Hitchcocks Forum

Help , my 500 bullet is really smokey , Blavatsky oily deposit coming our of exhaust port around manifold , and now oil coming out of the head somewhere , could this be head gasket 'rings or something , will it hurt my wallet ,

What model 500 bullet?

Smokey all the time or just after it's started, or only under power, or just on the overrun?

Ok , first I thought wet sump , emptied that out and to be fair there was a lot in there , I was not leaving the bike in tdc , so could be my bad , started doing that now , seems to be smoking all the time , oily residue coming out around exhaust port in head and generally leaking around the head somewhere , I am starting to worry

As for model , not a clue , new to this scene

What year is it? There are a few bikes that are referred to as "500 bullet" these days and the engines are very different. I'm going to work on the assumption it's a "classic engine" Indian bullet with a seperate gearbox.

Yes, wet sumping is a definate consideration on the classic engines. If there was a "fair bit" of oil in the sump when you checked, it's possible that is still the issue. Should only be a dribble (30ml or so, a pub measure of spirit) when you remove the front-most drain bolt. One of the potential causes is a leaky quill-bolt seal (cork or neoprene depending on year) on the oil pump drive worm. If it's very leaky, it could be letting oil down there all the time. Maybe worth a check to see if there is still a "fair bit" of oil in the sump even if you're parking on compression?

Another thing I'd have a look at is the crankcase breather hoses. Make sure they aren't blocked. A blocked breather can pressurise the engine and make it leak from all sorts of orifices.

Don't panic about your wallet though. Head gaskets are about a tenner for a standard one and £15 for a composite one. Standard piston kits are in the region of £80

Brilliant, thanks for your advice

Worn exhaust valve guide?

Sorted , slight wet dumping now clears up by leaving tdc when parked , head gasket weeping , tightened up the bolts a presto
Thanks for all the messages though
A truly helpful forum