| Author |
Message |
    
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 09:38 am: | 
|
I've been riding the XT in a lot of cold weather ranging from teens to low 30's, so last night I peeked inside the swingarm and found some milky stuff. Anyone else experience this? It only takes me 5 min to get to work from home, but I try to go on a 30 min+ ride at least once a week to get the engine thoroughly warmed up. Guess it hasn't been working..
I'm changing the oil now, and if I don't find a specific problem I guess I'll quit riding it until the weather warms up a bit.
Up until a couple weeks ago I kept a rag stuffed in the oil cooler to try and keep oil temps up, but never looked at the oil while the rag was in so I don't know if taking it out is what caused oil temps to stay low and collect water. |
Florida_lime
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 09:51 am: |
|
Pretty common problem in the wintertime.
If the weather allows, go for a LONGER ride !  |
Swampy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 09:58 am: |
|
longer rides, change the oil more frequently |
Dr_greg
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:03 am: |
|
quote:...I peeked inside the swingarm and found some milky stuff...
Get out and wring that Uly's neck!!
I also have a short commute (10 min) in cool weather (20s) but I usually take weekend rides with enough, um, "spirit" to burn off the creamy paste (remember that?)
With some poor weather in January, I had three consecutive weekends without riding, and when I checked my engine oil...creamy paste! Never before found it in my engine oil. Yuck.
I made sure to set that Uly tach on about 5K for a few miles during the next ride...now nice and clean.
It is especially prevalent in the transmission oil (check the inside of your clutch cover), and was responsible for the corrosion of the needle bearing inside my clutch drum. I now change tranny oil every 5K miles along with the engine oil.
quote:...I guess I'll quit riding it until the weather warms up a bit...
Nooo! Just ride it good and hard on the weekends. Man, I couldn't quit riding...that's the only thing that keeps me sane.
--Doc |
Blasterd
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:21 am: |
|
me too Dr Greg.... |
Larryjohn
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:45 am: |
|
+1 to what others have said. I have really short commutes (home to office then visits to client sites). No trips are more than 5 minutes each way. I just make sure I take long weekend rides during the colder seasons (that I ride). This cleared up the milk issue for me. |
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:57 am: |
|
.....again.....(and it seems I post this in a thread a week these days - can we make it a sticky or something??) - getting it up *to* operating temperature doesn't do a damned thing. You have to KEEP it at operating temperature long enough for the moisture to burn off. One 30 minute ride a week...only keeps you from making more moisture on *that* particular ride, it doesn't undo the moisture from earlier in the week.
30 minutes is an all-the-time rule to try and keep it from making MORE moisture.
If you've already GOT moisture, it will take much longer to get rid of it.
On my '06, I've covered the RSS and the LSS about 75% each (leaving a little bit of airflow), and left the oil cooler open. Even on short rides (15 minutes) on the highway in 20 degree weather...my fan comes on, and I have a small ring of milk on my dipstick. That's all.
GET it hot to keep from building up more moisture.
KEEP it hot to burn off the moisture that's already in there. |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:59 am: |
|
Looks to me like you got a cracked head or block and your antifreeze is getting in there. Hmmmmm, not good.
Maybe you can process that stuff into cheese and sell it! |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:01 am: |
|
I change oil every 2k and tranny every 4k (yes it's overkill) But still don't want that stuff to collect between changes.
The thing that baffles me is I've been getting quite a bit of water out of the catch can too, which is why I haven't worried about checking the condition of the oil real often. |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:07 am: |
|
Speaking of the fan, Ratbuell, once the engine warms up mine stays on all the time. I've attributed it to the fact that the engine just now has 2k miles on it and is still breaking in - am I mistaken? By all the time I mean it will be running after cruising 70 mph on the slab in 20* weather with no rags blocking airflow in any scoop or cooler.
This XB thing is new to me, I'm used to taking care of a tuber, which most of the time means ignoring little squeaks, minor vibrations, and other random tuber eccentricities. You know the whole "if it ain't broke don't fix it" thing.. |
Ronmold
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:32 am: |
|
"Looks to me like you got a cracked head or block and your antifreeze is getting in there. Hmmmmm, not good. "
Hey, I thought Uly antifreeze was "Old No. 7"! |
Rotorhead
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:42 am: |
|
You may want to block the air from letting the oil cooler work as well as it does. A shop rag shoved in there works well for me. Keeps the temps up in below freezing temps. |
Bosh
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:50 am: |
|
"Maybe you can process that stuff into cheese and sell it"
Or just add a couple shots of espresso  |
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 12:39 pm: |
|
My fan ran pretty constantly too ('06) until I put on the comfort kit (hardware only, no software update for a pre-08). Thing is, the fan is run by a sensor tucked up on the top of the rear head - a spot with the LEAST airflow. I used to actually get MORE fan run-time when I was on the highway than I would on the back roads - guess all that air at highway speeds made a 'pocket' of sorts. I dunno. My rule is, as long as the fan sounds good (no bearing rattle or screech)...leave it be. Main reason I did the comfort kit is longevity - if I keep the engine as cool as possible it should last me longer 
And, with the kit installed...I go days at a time wondering if my fan still works. Then I'll do something to make it kick on, like letting it idle for 5 minutes before shutting it off - that usually does it, and all is well in fan-land. |
Dentguy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 04:09 pm: |
|
Hey, I thought Uly antifreeze was "Old No. 7"!
That's the riders antifreeze. Have enough of it and you won't worry about any "milky stuff" in the Uly.  |
Oddball
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 05:03 pm: |
|
Lactating Uly. Guess they have been breeding. |
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 05:42 pm: |
|
Burned all the water out of mine today. It was a balmy 35 degrees (smokin' hot around here these days!), sunny, and even though most roads still have 8' or taller plow-banks on the shoulders, the surfaces tend to be fairly dry. And as warm as pavement was today, anything wet was actually wet - not frozen. So...up I suited, and out I went!
Best feeling 100 miles I've done in a LONG time |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 07:43 pm: |
|
Those 8' snow banks make for kinder, gentler guard rails! Well, at least if they are not of frozen solid slush. |
Ourdee
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 08:26 pm: |
|
I finally got out and road today. then dumped both oil holes and put some new in. |
Swampy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 09:33 pm: |
|
Dr Gregs primary cover looks like someone may have washed too much around the transmission vent tube opening. |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 10:20 pm: |
|
I've got the RSS, airflow covers, and ECM flash all installed from the comfort kit, but not the plastic shroud around the shock. Since purchasing the XT in October I haven't minded or noticed any uncomfortable heat under my seat or anywhere else. I just installed the pieces that help cool the engine and will keep the shroud handy in case I change my mind when the weather warms up. |
Parker16
| | Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 11:51 pm: |
|
In engine testing the "granny cycle" is the worst. As posted above, getting the engine to operating temperature - and keeping it there long enough to burn off the condensation is the key. The moisture is typically condensation. The 5 - 10 minute ride and cool, then another 5 - 10 minute ride and cool is tough on an engine and lubricant. This is where the term granny cycle came from; run to the corner for milk and then home - repeat often. |
Natexlh1000
| | Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 08:41 am: |
|
Last year, my uly crapped out its clutch bearing due to water contamination.
This was during the summer but there was a lot of rain.
I'm still not sure what the hell happened.
My 1979 ironhead sucked pretty bad in terms of reliability but that's one thing it never did.
My 2000 X1 never did that either.
I have driven all roughly the same way all along.
Design flaw with the XB platform?
Perhaps that newfangled formula + oil likes water? |
Dentguy
| | Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 09:09 am: |
|
Natexlh1000,
You could have gotten water in through the clutch cable. It can get in through the adjuster that's in the cable. |
Dr_greg
| | Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 09:28 am: |
|
quote:The 5 - 10 minute ride and cool, then another 5 - 10 minute ride and cool is tough on an engine and lubricant. This is where the term granny cycle came from; run to the corner for milk and then home - repeat often.
Yeah, but I ain't movin' farther away from work just so I can burn off the water! I hate long commutes.
--"Grandpa" (I wish) Doc |
Swampy
| | Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 09:57 am: |
|
Just make sure your vent tube is pointing down and change out your oils more frequently(whatever that might be)
Maybe a heating pad to keep it warm between rides? |
|
