1998 Suzuki Savage noise at idle

[ABerns]

Hi, all -

a friend of mine recently got a 1998 Suzuki Savage 650 single-cylinder. It had been stored in a barn for several years and showed some wear. When I test rode it, I thought I heard some potential noise, but after it warmed up, it seemed to disappear.

Took it home, changed the oil with T6, and ran it again. The noise doesn't disappear when warm anymore. Here's a video of the bike at idle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txBAxgXLlwc

We also noticed the oil had some small metal flakes in it. Thoughts? Oil-related? Toasted engine?

Thanks!

 

[Robenstein]

Have the valve clearances checked. Its possible it was never done and they may need shimmed. These are generally noisey motors, especially when hot and idling they are known to tick a bit.

 

[ABerns]

I would bet money the valve clearances have never been checked, and it's on our list of things to do before riding it. Does this sound like valve clearances?

Is the T6 a good choice, or should I go with a thicker oil, like Mobil 1 V-Twin 20-50?

Edit: Just saw the Iowa connection, Robenstein. Cool!

 

[Robenstein]

There is a forum for these things and Rotella seems to be a very popular oil on the Suzuki Savage 650 forum. I always prefer synthetic personally, but regular Rotella or and HDEO with the Allison C6 wet clutch rating will probably work. If this thing is going to see more in town riding with less air coming across to cool it, a 20w50 may be a better choice. If you can find it, Brad Penn makes a nice cheap 20w50 moto oil. I almost bought one of these for my first bike. They are nice bikes on the used market for the cash.

On a single cylinder bike, having the valves check will be fast and cheap. Its worth the cash.

 

[ABerns]

Yeah, I actually posted this same video on SuzukiSavage.com. Great bunch of posters over there. Just only had one comment on the noise so far, so was looking to see if I could get more response here. I'll check cam chain and valve adjustment, hopefully this weekend, and post what was up.

 

[GoldwingGuy]

Does mot sound that bad, my Savage (a real mans bike) sounds a little better at idle. I keep the valves on the lose side, valve clearance gets tighter not loser over time. Valves have screw and nut adjustment. Could also be the cam chain and tensioner. I normally run a 15-50 or 20-50 oil in mine. If the idle mixture has not been richened up yet remove the cap from the idle mixture screw and turn this out a half turn or so. I put a #55 pilot and #150 main jet in mine, runs a lot better. Check the valves and make sure that they are within specification and just ride the thing. Don't worry about the backfire, it's a Savage

 

[Ken2]

Cam chain tensioners are a weak point in the Savage/S40 engines. You might check that.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1191167029

The valve adjusters are the screw type. An offset box end wrench is a help, as are skinny feeler gauges.

I prefer heavier oil in an air cooled engine, especially at temperatures of 90°F and above, and have no problem with 20W-50 down into temperate temps.

 

[ABerns]

Just an update - took a peek at the cam chain tensioner on the bike, and found this:

Hint: that's really messed up. The plunger is supposed to go inside the body piece, not form an L as they are doing now. Crazy!

 

[car54]

There's yer problem!

yeah, might wanna get that fixed =)