Need help, one pipe smoking after the shimming

Hello everyone
Here is the problem: one day i decided to check the shims in my motorcycle ('81 xj650). All of them were fine so i did not change them (I did pull them out though), then i put everything back together, used some king of sealant for the head, i don't remember what it was but the guy at the advance auto parts told me that it was for that, and the bottle says that too.
Now, every time I start the bike left pipe smokes (white smoke), it varies sometimes smokes more sometimes less. In the beginning I thought maybe some oil got into the chamber but it's been quite a long time since I did the shimming and it's still the same. When the motorcycle gets hot smoking is not as visible but still is. Also smokes more when I rev the engine and when it comes back to idle.
Did this happen to any of you. What should I do. Please help

 

Is that Sealant dripping onto the Exhaust Pipe?

 

no, it's not. I used only a little bit.

 

i forgot to add: when the bike is really wormed up, smoking is almost gone. also, when I got the spark plugs out they were very dark.
BTW, what fuel grade do you use?

 

i doubt it's white smoke. it's probably grey, correct? wich means oil leaking past the valves. white smoke is indicative of water. (blown head gasktet).

smokes more when you rev the engine. oil is being sucked past the valve seals.

smokes more on deceleration, such as down a hill. oil is being sucked past the pistion rings.

 

here is the picture and link to video, so you can decide if it's white, gray or blue


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

 

grey smoke is oil.

black smoke is gas.

white smoke is steam from water. your bike isn't water cooled. so forget white smoke. or is it water cooled?

 

Looks like something went away. May have a burned piston/rings. Get yourself a leak down tester and check the condition of this engine.

MN

 

Thanks for your respond
it is air cooled.
Have watched the video?
I realize what each color means. for me it looks white. Don't you think so?
What would you suggest me to first? change the head gasket and see if it helps?

 

I think before you take head off you should do as much diagnosis as possible with out guessing. If you can find some one who has a leak down tester to check the condition of cylinder leak down. With this tool you can pretty much pin point the area you need to concentrate on.

Take your time and research what needs to be done before you take anything apart. Just my two cents

MN

 

Is it possible that cam chain isn't adjusted?
could it have something to do with the cam chain?
when I take the valve cover how much oil should I have in there?

 

MN-Maxims is right; something has "let go." Could be as simple as a valve stem seal (would involve pulling the head) or something more serious.

It's not related to the cam chain; nor to how much oil is in the cam galleries.

You need to diagnose the motor before just ripping away. Compression test and LEAK DOWN TESTER; you can probably borrow/rent one from your local auto parts store.

It will be much more difficult to figure out if you pull it apart first.

No quick fix for this one, sorry.

 

We had a bike up on the lift and found the leakdown tests on all four cylinders very helpful. We had one cylinder leaking around the rings and one cylinder leaking through an exhaust valve. So before we took it apart we knew what we were looking for. Sure enough the piston was scored on the one and the exhaust valve had carbon on the seat. Simple lap the valve in and inspect the head and that was good. So a hone job , re-ring and one piston and some gaskets. It should be on the road soon.

MN

 

thank you all for the responses and suggestions.

Looks like the problem has been solved and this is what was done:

The other day I took the valve cover off to check the clearance again. everything was fine just like before. I rotated the shims so that these small holes you have there were on the "side". Then I cleaned the cover and sealed it with quite plenty of that high temperature silicone and let it rest for a day. after that when I started the engine for the first time I had some smoke but then it disappeared and hasn't showed up again.