark issue.

If you manage to get spark back, get the timing system up to spec, and it still runs really rough then CERTAINLY check compression. Loss of oil and low compression would definitely make me think of burnt rings. Another thing to watch for is gasoline in the oil, which would mean a leak from the combustion chamber to either the oil pan or the valve train (or both).

Best of luck, I'm actually currently handling a pretty similar situation with the oil loss.

Looping back to this because I miss my bike.

Thank you for the tips, I'll look into checking my points as I don't know how to do that. I did a compression test and it seemed to come up fine (I don't remember the numbers off hand, but they were satisfactory). I'll drain some oil out too and see if there is gasoline in it.

Mahalo!

Glad to hear compression seems good. Make sure that the numbers are repeatable and that procedure was carried out properly.

As far as how to check your points, there is a service manual on this website in the saved files that should be able to give you a good walk through on your bike. Best of luck, and happy wrenching!