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bikesnbones
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 03 Aug 2014
Posts: 74
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 Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 2:25 pm Post subject: Oil in water |
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K1100LT
I found some oil settled in the bottom of my expansion tank.
Removed it, poured the contents into a jar for a closer look, and yep, definitely oil.
Blown head gasket ?
PS
No overheating, bike running fine, and no sign of cross contamination in oil. |
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Grunter
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 30 Sep 2015
Posts: 369
Location: North East England
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 4:59 pm Post subject: Oil in water |
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There is a chance that the seals on the oil/water pump may be responsible. I always look for the easiest repair job first, before delving deeper.
If you have access to a compression tester you could check the cylinders and one that was lower than the others may also be a pointer.
Of course it may have been there for some time and nothing to do with either places. However if it is at the bottom of the expansion tank it will not be oil! Oil is lighter than water/coolant and will float at the top.
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1997 K1100LT
1994 R1100RS
Last edited by Grunter on Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bikesnbones
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 03 Aug 2014
Posts: 74
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 6:46 pm Post subject: Re: Oil in water |
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| Grunter wrote: | | Of course it may have been there for some time and nothing to do with either places. However if it is at the bottom of the expansion tank it will not be oil! Oil is lighter than water/coolant and will float at the top. |
Yes of course you are right.
When I poured it out and got some of the brown liquid on my fingers, it definitely had the consistency of oil, but as you say, it couldn't be if it was right down at the bottom.
There was nothing floating around near the top.
It was like a brown coloured sludge stuck to the bottom of my coolant expansion tank.
So that's weird.
What is my coolant contaminated with.
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N41EF
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 406
Location: Aiken, SC
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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When was the last time you cleaned it out? Changed the coolant? Considering the tank hold 20 or so ounces, how much goo was in there? Enough to see in the site gage?
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2014 R1200RT Water Cooled
2001 R1100S Light
1993 K1100LT. Nissan Ice Blue.(Gone) |
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Flying Duck
PsyKotic Waterfowl
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
Location: Bumf***, WA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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VERY uncommon for head gaskets to go on these bikes unless you REALLY ride the hell out of them.
If there is an oil/water leak then the usual suspect is seals going bad in the oil/water pump.
Check the sight glass for frothiness in the oil sight glass right at the end of a ride. Also check the weep hole on the oil/water pump.
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Last edited by Flying Duck on Thu Apr 07, 2016 10:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
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SugarHillCTD
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Oct 2007
Posts: 4238
Location: Now in Eastern Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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My thoughts exactly Drake.
Water/oil pump seal leak
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bikesnbones
Big Brick Rider
Joined: 03 Aug 2014
Posts: 74
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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| N41EF wrote: | | When was the last time you cleaned it out? Changed the coolant? Considering the tank hold 20 or so ounces, how much goo was in there? Enough to see in the site gage? |
There was brown goo sitting in a small area at the bottom of the expansion tank.
Not much, but the colour made me think it was oil.
Anyway thanks guys.
I've got the contents of the expansion tank in a glass jar at the moment, and the brown residue I thought was oil is sitting firmly at the bottom about 2mm, with clear coolant liquid 5 inches above, so it can't be oil.
As was wisely pointed out, oil is lighter than water, so would be sitting at the top of the jar.
When I shake it up, it falls straight back to the bottom in seconds.
Goodness knows what it is, but I'm happier now.
There is no sign of cross contamination in oil either. |
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Grunter
Flying Brick Rider
Joined: 30 Sep 2015
Posts: 369
Location: North East England
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| Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 4:49 pm Post subject: Brown Sludge |
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I think I may know what it is.
If it is anything like the brown residue which came out when I changed the coolant in my cars engine last week, it is largely made up from very fine iron particles. I still have it in the garage stored ready for me to dispose of it. I dropped a magnet into the coolant attached to a piece of cord and it came out with quite a bit of the sludge stuck to it. It wouldn't wash off and had to be wiped.
This'sludge' is perfectly normal with internal combustion engines, although with alloy engines like the K1100 and my car they won't make as much as a cast iron motor.
I have just thought if it is starting to accumulate, it may be time to change the coolant, but before replacing it, after draining, if you reverse flush the cooling system with plain water from a hose this will clear most of the gunge out.
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1997 K1100LT
1994 R1100RS |
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