Exhaust ports

[stewgnu]

Alright fellas, in the midst of fettling for my mot, took the headers off and i noticed that the left exhaust port was bone white whilst the right hand port was pretty dark and has thick deposits.  Is this something to work out or an indication of an issue?

Ta

Stew

[Pressureangle]

My first thought is that your throttles are out of synch, and/or your injectors need cleaning. 

[stewgnu]

Ah right, well i’m setting valves, cleaning the butterflys + ports and balancing etc - i hadn’t thought to look at the injectors but i will do. Ta
Those torx holding the butterfly plates in are very soft aren’t they

[gstallons]

You leave those throttle plate mounting screws ALONE . 99.999 % of the time they are Loctited or staked in to discourage removal.

[Lucky Phil]

1 hour ago, stewgnu said:

Ah right, well i’m setting valves, cleaning the butterflys + ports and balancing etc - i hadn’t thought to look at the injectors but i will do. Ta
Those torx holding the butterfly plates in are very soft aren’t they

Why are you messing with them? I've had a few out for throttle body re bushing and new seals and they are staked in. You need to grind the tail of the screw to remove them. Never any need to touch them otherwise.

[stewgnu]

3 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Why are you messing with them? I've had a few out for throttle body re bushing and new seals and they are staked in. You need to grind the tail of the screw to remove them. Never any need to touch them otherwise.

70% Cleaning and 30% Curiosity.

I had loads of parts removed to identify an oil leak from the top of the engine, started cleaning everything, checking the loom etc etc.

It didn’t look like the po had ever cleaned the throttle bodies so they were pretty dirty.  Taking the plates out allowed me to really clean them and the ports properly.  

[Lucky Phil]

3 minutes ago, stewgnu said:

70% Cleaning and 30% Curiosity.

I had loads of parts removed to identify an oil leak from the top of the engine, started cleaning everything, checking the loom etc etc.

It didn’t look like the po had ever cleaned the throttle bodies so they were pretty dirty.  Taking the plates out allowed me to really clean them and the ports properly.  

Now you'll have an issue with damaged threads in the throttle shafts.

 

Phil

[stewgnu]

2 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Now you'll have an issue with damaged threads in the throttle shafts.

 

Phil

Ah.  Another mistake on my part!

At least i can add to my book: “Mistakes and Errors Made by Myself over the Years”.  It’s a roaring tale set over 10 luxurious volumes.

[gstallons]

I clean throttle plates/bores on vehicles ALL the time .  I get satisfactory results using carb cleaner , toothbrushes , small round wire brushes , small wire brushes , etc. 

 When I was a lot younger I thought I had to remove the throttle plates to get the job done. Not anymore.

[stewgnu]

13 minutes ago, gstallons said:

I clean throttle plates/bores on vehicles ALL the time .  I get satisfactory results using carb cleaner , toothbrushes , small round wire brushes , small wire brushes , etc. 

 When I was a lot younger I thought I had to remove the throttle plates to get the job done. Not anymore.

Well on my old v11 I did similar- I’d go in from either side with a solvent wipe wrapped around a wd40 nozzle, which kept them fine as i did it every year.  This bike was superficially clean but everything ‘underneath’ has required attention.

I’ve just checked the threads and they seem ok, maybe I got away with it somehow.  I’ll pop a dab of locktite on them anyway- don’t want them buggers flyin off into the pot harr!

[gstallons]

R & R the throttle plates is a critical process . You have to scribe their position with a pic or awl to make sure they are back in place PERFECTLY . I see no benefit in removing the throttle plate . 

 P.S. it is a free country , if you are attempting this the first time , I do not recommend it . 

[Lucky Phil]

4 hours ago, gstallons said:

R & R the throttle plates is a critical process . You have to scribe their position with a pic or awl to make sure they are back in place PERFECTLY . I see no benefit in removing the throttle plate . 

 P.S. it is a free country , if you are attempting this the first time , I do not recommend it . 

You don't really need to do this. You must keep the pates in the correct body and orientation upstream to downstream but when you install them you simply shut the throttle shaft hard with the plate loose and tap it a little to set the plate perfectly in the bore then tighten the screws. You need to clean up the screw threads and remove the staking and apply Loctite. I use blue and also mark the heads so I can check them from time to time.

Phil 

[80CX100]

Back to the OP's original post & info re the left exhaust port looking white.

Just thinking out loud,coming at the evidence from a different direction;

I'd be taking a real hard look at the exhaust gaskets,,, old ones mistakenly left in by POs (including me,lol) can cause sealing issues,,,,happens frequently,,,,,

Did the gaskets or headers show any other signs of exhaust leaks?

Were they well seated & tightened?

[stewgnu]

9 hours ago, 80CX100 said:

Back to the OP's original post & info re the left exhaust port looking white.

Just thinking out loud,coming at the evidence from a different direction;

I'd be taking a real hard look at the exhaust gaskets,,, old ones mistakenly left in by POs (including me,lol) can cause sealing issues,,,,happens frequently,,,,,

Did the gaskets or headers show any other signs of exhaust leaks?

Were they well seated & tightened?

yeah they are present, and look very ancient- if i remove them i may be cursed.

[stewgnu]

Hmmm it’s all going suspiciously smoothly now… manky old gaskets out, and then i found 4 spare gaskets kicking about the garage- 2 copper ones and 2 composite badgers… ace!