just bought xj550 maxim majorly overfilled with oil ??

[russ777]

Hi all
just bought axj550 maxim when got it home and had a good look never should have passed mot (only 5 days ago not even 1 more mile on clock since) leaking brakes amongst other fails all of which i can put right.
however i ran it up after fetching with a van let it tick over for 15 mins approx has had oil on exhaust to burn it off (previous owner said hed replaced oil and filters once cleared i took it up and down rode test brakes etc went 300 yards each way pulled as brakes didnt feel right (they were leaking from 3 banjos !!) and the bike threw out approx a cup of oil though air fiilter.
left it over night next day check oil ..too much in there took out 2 ltrs to get level right !! should have had 2.2 ltrs in and had just over 4 ltrs in it
question is was this done deliberately to hide something ? also would it have damaged the engine, the oil that came out was fine, new and not frothy, not started back up yet to check as battery was flat
the bike also seemed to idle when warm fast at 2000 revs and when throttle was shut engine speed was slow to drop even though carbs were shutting fine and also gears became clonky and nuetral hard to find could these be to do with to much oil ?
all this on a bike that was supposed to be a good runner, brakes serviced and carbs ultrasoniced/rebuilt
thx for any help

[doggone]

You can cause damage by extreme over-filling, but since you had it running it's probably OK.
I suspect goof up by incompetence rather than trying to hide a rattle or something.
A bike I sold to a neighbour, freshly serviced he decided needed topping up and thought you were supposed to hill to the rim of the filler cap. It wouldn't even turn over on the starter.

The strange idling behaviour could be an air leak or could just need carbs balancing which is something that gets 'overlooked'.

[Robby]

Well it clearly needs a proper going-over. If the oil was overfilled and the brake banjos leaking, it suggests it was put together very quickly just before a booked MOT.

For the oil, I doubt that was to mask anything. More likely the previous owner forgot the drain the old oil before adding the new, and then didn't check if afterwards. It chucked some of the excess into the airbox, so you know the crankcase breather is working. I wouldn't expect any lasting damage.

Brake banjos could be leaking because the bolts were loose, or because the copper washers were re-used. I would fit some new copper washers and torque them up properly. Also possible that some of the washers are missing, if it was all done in a rush.

The revs returning slowly could be a number of things, but I would be looking for an air leak. 3 places to look, in order of difficulty:
1. Carb balancing ports. If the caps have been left off, you get an air leak.
2. Inlet rubbers loose, cracked, missing O-rings. Inspect and fix.
3. Throttle shaft seals. I don't know if this a problem on the XJ550, it was on the 650 with Hitachi carbs. The throttle shaft seals harden and wear with age, allowing the carbs to suck in air. Eliminate the other possibilities first, because this would a more involved job where you have to separate and dismantle the carbs, followed by a carb balance.

[A100man]

Did the oil smell of petrol when you drained it? These bikes have vacuum fuel taps but also a 'PRIME' (free-flow) setting. Often it is left on 'PRIME'. If you then have dirty/worn float needles or shrunken float needle o-rings the carbs will overflow fuel which can make it's way into a) the airbox and b) the motor sump.

If this is the cause of your 'overfill' it must be corrected before you start again..

Load of info on these machines at XJbikes.com..
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[russ777]

great thx for responses guys the oil was good fresh no fuel or contaminants so looks like a cock up on filling some how .
thx for other info i intend to go over it in detail to get runing right and safe bought it do use as a bobber project as i like to build/fabricate but wanted a running mot'd bike as i have a decent basic knowlege of mechanics but not vast have always serviced/maintained my own bikes brake replacement/clutch/bolt on/basic electrics etc done quite a few street fighters but had having a break for a few years fancied doing something different
thx again for the info cheers all

[A100man]