New oil turning black?

Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Oil turning "brown
Originally Posted by dgunay
After few miles, new oil was dark brown. Is this a normal thing with wet clutch motorcycles?


Dan... oil turning brown after a few miles could be moisture contamination...

Leaky Head Gasket Check...

You can visual inspect for a leaking head gasket by pulling the spark
plugs and peering down each hole... if the top of the piston is black
then no leak that cylinder... if the top of the piston is a bright
shiny aluminum then leak detected... because a leaky head gasket
allows coolant in and that produces steam under the heat of
combustion... the net effect is a super clean piston dome and no nasty
black...


Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
An easier way to check for coolant leaks is to watch the coolant reservoir tank level closely - ie, check when completely cold to get a consistent level reading..


Thanks for the input guys,

I've checked reservoir level when it's cold. It is in between the middle and low mark. When it was brand new 2 years ago, it was just a bit below the middle mark. I've never added coolant. Does that mean that there is a coolant leak, or just evaporation at 6.5k miles? I have an aftermarket exhaust with no cat, and I didn't see any white smoke coming out of it.

I have plenty of Honda blue coolant which I can top it off if it goes down to low mark, but I really don't think it is going to happen anytime soon.
 
Originally Posted by dgunay
Thanks for the input guys,

I've checked reservoir level when it's cold. It is in between the middle and low mark. When it was brand new 2 years ago, it was just a bit below the middle mark. I've never added coolant. Does that mean that there is a coolant leak, or just evaporation at 6.5k miles? I have an aftermarket exhaust with no cat, and I didn't see any white smoke coming out of it.

I have plenty of Honda blue coolant which I can top it off if it goes down to low mark, but I really don't think it is going to happen anytime soon.


If it's been 2 years, then probably just some slight evaporation over 2 years time. Just take note of where the level is now, and watch for any noticable cold coolant level change.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by dgunay
Thanks for the input guys,

I've checked reservoir level when it's cold. It is in between the middle and low mark. When it was brand new 2 years ago, it was just a bit below the middle mark. I've never added coolant. Does that mean that there is a coolant leak, or just evaporation at 6.5k miles? I have an aftermarket exhaust with no cat, and I didn't see any white smoke coming out of it.

I have plenty of Honda blue coolant which I can top it off if it goes down to low mark, but I really don't think it is going to happen anytime soon.


If it's been 2 years, then probably just some slight evaporation over 2 years time. Just take note of where the level is now, and watch for any noticable cold coolant level change.


Thanks. I will keep an eye on it.

In the mean time I will switch back to motorcycle oil next few OCI to see if Rotella causes this.
 
Originally Posted by philipp10
Color doesn't matter. Take some on your finger and feel it. Does it feel sheared or still like new oil? That's what is important.


What does sheared oil feels like versus new oil? I'm gathering you feel some type of difference in texture as you rub it between your fingers?
 
Son of Joe used to go ballistic over permanent shear … like what, ruptured molecules ?

I think the two impacted sectors are seeing more damage from fuel dilution myself …
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
Son of Joe used to go ballistic over permanent shear … like what, ruptured molecules ?

I think the two impacted sectors are seeing more damage from fuel dilution myself …


Shear down is caused by broken down VII additives (ie, physically broken into smaller pieces).

The shared sump in motorcycles is a shearing machine.
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
Motorcycles ? So what


We are talking about motorcycles here in the motorcycle forum. Shared sump motorcycles shear oil more than a passenger car engine. You don't believe that?
 
Originally Posted by Bonz
Maybe someone lost their way and wandered over here?


That happens when there is no security at the back door...
 
Originally Posted by Bonz
I'm still trying to understand how someone can feel that oil has sheared by running it between their fingers...


Me too ...
whistle.gif
 
Me three... I think finger shear is tantamount to shift quality because it refers to judgment shaped by personal opinions and feelings instead of actual outside influences... in other words done in a blind test it will show that humans are easily fooled...
 
Last edited:
Nah, shift quality is shift quality. When it goes away, it goes away. That has quite a bit of the documentation and real-world experience versus rubbing oil between the fingers.

Kind of like perception vs reality.
 
Mercy Bonz what documentation???

I love it when someone repeats a word twice in a sentence, you can say anything with a load of confidence. "shift quality is shift quality. When it goes away, it goes away." "It is what it is." "Business is business." "Rules are rules." "Deal's a deal." "whatever happens, happens."
 
I think Bonz means go by the feel of the shift lever, not by the feel of oil between your fingers, lol.
 
BLS uses the word tantamount which is a big word for something being compared to another as equal.

I believe his implication is shift quality "analysis" is like feeling oil has sheared using your fingers. As he states it is based on opinions and feelings and not outward influences, and if done in a blind test some people would be fooled that shift quality wasn't falling off, that it was all in your mind. With that said, I would be open to further clarification if I missed the mark on that.

As for my deliberate use and choice of words, I take literary license with the English language and hate to see it go to waste I guess?

Apologies, my posts may not meet or exceed your language expectations. Cut and paste left my repertoire a long time ago.

There I go again, using big words and showing confidence. How dare me...
lol.gif
 
Motorcycle engines, especially those that have a shared sump with a centrifugal clutch and are air-cooled can shear oil much quicker than a passenger car.
 
Copy that, my 1980 XS1100 chewed through oil in about 2,500 miles between the blow by contamination, hot temps and gears. As well the XS1100 Special is geared pretty short so at 60 miles per hour it's turning about 4,000 RPM. For a big engine that's turning pretty good.

Yamaha had it figured out when they recommended a 2,500 mile oci back in the day. Never ran synthetic since in my estimation the contamination factor is always there no matter what oil you choose, and doesn't make sense when it comes to the price. 15w40 or 20w50 conventional and it will live on that forever.

Modern liquid cooled engines with much tighter tolerances keep the oil cleaner a lot longer and that's where the synthetic comes in when you go to 5,000 or 6,000 miles on an oci and shift quality remains constant throughout.
 
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