Date: 28-03-24  Time: 11:43 am

Author Topic: help found oil in coolant  (Read 6509 times)

blueone69

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help found oil in coolant
« on: 01 April 2013, 07:15:28 pm »
hi guys its been a long time since ive posted in this site and not at all since ive rejoined , I have a small problem bike runs as sweet as a nut apart from using alittle oil ,shes done 27000 miles 2001 vintage  ,but today found oil in coolant ,now the question im dreading the answer too ,head gasket ? or possible be something else ?hope someone can shed some light on this ,regards simon
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red98

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #1 on: 01 April 2013, 07:47:52 pm »
depends on how much you have found.......could be condensation at this time of year,do you use the bike much in the winter ?
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blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #2 on: 01 April 2013, 07:55:18 pm »
 I was dreading  head gasket :'( that will be a few of my weekends taken care of !   :rolleyes  the oil in gearbox is fine
« Last Edit: 01 April 2013, 08:31:46 pm by blueone69 »
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red98

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #3 on: 01 April 2013, 07:58:19 pm »
maybe not....if its condensation a change of oil and a good run might solve the problem  ;)
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sadlonelygit

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #4 on: 01 April 2013, 08:01:11 pm »
oil in your coolant!!!! are you sure!!!!!!!
as the water system runs a far higher pressure, to get oil in your coolant probably means a fubar gasket or a possible failure of the waterpump impellor seal.
or is your oil a bit milky?
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blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #5 on: 01 April 2013, 08:01:50 pm »
I wish it was just that but theres rather a lot of it in the header tank ,im guessing head gasket !
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blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #6 on: 01 April 2013, 08:03:42 pm »
the oil is in big blobs floating in the header tank the sump oil is fine,its  not milky at all .
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blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #7 on: 01 April 2013, 08:18:04 pm »
right just had a look at therm, rad filler cap slightly milky under cap coolant is still green with minor oily film ,looked in the header tank ,erm is it meant to be green ? coz it aint its a nice murky oily black ,green shitty colour ! plenty of oil in there!
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kebab19

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #8 on: 01 April 2013, 08:38:55 pm »
Explore ALL other possibilities first, you'll be very unlucky if it has gone. Are there white coolant stains in around the collector box of the exhaust? There's a weephole in there somewhere....you may need a torch to check the nooks / crannies unless you take the pipes off.

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Only me & one other chap have had waterpump failure this side of the Atlantic. I had oil in residual cylinder head coolant and after a long ride no coolant in her at all - boiled dry! I suspect that the previous owner ran her for years with a radiator leak & kept topping up with water instead of proper coolant, which rotted the waterpump system.

On mine, I had to rebuild / replace it but fortunately was able to do it myself using the Clymer manual & the FZ01a site waterpump rebuild thread, which made it fairly easy. I also changed the head gasket as a precaution - allowed me to check all the valve clearances early too....

blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #9 on: 01 April 2013, 08:52:31 pm »
hi there, shes not losing coolant at all no stains or drips ,in fact just noticed the header tank level is about an  1/2 inch over full line she stone cold ,im lost on this one !
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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #10 on: 01 April 2013, 09:38:26 pm »
If the motor's running fine and not overheating, chances are the head gasket is fine.

I'd start by draining the coolant, flushing the system and refilling.  Clean out the header tank and see what happens next.  If you get more oil appearing, you've still got an issue somewhere.  If not, it's a mystery but one that isn't indicative of a real ongoing problem.

g5guzzi

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #11 on: 01 April 2013, 09:59:57 pm »
Oil could get into the cooling system via a leak inside the oil cooler.The cooler would need pressure testing to check this.
malc

blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #12 on: 01 April 2013, 10:06:36 pm »
oil cooler never thought of that one ! I will drain coolant flush refill see what happens ,might have a look see on ebay for another lump then rebuild the original motor if need be :o)
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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #13 on: 02 April 2013, 07:46:49 am »
Not beyond the realms of possibility that a previous owner has put oil in the header tank by mistake - it happens!
 
I am with Mike, drain and flush the cooling system and then see what develops. If oil reappears then further investigation will be needed, if not crack open a beer and say "Phew!".
 
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FazerRuss

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #14 on: 03 April 2013, 01:09:37 pm »
Afternoon

I think I must be missing something here....

How is it you've come to the conclusion there is actual engine oil in the coolant?

From what can see above, it's because you've seen an oily looking film on top of the coolant and because the coolant doesn't look spotlessly clean? :\

As has been mentioned above, the cooling system operates at high pressure, so would force coolant into your oil if a gasket or seal was gone - and if that was happening, you'd be seeling a LOT of emulsified oil, and/or a drop in coolant level and increase in oil level in the sight glass.

I think you're worrying over nothing personally, coolant always gets a bit skanky over time (hence flush and renew every once in a while is a good idea).  Coolant reservoirs also get mucky (no idea why, but they do).
« Last Edit: 03 April 2013, 01:13:34 pm by FazerRuss »

blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #15 on: 04 April 2013, 12:47:35 pm »
the header tank is full of oil the level has gone up the oil level down there is no coolant in oil only oil in coolant it used to be a nice healthy green colour ,the bike runs fine no over heating ,idles ok ,just cant figure out how the oil got in the header tank .I thought maybe head gasket , im lost on this one
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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #16 on: 04 April 2013, 02:31:31 pm »
I would start as said by drain, good flush and refill with fresh mix. see what happens.
head gaskit as others have said would be unlikely to cause what you describe without major other symptons to.

blueone69

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #17 on: 25 April 2013, 09:05:51 pm »
hi guys found problem ,shot seal in pump :) good news ignor haynes manual you can remove pump without removing clutch :) just take oil pump drive sproket off ,doddle bad news you have to replace mechanical water pump seal as well ,you have to wreck it getting to pump seal :) total £28 and a good few hours pulling apart :)
« Last Edit: 25 April 2013, 09:24:58 pm by blueone69 »
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Dave48

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #18 on: 26 April 2013, 03:04:56 am »
Isnt there a drain hole at base of oil cooler to allow oil/coolant to escape if a seal fails? Idea to check it isn't blocked?

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Re: help found oil in coolant
« Reply #19 on: 26 April 2013, 11:31:47 am »
Glad its sorted, and wasn't to costly. Not a common fault as far as I have seen. But at least it wasn't head gaskit :b