oil window clouded over

Hey all, it's been a while since I've been on.

Nice to be back and see all the new posters.

I have a couple of questions: my oil level site glass is cloudy. I just noticed it. This is a recent development.

what causes this and how do I fix it?

I know there were some posts on this before, but I could not find it when I used the search. Maybe I used the wrong key words?

Anyway, thanks for any and all help.

Dale:)

IowaKZ wrote:

... oil level site glass is cloudy... what causes this and how do I fix it? ... there were some posts on this before....

Here's a link to an earlier thread.

oil site glass

Good Luck!

Hi Dale,

Your clouded over sight glass is a result of starting up your bike and shutting it off before it's totally warmed up. This was less of a problem in the Pre-Unit days but today most motorcycles have increased their crankcase volumes to include the transmission, which are typically lubricated by engine oil. I'm here to tell you that your motorcycle is not warmed up till mile TEN at LEAST. If you doubt me, start your bike warm it up till it'll run without without the choke (enricher circuit)run a few miles and then drain enough oil to feel that it's still cold!!!!

What happens next is that you shut off your bike and the condensation has to to go somewhere. Milky oil is the result.

KZCSI

I have to agree with Bill. Condensation. If the sight glass is nasty, it could be dirty from the inside. If you are really bothered, buy a clutch cover gasket and a new sight glass. Drain the oil, remove the cover and pop the old sight glass out and install the new one using a bead of JB Weld. The alternative, is to remove the cover and cut off the metal mesh backing. It doesn't serve much purpose, near as I can tell and then wipe the thing out. Don't use any chemicals as the sight glass is plastic. If you have that much condensation, it ain't a bad idea to change the oil anyway. It does take the engine awhile after coming up to operating temp to burn off the condensation.

Guys, thanks for the quick response. I figured it was something like that. I usually ride my bike to work which is between 4 and 8 miles depending on the route I take. I didn't notice this before, however, I have ridden it in much colder weather this season so that might have increased the condensation somewhat.

I changed the oil and winterized it for now. When I did the oil change I added some sea foam. I looked at the other thread also. I'll see if it cleans up next spring.

I also have the valve seal work to do next spring. I can work on it then.

thanks again.

Dale

It's definitely water in the oil. You could try burning it off, but that has never worked for me. You changed the oil which is always a good idea but you're still likely to have this problem because the water and oil have mixed and absorbed into a coating that is a newly combined mixture with different chemical properties other than straight water, plus it is adhered to the insides and doesn't want to move freely with the rest of the oil. After you can change your oil, it continues to coat the insides. This is a viscous, sludgy, milky residue coating and the only indication you will ever get that there is a problem is a cloudy sightglass. You need something that displaces moisture to remedy this problem, however, it isn't advised to add any chemicals other than straight oil to the crankcase in these forums. However, Seafoam is great, just make sure you either use a small dose or change your oil RIGHT after a adding a healthy amount and taking the bike on a long, hot ride. I suppose there is no harm in letting the Seafoam sit in the crankcase over the winter. This stuff claims to work "instantly". This may work. But if it's used in a high enough concentration at a high enough operating temperature, it's pretty much guaranteed to work for this problem. Just be careful not to run the bike either too hot or too long with Seafoam because although it's a petroleum product, it thins the viscosity, lubricity and protection of engine oil. I've also had great luck with Ethos FR cleaning up that sightglass at 1 ounce per quart of oil.

The sightglass on my 650 was grunged up when I first got the bike 2 years ago. It looked VERY cloudy but I thought I'd live with it.....unless I needed a job for a rainy afternoon.
Of course the first thing I did was to drain the existing sludge and change the filter after a short warmup. In went fresh 10W40 Pennzoil and then I started the bike to check for leaks and let the filter soak up its share. Shut off the bike, check oil level and.....hey, what's happening with the sightglass ??? It's now half clean and half cloudy!! Hmmm.....well, top up the oil that the filter has absorbed and run again to watch the sight glass "cleaning" process. Damn....the oil pump (or whatever) was sending a nice jet of oil in the general direction of the sightglass and it was s-l-o-w-l-y dissolving the grunge on the glass. After a 3 hour ride that afternoon the glass was now totally clean!!!
This whole thing made me think that all of the interior of the engine might have that grunge on it, soooooo.....
that fresh oil only stayed in there for ~200 miles.....and the next change only went for ~1000 miles. I really should pull the sump plate off and wash it out properly but the oil seems to be cleaning the engine for me....slowly but surely. Ya gotta change your oil regularly anyhoo so I'm letting it do its thing with all its fancy detergents...
and it seems to be working.
My .02 worth...

This didn't work for me but it's definitely safer to go with the advice of H2RICK-there's nothing regrettable in changing your oil and having it automatically de-sludge the insides (if it works)

There is something potentially regrettable in adding too much Seafoam and having it cause premature engine wear (if you're not careful)

This is why I went with Ethos. It relieves the surface tension of fluids in addition to its gentle cleaning esters-in this case allowing a breakdown of larger complex compounds into smaller water molecules which can then evaporate easier out of the sludge mixture (through crankcase breather) It is the pesky chemical bond of engine oil and condensation which makes this type of clean-up difficult. The oil molecules try to trap the water molecules-preventing them from being evaporated. Also, this stuff is safe to keep permanently mixed with crankcase oil without having to perform oil changes sooner. 1 oz. per qt. Good luck.

IowaKZ wrote:

Guys, thanks for the quick response. I figured it was something like that. I usually ride my bike to work which is between 4 and 8 miles depending on the route I take. I didn't notice this before, however, I have ridden it in much colder weather this season so that might have increased the condensation somewhat.

I had a Dodge that got milky oil from a leak in the crankcase vent hose. Your engine probably has a hose up to the airfilter. If that is open it might let more cold air directly into the crankcase and increase condensation.

bountyhunter wrote:

I had a Dodge that got milky oil from a leak in the crankcase vent hose. Your engine probably has a hose up to the airfilter. If that is open it might let more cold air directly into the crankcase and increase condensation.

I think you're right bounty. Over this past summer I was using a clear tube on the crank case cover, and I could see the condensation build up inside the tube, not a small amount either. Scary.

Please keep in mind (especially you folks in humid climates)
that ANY engine ingests all that humidity in the intake air stream. That humidity is then actually condensed out of the air when the air is compressed in the cylinder on the compression stroke. This is known as super-saturation. It literally rains inside the cylinder.
On engine startup with a cold piston and cylinder all that condensed water has to go somewhere because it's not being evaporated by engine heat. Most goes out the exhaust port with the partially burned fuel.....but a certain amount finds its way past the rings and into the oil in the sump. As the engine warms up, the oil also warms up.....and then the oil starts to give up the entrained water as water vapour. This is what you see in your crankcase breather hose.
In extreme cases (missed oil changes, short haul riding, use of low-rent oil with very little water dispersant in it, etc) the amount of water entering the crankcase overwhelms the water dispersant in the oil and you will get actual liquid water in the sump.
Worst case is high humidity, cold ambient temps and short haul rides on an air cooled bike with old/crappy oil.
I've actually seen old air cooled VW engines in winter have 1 or 2 cups of liquid water come out of the sump FIRST when changing oil.