MV Agusta Forum banner

Water getting into Oil....Help.

8K views 56 replies 14 participants last post by  masterspin 
#1 ·
Hi.... its me again with another problem. :(



My bikes oil seems to be emulsified and its very milky. The oil... is 3 months old. i use it to go to work and back 5 times a day.. its a 2 mile trip each way.



i read somewhere that it might just be condensation.... but it seems a lot of white milky oil is present... and surely it cannot be just condensation... but a rather more serious problem of a possible coolant leaking into the oil sump?



what do i do here? water pump gasket? head gasket?



any help would be amazing.


Cheers.


Ersan.
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#5 ·
Well, first of all, how does the coolant level look? And the coolant itself. Oil in it?

Condensate to this level does not happen overnight. How long since the bike had its oil changed, ridden and when you noticed this condition - ie the time delta? What are the storage conditions? Ambient or outdoor storage creates condensation havoc with machines that sit.

Yes, you may have blown the head gasket but there are 20 things to check before you do a leak down/compression check. How do the plugs look? Is there water in the cylinders? Are there visible signs of coolant around the head gasket or headers? Anything coming out the pipes? Or in the pipes?
 
  • Like
Reactions: PTsalas and nigelrb
#9 ·
The oil is only 3 months old and so are the plugs. the bike sits outside my house not in a garage. and i live in Scotland. it gets pretty cold here and pretty rainy. when i park my bike after riding, there are small puddles of rainbow coloured liquid thats comcing out of the small pipes under the bike. i dont ever see them driping in person. but next day there is a small puddle. like 15 drops worth of a puddle size of rainbow coloured liquid.



i will try everything you guys have mentioned! and i highly appreciate it. i just need some time.. its such a bad time for me these days!
 
#6 ·
Further to what Rob mentioned above, the oil and water pump run on the same shaft on the 3 cylinder bikes and it is located in the oil sump so any leak of coolant at the pump will drain into the oil.

I would first check the compression as mentioned by Rob above to check for leaks on the head gasket. If all is okay with the head, then it could be an issue with the pump seals, drop the oil pan and inspect the pump seals for any water leaks.
 
#7 ·
Yes to all above.

And one more thing. DO NOT turn the engine over until you have removed the plugs. If you have enough water in the cyls, you may damage the rest of the engine since water is not compressible.
 
#8 ·
The water pump in the sump is a previously reported problem area. That is where I would head.

Besides a compression test (which likely would not reveal a cooling system problem) a cooling system pressure test is advisable. Automotive testers are readily available...just need to get the radiator cap adapter that fits. Like this one maybe?:

https://www.amazon.com/Terisass-Rad...90&hvtargid=aud-799728744414:pla-846715881821
 
#10 · (Edited)
You don't say if you have checked the coolant level and if any has "disappeared". If it is as it should be then you likely don't have a head gasket or waterpump problem.

The conditions the bike is being kept in wont help and the very short run nature of its use could lead to mayonnaise (condensation) forming in the engine. The oil will scarcely be warm after only two miles in winter weather. I don't think the oil cooler circuit has a thermostat.

The puddles you are seeing under the bike sound like water getting in around the fuel cap and finding its way in the well under the fuel cap and down the drain hoses to the ground taking a little spilt fuel residue with it.

If the oil is obviously cloudy it needs to be changed and any mayonnaise you can get to cleaned out, and then ride the thing as its makers intended!

I you do have to make short runs in winter try covering the oil cooler, that should help keep some heat in the engine. That CNC clutch cover is very trick but it should be double glazed.
 
#11 ·
Water is a significant by product of combustion - like 1:1 for a gallon of gas - so it is not unusual to see water in a tail pipe or as vapor coming out of same on a cold day. Nevertheless, @esq'z me has already advised that the water pump is an issue with these bikes so that is maybe the second or third thing to check - right after the coolant level and quality. But the storage conditions are just about the worst they could possibly be in this case and condensate could also be the issue.

I can also assure you that this kind of storage will cause further, perhaps unrelated issues and will ultimately be the demise of this motorcycle.
 
#12 ·
My two cents:

(This is another case, as are all cases, where it would be beneficial to have the bike model and year. Is this a 675 or an 800? Please add that to your signature line.)

1. Yes, the oil is emulsified and should be replaced. When you drain it, drain it to a container and let it sit to separate. You will be able to see how little water it takes to emulsify oil.

2. Your storage condition is unlikely to be the cause of this. Conversely, if you are one of those folks who likes to start a bike for very short periods of time "just to get things moving", then that can be a cause. IF you are going to start an engine, you need to ensure that the system is brought up to temperature and held there long enough to bring all fluid up to operating temperature and drive any condensation out. That takes time and is best done on a ride and not just sitting. There is also no good reason to do this while a bike is in storage.

3. Covering your oil cooler will do nothing to help. This is not a situation where you bike is running at a low temperature.

4. Ed's suggestion to check the water pump is a valid one. As stated, the pump lives in the oil sump. A small leak there will cause a big issue in a short time.

5. Look for the small easy fixes before tearing the top end of your engine apart.

Below is the parts diagram for the 675/800 triples oil and cooling system. Note the circles item is the water pump portion of the combined oil/water pump. There are many o-rings and seals that can leaks causing your condition. It is a "relatively" easy job to drop the oil pan and check the conditions.

Line art Auto part Diagram
 
#13 ·
Further to all this...head gasket leaks tend to push combustion gasses into the cooling system resulting in overheating, and if bad enough to let water into the engine will result in clouds of white smoke from the exhaust.

Riding a bike for 2 miles at a time never allows the oil to warm enough to evaporate moisture.

Should you find the coolant level is still normal and stays that way then you know your problem is just condensate. Check the coolant level...OK?? Go for a long ride.

If coolant level is low and dropping then go for the water/oil pump....much more likely source of problems then the head gasket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: silentservice703
#14 ·
?

Jeez, You folks make this complicated

Pressure test the cooling system.....test it at 0.1-0.2 bar over the cap rating
If it leaks down, but you don't see any external leaks?
It's internal:grin2:
Take some coolant to a mechanic that works on cars or trucks, they'll have a chemical to add
to the coolant that will show if combustion gasses are present.......No Gasses?
It's not the head gasket
It's the water pump seals:wink2:
 
#17 ·
Update guys,

so its only now i have managed to start work on the bike as Mv Agusta apparently had delays at their wearhouse on ordering parts...still havent gotten anything yet my parts should arrive next week... but i decided to remove the plugs....and ive ran into a bit of a problem, 2 out of 3 plugs came out no problem, and yes they were drenched in oil. The last plug.... wont come out, or rather.. the socket wont catch it... there seems to be a black bit of plastic around the plug.. i dont know where this came from, as the plugs are pretty much brand new, i replaced them only 4 months ago.

here are pictures of each of the plug holes. and you can see the difference on the 3rd one.

Any help would be appreciated!

thank you
 

Attachments

#19 ·
got it out, but it wasnt the coil end. it was weird rubber...but not sure where its from.. defo not from the coil as the coils ends looking normal as the rest of them. im thinking it would possibly be the inner rubber of a spark plug tool. how have i not noticed this when installing it, god knows. but its out now. i wonder if that hindered the bikes performance.
 
#21 ·
Just a thought on the pressures involved ... Oil pressures would normally be much higher than the pressure in the coolant system .. resulting in oil in the coolant, not the other way round if the leak is between oil-pump and water-pump.. or what am I missing here??

Oh, and -- don't leave an MV out in the rain in Scotland ... please... at least use a waterproof cover
 
#22 ·
Just a thought on the pressures involved ... Oil pressures would normally be much higher than the pressure in the coolant system .. resulting in oil in the coolant, not the other way round if the leak is between oil-pump and water-pump.. or what am I missing here??
The water pump in the sump is not subject to pressurized oil flow.
 
#25 ·
Easiest thing to do would be to drill the head off.

These are torx heads aren't they? You may be able to pound a hex key into the stripped head (the pounding with a hammer will also help loosen the threads).

If you can find a left hand drill bit (5 mm would be a good size) the screw may back out as you start to drill off the head.

Old mechanics have many tricks in their tool kit for this problem. No doubt theknurl will offer some of his.
 
  • Like
Reactions: x00m and EBBO
#26 ·
Hi Guys, so ive made some progress.. after a month of waiting for a new oil sump gasket... i think i have found some underlying issues with oil leaking onto the floor each time i park.

One of the bolts that holds the sump pan to the engine isnt actually there... well.. its there but the bolt head has snapped and i only know just noticed it.. that particular bolt isnt pressuring that part of the sump pan to the gasket...do you think that single snapped bolt would cause the bike to drip oil drop by drop ? id say one drop every 3-4 hours after riding, and over night there is about 4-5 drops of oil on the ground...

also, the sump pan is NOT an easy task to remove! i had to remove the entire exhaust system to be able to get the oil sump pan off.. odd.

now my next question is... upon removing the sump pan, the existing gasket had this medium hard rubbery smuge all over it... im guessing its some sort of sealant? do i need this sealant on the new gasket when i install it? if so.. what sealant do i use? or, can i just use the new gasket on its own? im pretty confused about that.

any advice would be much appreciated, i need my bike now, walking to work in the cold UK weather isnt easy... :(

cheers.

Ersan.
 
#27 ·
As a rule of thumb, gaskets should not have sealant applied.
Some people (myself included) will smear a very light coating of grease on the gasket to ease reuse if cover (sump in your case) is removed, and to hold it in place whilst installing the cover.
Yes, the single missing fastener head would allow a slight leak at that point in the gasket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: x00m
#28 ·
As a rule of thumb, gaskets should not have sealant applied.
Some people (myself included) will smear a very light coating of grease on the gasket to ease reuse if cover (sump in your case) is removed, and to hold it in place whilst installing the cover.
Yes, the single missing fastener head would allow a slight leak at that point in the gasket.
Okay awesome! that clears that one up! now my next obstacle is removing that headless bolt.. without using a welder... what do you reckon is the best way to get this off? ive tried pliers with not much luck if im being honest.

im so close... just need to clean it up and tidy some parts and my bike should be as good as new! :D
 
#29 ·
Which of these is the offending screw?

476021
 
#31 ·
That should just unscrew if you grab it with pliers...or is it broken of flush with the surface?
 
  • Like
Reactions: x00m and esq'z me
#33 ·
So now, i need some more help. i was told that removing the sump cover would allow for me to access the water pump to change its seals. but the water pump unit is quite high upinside the engine cover.. how do i get the seals changed?

Auto part Engine Vehicle Automotive engine part Car

476025

476026
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top