Oil Contaminated after Rain

[ninja820]

Last night I got stuck in the rain and the bike stalled. It poured like cats and dogs. I couldn't get the bike running. I had to leave it and today had it towed to the house after no luck trying to get it started. I noticed the oil being discolored. Looks like coffee to me. I'm not sure if water got into the oil or gas. I'm hoping someone might know what got into the oil and if changing the oil will be enough to get the bike running again. I believe there is water in the carbs too and will try to drain it if I can get the two bolts unscrewed. They seemed to be stripped. Here is a picture of the oil after the massive rain the bike endured

[jstcallmeCT]

I got stuck in the rain today on the I95, luckinly i was right near my exit and as soon as I pulled up to my garage it stops raining Ill have to check it in the mornin . Hope all goes well @ninja820 this was my first time riding in the rain

[choneofakind]

Milky oil (like yours) is a sign of moisture in the oil. This can be coolant or plain old water. Judging by the massive rain you got caught in, I'm betting water. Change the oil, if it happens again without any rain, then you have a coolant leak. I bet it's just water from all the rain though.

As for water in the gas, remember that water is more dense than gas, so gas 'floats' on top of water. This means that any water in the gas will collect in your carb bowls (or your reserve tank (if you have a pregen, which has a reserve). Drain the fuel from the carb bowls via the drains on the bottom of the bowls. Them put the petcock on 'PRI' to fill the bowls with fresh gas, and attempt to start it.

Hope that helps. I bet you'll be alright with new oil and fresh fuel in the carb bowls. Make sure to not run the engine until you've changed the oil.

[lgk]

Do you have pod filters?

[ninja820]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Milky oil (like yours) is a sign of moisture in the oil. This can be coolant or plain old water. Judging by the massive rain you got caught in, I'm betting water. Change the oil, if it happens again without any rain, then you have a coolant leak. I bet it's just water from all the rain though.

As for water in the gas, remember that water is more dense than gas, so gas 'floats' on top of water. This means that any water in the gas will collect in your carb bowls (or your reserve tank (if you have a pregen, which has a reserve). Drain the fuel from the carb bowls via the drains on the bottom of the bowls. Them put the petcock on 'PRI' to fill the bowls with fresh gas, and attempt to start it.

Hope that helps. I bet you'll be alright with new oil and fresh fuel in the carb bowls. Make sure to not run the engine until you've changed the oil.

Thanks for the detailed response and advice! More than likely it is water in the oil. I don't think it's a coolant leak as I have been riding fine in hot weather and checked the coolant level the other day.

Do I need to change the oil filter too or am I alright with just changing the oil for now?

What would you recommend to do if the fuel bowl bolts are stripped?

[Asspire]

how did the water get in the oil??? bike details?

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by ninja820

Thanks for the detailed response and advice! More than likely it is water in the oil. I don't think it's a coolant leak as I have been riding fine in hot weather and checked the coolant level the other day.

Do I need to change the oil filter too or am I alright with just changing the oil for now?

What would you recommend to do if the fuel bowl bolts are stripped?

I would just replace the filter as well to be on the safe side.

what you can do is dremel a slot on the strip screw and use a flat head screwdriver.

another option is use some vice grips on the head of the and break her loose!

[choneofakind]

If the drain screws are stripped, that would suck. You'd have to remove the carbs and remove the bowls to drain them. (you'd also need to replace those drain screws. But the drain screws use a hex key to turn, so they shouldn't be stripped too easily.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by ninja820

..........What would you recommend to do if the fuel bowl bolts are stripped?

First, use a 2.5 mm Allen wrench in good condition, nothing "just close".

Connect a hose to each and drain into a glass container until any water in the tank is drained down.

Yes, change the oil filter and clean any water residue from inside the engine.

Find the way the rain found to flood the oil pan.

[ninja820]

Originally Posted by Motofool

First, use a 2.5 mm Allen wrench in good condition, nothing "just close".

Connect a hose to each and drain into a glass container until any water in the tank is drained down.

Yes, change the oil filter and clean any water residue from inside the engine.

Find the way the rain found to flood the oil pan.

I tried using 2.5 and it's not gripping to the screw

[ninja820]

I changed the oil but can't get the bolts off the carb to drain any fuel/water in there. Bike will still not start and makes this awful noise after a few seconds trying to crank the bike. Any idea what that could be?

[lgk]

Dead battery, and flooded motor?

[choneofakind]

Might be time to pull the carbs, slot the drain screws with a dremel, and replace them after draining the carbs.

[ninja820]

I got some good news! My brother in law helped me get the carburetor off and were able to unscrew the two bolts and drained the water that was in there. The bike started up after putting it back together and he rode it for a bit. Checked the oil and it was milky but not as bad as the first time I drained it. There is still water in the bike...can I use an air compressor and blow air through the oil drain and fill area to blow out the water?

[lgk]

Hopefully it just the leftover oil in the head.

Best thing to do to get rid of the water is simply let the motor warm up then change the oil again

If it gets worse you got issues

[Whiskey]

Get it up to a high temp for a while & it should boil off most of the water in the oil.

Go for a spin, then do some slow riding practise, it should have the temp high enough to clear the water out.

[Asspire]

running an engine with water in the oil is a good way to blow crank bearings....

[ninja820]

Update: I flushed the oil again and put seafoam along with a quart of oil. Rode for a bit and the oil looks clear. Should I flush it one more time and change the oil filter or just ride it for 2k miles and then do a complete oil change?

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by ninja820

Update: I flushed the oil again and put seafoam along with a quart of oil. Rode for a bit and the oil looks clear. Should I flush it one more time and change the oil filter or just ride it for 2k miles and then do a complete oil change?

NOOOOOO!!
Just keep flushing with oil. Ride a little bit, flush.

There is really no need for Seafoam or engine flush in a motorcycle engine, especially one with very little mileage like your. That type of treatment is usually reserved for an engine that have been sitting for years and the oil has started to turn to a tar like goop. Using Seafoam lowers/thins the viscosity of the oil.

Have a look at this thread and take heed. http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=140693

[Motofool]

Seafoam in oil for our bikes = No-no, .........that is for fuel only.

Drain that mix and use cheap non-synthetic oil for two or three more oil changes (I wouldn't replace the filter until the last change with good oil).

After each change, start the engine and let it get to normal operational temperature several times (do not let rpms' go high), so the whole oil system gets flushed with hot oil several times, but without putting too much load on the bearings.

Water will vaporize from any oil that reaches temperatures of 250~300 degrees in areas of the engine close to the head and exhaust. That is the importance of warming the engine up for a while. If riding is necessary for that, go slow and use lower gears preferentially.

More important, find the way the water entered the crankcase and fix that, so this will not happen again.
My bike has been under heavy storms for years, and water has never leaked into the engine: something is not right with yours.

[lgk]

My guess is your airbox is leaking.
Once the inside fills enough it could drain into the crankcase vent

[lgk]

Flush the seafoam out asap.
Its not good for the bearings

[ninja820]

Originally Posted by DaBlue1

NOOOOOO!!
Just keep flushing with oil. Ride a little bit, flush.

There is really no need for Seafoam or engine flush in a motorcycle engine, especially one with very little mileage like your. That type of treatment is usually reserved for an engine that have been sitting for years and the oil has started to turn to a tar like goop. Using Seafoam lowers/thins the viscosity of the oil.

Have a look at this thread and take heed. http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=140693

Thanks for the important info and advice. Also thanks for the link.

Originally Posted by Motofool

Seafoam in oil for our bikes = No-no, .........that is for fuel only.

Drain that mix and use cheap non-synthetic oil for two or three more oil changes (I wouldn't replace the filter until the last change with good oil).

After each change, start the engine and let it get to normal operational temperature several times (do not let rpms' go high), so the whole oil system gets flushed with hot oil several times, but without putting too much load on the bearings.

Water will vaporize from any oil that reaches temperatures of 250~300 degrees in areas of the engine close to the head and exhaust. That is the importance of warming the engine up for a while. If riding is necessary for that, go slow and use lower gears preferentially.

More important, find the way the water entered the crankcase and fix that, so this will not happen again.
My bike has been under heavy storms for years, and water has never leaked into the engine: something is not right with yours.

Thanks for the info and advice.

Originally Posted by lgk

My guess is your airbox is leaking.
Once the inside fills enough it could drain into the crankcase vent

Yea that's what I think so as well.

Originally Posted by lgk

Flush the seafoam out asap.
Its not good for the bearings

Thanks! I'm going to do it soon. I hope the whole can of seafoam hasn't done any damage to the bearings