Oil's a little milky...

[eg78]

I know the first response here will be "head gasket" but my question is...

I had coolant issues a while back as you may know, I think I fixed them. About a month ago I put seafoam in the gas and oil as per the instructions on the can. I've driven upwards of 750KM or so with the seafoam in the oil. Thinking this was more than long enough with the stuff in my oil, I decided to change the oil today. In emptying the oil (mobil1 synthetic), I noticed a bit of a milky froth on top of it. My question is.... is it possible that this was caused by the seafoam? or is this really a bad head gasket that I'm looking at. I am also thinking this may be from old oil that was in the bottom of the pan already but I doubt that.

If it is the HG, wouldnt I be having other signs/issues? How does one go about fixing that?

Thanks!

[eg78]

Maybe just condensation cause I only warmed up the bike for 2-3 minutes before draining the oil?

[recumbentbob]

Change the oil and ride it for about a 1000 miles and change it again and see what you get.
it's milky again you got a problem.

[eg78]

Alright, well I got new oil in it, gonna get expensive with all these oil changes... I'll check it in a month

[radco]

I agree on the extra oil change, too bad you already changed with mobile 1 instead cheaper dino oil...but the milky oil is water for sure, possible your fill cap was loose and a slim maybe that's where it came from. FYI I never had a Milky foam using Sea Foam. Good luck hope it there is no problem .. PLEASE post after next oil change. FYI Drain that new oil in a CLEAN pan and you should be able to reuse it if it stays clean, A aluminum roasting pan fits under the Nomad :) Also you can pick up some cheap Paint filter and strain the oil through a few of those if you want to be extra carefull!

[cnc]

If your bike went through any cold temp swings during storage and or you started it you can pick up condensation in the oil. It may also be from the seafoam. If your coolant has now settled down and is not continually disappearing, I'd say you have no head gasket leakage, and besides judging by this forum it doesn't seem to be a common issue. Still, check your oil as suggested and monitor your coolant level is about all you can do.

[eg78]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll definitely be emptying the oil in 1000km and re-use it as radco suggested. I will let yall know what it looks like!

[radco]

Originally Posted by eg78

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll definitely be emptying the oil in 1000km and re-use it as radco suggested. I will let yall know what it looks like!

Looking forward to hearing good news when you recheck the oil :) Good luck

[jrecken]

I would take a sample of the oil you drained and send it to a lab for analysis because that milky stuff may be anti freeze.

[radco]

one thing I though of, If you have a heating supply company near by pick up a tube of water finding paste...it changes color when it hits water,, or u may find a heating guy that lets you have a dab or 2 ,,,

[vulcanscott]

You are seeing it with Your naked eye We are seeing a picture . But just a thought I have seen aerated foamy oil appear to look like that Picture . Like I say it is just a thought !

[Snake Ranch]

[QUOTE=eg78;659731]I know the first response here will be "head gasket" but my question is...

I had coolant issues a while back as you may know, I think I fixed them. About a month ago I put seafoam in the gas and oil as per the instructions on the can. I've driven upwards of 750KM or so with the seafoam in the oil. Thinking this was more than long enough with the stuff in my oil, I decided to change the oil today. In emptying the oil (mobil1 synthetic), I noticed a bit of a milky froth on top of it. My question is.... is it possible that this was caused by the seafoam? or is this really a bad head gasket that I'm looking at. I am also thinking this may be from old oil that was in the bottom of the pan already but I doubt that.

If it is the HG, wouldnt I be having other signs/issues? How does one go about fixing that?



Thanks![/QUOT


I have seen milky oil like this. On the automotive and Cat equipment the water pump has a weep hole for the coolant to leak out of and on to the ground so you can see it. The ceramic seal will have started going bad. If the weep hole is plugged up the coolant pressure will push the coolant past the oil seal on the engine side and into the crankcase oil.

One of the problems with antifreeze in the past is it has had a crystalline form kinda of like sugar but smaller and in the engine it can damage the bearings. It acts like dirt.

We used to use a chemical called "Butalselusolve". It is really bad stuff though. Had to wear rubber gloves, rubber apron and a respirator. I don't know if the anti-freeze of today has the same qualities or if you can buy the same chemical to neutralize the antifreeze. There may be something to replace it today.

The suggestion to take an oil sample is right on. It will tell you if the problem is antifreeze or condensation.

I would not run the engine a 1000 miles to see if it is still present, you could wipe out an engine if the problem is bad enough.

Hope this helps.

[eg78]

Well, I can confirm that the coolant issue is gone, my level hasn't changed in 400-500km, so I doubt it's coolant in the oil. I suspect it won't be milky when I check it again... the bike performs perfectly, I couldn't imagine there is anything major wrong with it. It sounds good, has lots of power and feels right.

Still.. I'll be checking the oil in another few 100 km and let yall know.

Cheers

[radco]

Originally Posted by eg78

Well, I can confirm that the coolant issue is gone, my level hasn't changed in 400-500km, so I doubt it's coolant in the oil. I suspect it won't be milky when I check it again... the bike performs perfectly, I couldn't imagine there is anything major wrong with it. It sounds good, has lots of power and feels right.

Still.. I'll be checking the oil in another few 100 km and let yall know.

Cheers

Great news hope it stay that way :)

[eg78]

Well... I haven't check the oil since, dine about 2000km so far on this tank. However I can confirm that my coolant problem is 100% fixed, haven't lost any so I'm happy about that, and the oil level hasn't changed either so that looks to be good. I suspect fixing the coolant issue may have addressed the milky oil... but I won't know until I change the oil... likely spring.

Bike is running well, rear can chain tensioner body seems to be leaking a very very small amount of oil, but nothing too concerning yet, I'll look at it over the winter. Probably a gasket...

That's my uneventful update.