OP here. Dang, I didn't think y'all would be so interested in my stupidity. I'm really grateful for everyone's support, and restraint in bashing my derpitude.
I hope mrpeter comes back to supply all the gristly details,, yeah, a bit embarrassing, but but we're all big boys here (at least full grown). I mean, the fact that you were able to remove a head, fix it and get it back on correctly,,, more than many could do, just proves that this kind of stuff can happen to anyone. I also don't think you have damage to your motor, there would be signs when it was warming up, but the details of what happens when there is that much oil in our bikes would add to the knowledge base.
Thank you Pancho! I'm back to address all the unique comments you have contributed to my stroke of genius!
is you were using 10w-20 my question is why? 10w-40 is what bike calls for but I use 5w-40 with no issues, at least not so far. Others run 15w or 20w but 10w-40 is best I think since what mfg. calls for.
drain oil, then add new and exact amount should be 4 ounces (give or take a few ounces) shy of a full 4 quarts of oil. I tip cycle over to the right side a few minutes to drain another 3-4 ounces of oil out the drain plug and oil filter area. check OEM dipstick not screwed in with bike sitting level sitting on the seat and should read right at the upper mark on dipstick.
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but 10w-20 was the thickest that Costco carried, and somewhere (maybe here?) I read that someone just used the same stuff that their car used and it ran fine. I've been running that Mobil 1 full synthetic, changed every year with a new Purolator Pure One PL14610 filter for years, but the transmission shifting was very clunky sounding. I figured as long as I didn't use the green-label "MPG improving" oil I was fine, but then I read about the little circular label on the back that says "energy conserving"... So I made the switch to this Amazon Basics diesel oil in 10w40, which the bike actually calls for. Sounds lovely when it runs, and it's a good bit cheaper, and now shifting gears sounds MUCH closer to a "click" than a "KA-CHUNK". Project Farm on YouTube did a comparison of the two brands (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9DWGtXpYUc) so I trust it well enough.
I did drain the oil, collect it in a pan, and refill it to the proper level, with a level bike and the dipstick not screwed in.
I hope you mean in the middle of the flattened section at the bottom of the dipstick.
Yes, that is what I mean, lol! I'm stupid, but not THAT stupid.
My thoughts are when it was over filled, it pushed a lot of oil through the motor and loaded the mufflers with it. When the mufflers get hot would burn some of it off and cause the smoke. I would try to make a long run and get the mufflers hot and see if it burns off and stops smoking.
That's the first explanation I've heard that makes sense. I sure hope that's it! It's true that the smoke after running it the second time was a good bit less than the first, so this does sound plausible. Also, the smoke coming out both pipes when I only worked on one side points to this over my botching of the headgasket job. It also explains why it smokes only when it's hot, and not when it's cold. If engine oil was pushing past the pistons, it would smoke right away.
What happened to make you realize all the extra oil was in the motor mrpeter?
Time for more honesty: When I took the head off, I made sure to mark with some nail polish and a Sharpie Paint Pen the position of the timing belt on the cam wheel, so that I could put it back where it was, BECAUSE I'M SMART!
What I didn't do was mark the crank wheel
So when I put the head on, I was a bit nervous and lined up the belt just right on the cam wheel, but didn't notice that the now-slack timing belt had jumped a notch on the cam wheel. You can guess where this is going.
Our bikes are interference engines, but apparently, not interference enough to bend a valve when your timing is off by only one belt notch.
As soon as I started it up, I heard a loud ticking from the newly mounted head side, and although it was running, I knew something was wrong. I did let it run for a minute or so, thinking maybe oil needed to get over to that side or something since I had the head off, and then it hit me all at once: I had doubled the oil and oh man maybe I got the timing wrong!
I initially sucked the oil out of the dipstick hole using the sucker I usually use to pull/fill differential fluid, but then I realized how long I'd be doing it, so I just drained her.
Then I took the belt cover off again and quickly saw that the cam wheels were not aligned. After a few choice words, I had it adjusted correctly, put the cover back on, filled the oil correctly, and said a prayer to the gods of Honda. I also pulled the plugs from all three cylinders on that side, and had a look with my endoscopic camera to see if piston face looked like it had made contact with any valves.
It looked just fine, so I gave her a start. She ran fine and quiet like she should, so I thought I was home free.
Endoscopic camera link:
https://www.amazon.com/Depstech-Endoscope-Inspection-Megapixels-Smartphone/dp/B01MYTHWK4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=endoscopic+camera&qid=1557164295&s=gateway&sr=8-3I figured if I had bent the valves, there would be marks on the piston face, she wouldn't sound so lovely, and smoke would be coming out of just one side, not both like it has been... So I decided to omit that info to save what was left of my face. Thanks for prying that one out of me.
After all that,
here's the update you have all been waiting for:
I ran her for about 20 minutes this morning on my way to work after checking the oil level and coolant level (both are right where the should be). Sure enough, once she warmed up, she started smoking again, but not quite as much as before. It was so sunny this morning, the smoke got in front of me at a stoplight, and with the smoke being lit up like it was this time, I could clearly tell it was very light blue smoke from oil, and not from coolant.
After parking my bike the first time I rode it with all that smoke, I did notice the pipes continuing to smoke once the bike had stopped running. I am now fairly confident that Grumpy's assessment is the correct one, and will continue to ride and let that stuff burn off, of course, with updates to you fine folks.
EDITED to make the quotes look right.
EDIT TO ADD: All of your support and kindness in listening to my screwups is really moving to me. This kind of work (like taking a head off) is the kind of thing I used to do with my dad, who taught me everything I know about engines. He would keep me from making this kind of learning mistake when attempting projects that are over my head. If it isn't obvious, I've never taken a head off on my own before.
I lost my dad last year to a horrible year-long battle with brain cancer. Now I'm making these mistakes on my own and trying to learn from them without the guidance I once had. I'm very grateful for all of your knowledge and kindness while I bumble around and try to make my old girl run again. I also have the bike he used to ride ('82 NightHawk 450), which my wife now rides, and I hope to keep that old girl running long enough for our kids to learn on it like I did, with help from kind folks like yourselves.
