milky oil

[PaulSV]

I have a K7 650 and the engine oil keeps going milky, spoke to dealer and they said it could be down to the extreme cold weather, I use the bike every day for work 50 mile round trip in all weathers, but also when you look in the crank case breather part of the air box there is also milky gue in there aswell. There are no leaks anywhere and the water has no oil in either and the bike runs fine, and has been serviced using genuine parts, please help with any words of wisdom.

[Grinch]

Doesn't milky oil normally mean that water is getting to it? While you might not see a external leak it could be something inside and I'd be a touch concerned myself. So I think I'd avoid riding it until I get some more clear answers.

[Alpinestarhero]

I echo grinch's opinon there; if it was a 3 miles journey, I would expect milky oil...but 50 miles, it should be ok. Lets just make sure though, is the sight glass clean?

What oil do you use, and how long ago did you change both the oil and the filter?

May be worth flushing the engine out with some i.e. halfords oil, then putting in some good stuff

Matt

[Baph]

Yup, milky mayo is oil/water.

That could be condensation inside the engine (caused by either short runs, extreme cold weather, or a mix of both). Nothing to worry about in this case, but change the oil/filter to get rid of it.

Or it could be coolant leaking into the oil. Take the radiator cap off (when the engine is cold), if you have milk in there, worry, if you don't, don't. :)

[punyXpress]

As Baph says - condensation. Is the thermostat OK?

[PaulSV]

I have checked in the radiator and no oil in there. What temp should it be before the fan cuts in ?

[Baph]

I have checked in the radiator and no oil in there. What temp should it be before the fan cuts in ?

IIRC, my K6 gets to something around 105-107C before the fan starts. That only happens on really warm summer days when it's sat idling at lights etc.

[Luckypants]

I have checked in the radiator and no oil in there. What temp should it be before the fan cuts in ?

I think that PunyXepress was referring to the coolant thermostat, that opens when the engine gets warm to allow water to flow from the radiator to cool the engine, not the fan thermostatic switch.

If the coolant thermostat is stuck open, your bike might never get warm in the cold weather leading to the condensation folks are talking about. It should open about 50-60 degrees. With a cold bike, allow it warm up with your hand on the radiator. The radiator should feel cold until the thermostat opens and then get hot quite quickly, keep an eye on the temp gauge and see what it reaches before the rad gets hot - you may also notice the temp gauge drops a few degrees when the thermostat opens.

If the rad warms up gradually with the bike, the thermostat is stuck open and this may be why it never gets properly warm.

[Hardened Rider]

Nothing to worry about Paul.

I have a K6 and this winter I've had a lot of mayo, in the oil filler cap, quite a lot in the crankcase breather filter (of which I've decided to order a new one cause cleaning that is gonna be a pita), the sight glass has also been opaque. I do 100 mile round trip commute so this is not just down to short journeys. My coolant level was bang on, and it was clean. I'd say change the oil and filter, change the crankcase breather filter, the gases need to escape and the mayo is potentially blocking them causing additional pressure in the cylinders. Also take a look at the crankcase hoses for blockages (this is something I need to do). It might take a couple of oil changes before its completely gone.

[PaulSV]

Cheers for that, I'll get on and get those changed

[daveb]

Check out a thread a while back covering this. I have a K7 as well and had the same problem, 30 mile round commute every day and white gunk in the crank case and around the oil cap etc.
I went for a 100 mile blast one weekend and it totally cleared so all I can put it down to is the cold weather causing condensation and the commute not getting the engine warm enough.
I dropped the oil last week and it was totally fine, no milkyness whatsoever...
If your cooling system is fine i.e. no oil in the water then it is almost certainly just condensation due to the weather - I would suggest taking it for a decent run over the weekend and I recon this will get rid of your mayo :o)

D

[breakz187]

You need to use wide open throttle a little more!

Used to get this with old cars (pug 205) bought it off a mate that used to mince around in it all the time. After a week of ownership i resolved the problem. All the breather pipes would clog up with some nasty mayo/jizz like substance.