White Stuff In The Old Oil Harley Oil & Lubrication Discuss White Stuff In The Old Oil in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; I was helping a pal change the oil in his Evo the other day. And when we drained the oil there was a lot of white junk floating in it. ...

[Bargain Hunter]

I was helping a pal change the oil in his Evo the other day. And when we drained the oil there was a lot of white junk floating in it. Is this from water mixing in with the oil? What should we do other than change the oil more often?

[tommyglide]

Hi Bargain, I get that out of the crankcase vent on my Evo also. The manual suggests sloshing some kerosene around in the oil tank ocasionally to clean the gunk out of it.

[HarleyCruiser]

That is from taking short trips when it is humid and not letting the oil warm up enough to burn off the water.
Changing the oil more often helps, but better if you just go for longer rides.
This problem is especially bad now while it is cold.
I used to live five miles from work, the oil would get like that after a week.
Now that I live twenty miles from work don’t have that problem.
Worst thing you can do is go out and start the bike for thirty seconds once a week.
The bike sucks humid air into the crankcase through the breather.
The moisture can cause parts to rust inside the motor if it sits for long periods after it is in there.
Purist would change the oil as soon as they see it. Me I have just warmed up the bike enough to burn off the water (Take the long way home) and then changed it more often in the winter.
Oil in the water is pretty common, just need to keep an eye on it to keep it burnt off.

Originally Posted by Bargain Hunter

I was helping a pal change the oil in his Evo the other day. And when we drained the oil there was a lot of white junk floating in it. Is this from water mixing in with the oil? What should we do other than change the oil more often?

[47knuck]

Originally Posted by Bargain Hunter

I was helping a pal change the oil in his Evo the other day. And when we drained the oil there was a lot of white junk floating in it. Is this from water mixing in with the oil? What should we do other than change the oil more often?

Typically if you find white fluids or residue in your oil it is water contamination. This can be caused by a build up of condensation in the cases or engine of your Harley due to short rides. Another way for water to get in is through cracks or holes in the engine. Could by from water getting in the carb and working its way down the cylinders and into the cases. Or if the Harley engine is siting without the sparkplugs and moisture or water gets in that way.

Either way you don't want water or moisture in your Harley engine and you shoudld change the oil more often and look for possible causes for the water to get in your oil in the first place.

[unclepsycho]

Hay Bargain Hunter,

A couple quarts of gas is cheeper than a couple quarts of oil, so the best advise I read here is to ride it more often or longer to burn off the moisture in the oil. and if the weather is fowl, bring 'er in the house and listen to that sweet harley music. Let 'er roar fer a while while you give her a cleaning. To heck with the ole lady screaming at ya for brining it in the house, you are keep your baby healthy so you can take the ole lady out next spring.

good luck

oh yeah, ya might wanna leave a couple windows open so ya can keep fresh oxygen for you and your bike.

[BluesFan]

White stuff?

Fluid or semi solid?

Is it possible that very old oil was used? Old as in, been gathering dust for a few years?

Do a crackle test. Heat a pan to 300

From an article

* Maintain surface temperature on a hot plate of 300°F (135°C).
* Violently agitate oil sample (such as in a paint shaker) to achieve homogenous suspension of water in oil.
* Using a clean dropper, place a drop of oil on the hot plate.

If no crackling or vapor bubbles are produced after a few seconds, no free or emulsified water is present.

If very small bubbles (0.5 mm) are produced but disappear quickly, approximately 0.05 percent to 0.1 percent water is present.

If bubbles approximately 2 mm are produced, gather to center of oil spot, enlarge to about 4 mm, then disappear, approximately 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent water is present.

For moisture levels above 0.2 percent, bubbles may start out about 2 to 3 mm then grow to 4 mm, with the process repeating once or twice. For even higher moisture levels, violent bubbling and audible crackling may result.

The method is not quantitative. Hot plate temperatures above 300°F induce rapid scintillation that may be undetectable. The method does not measure the presence of chemically dissolved water. Different base stocks, viscosities and additives will exhibit varying results. Certain synthetics, such as esters, may not produce scintillation. Refrigerants and other low boiling-point suspensions may affect results. False positives are possible with entrained volatile solvents and gases.

Wearing protective eyewear and long sleeves is suggested, and the test should be performed in a well-ventilated area

Water PPM Appearance
0
Bright and clear
100
Trace of translucent haze
200
Slight translucent haze
250
Translucent haze
500
Opaque haze
1000
Opaque haze with slight water drop out