Hello, usual people here are talking about coolant in oil, but in my case it seems like it's the opposite, oil in coolant (see picture). Anybody had similar problems? Where to search for the cause, head gasket, water pump,..? Bike is 990 Adv 2007 with 47000km. Last service was done at 40000km and I didn't notice anything suspicious at that time, also the bike worked OK, but I did notice a bit of increased oil consuption. I'm just a hobby mechanic, so if you can help me with any suggestions where to start? Thankyou!
That looks very odd. If the pinkish stuff is the coolant than your oil is floating on the... bottom. Not likely. Why not pull the overflow bottle off and examine the contents more closely. Not sure what that might be but not likely oil. Do you check the oil the same way every time? The dealer may have only filled to the minimum and when you checked the oil it was lower that you would normally run it thus the appearance of increased oil consumption. I have the same bike and I notice that the oil level appears to vary a lot depending on engine heat and the angle of the bike even on the center stand. Good Luck Cheers
I found the oil being on the bottom also very odd, but couln't think of anything else and with low oil level I assumed it must be oil and somehow heavier than coolant... Yes, I'm aware that the oil level in oil tank varies very much. So I always check the oil as many suggested here on forum; 15 minute ride, 1 minute idle then check. I did the service on 40000km myself and filled the prescribed amount of oil. I will pull the overflow bottle off tommorow and try to find what the black stuff really is...
Does it move around if you shake the bike? On the 950 that suffered from casting sand in the cooling system the expansion bottle looked a little like that cause of the grayish casting sand, not as bad as that tho. 2 bolts and a hose, remove bottle and drain into a clear container to see better what is in it. If bike is cold undo radiator cap also and see if that is caked with grey goo? /Johan
Yes, it moves around if I shake the bike. Ok, I will dig into it tomorrow, thanks for the answers. After a quick search I didn't find anything useful, do 990s require any special coolant or the usual car stuff is OK?
As long as its compatible with aluminum you should be fine, most coolants these days are. Would change all of it, drain at pump, fill water and drain again if using a different brand, not sure if they are all based on the same stuff? /Johan
My 950 had the same problem, but the oil was floating on the top of the coolant. It had a pretty good head gasket leak once torn apart. Because its on the bottom, I doubt its oil. I'd guess you have a deteriorating coolant hose.
I second COXR650L - coolant hose deterioration I had the same issue in my tank, found even more when i washed out the rad.
I had the same problem at 30k . I changed the waterpump seal. I've been riding it for 10k now without any problems. Don't know if it was the case but it seams to have solved the problem.
