Funny colored oil

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swooshdave

swooshdave

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Funny colored oil


Went to change the oil and the last bits coming out were not a normal color. How long before this thing dies a horrible death?

Funny colored oil
 
You hit the bronze mine, looks like your cam bushes are on the way out unless there are other bronze bushes in the engine or the brass cage in the main bearings is failing. Other possibility is a bronze valve guide but doubt that would enter the oil but the combustion chamber instead.
 
swooshdave said:
Any way to check without splitting cases?
Click to expand...
You might be able to get an idea of the cam bushing by putting a dial indicator on the cam sprocket. Back off any tight valve adjusters so as to not load the cam against the bushing. Of course, that doesn't tell you about the left side, or the crank bearings. Anything beyond that will probably require a split.

Nathan
 
swooshdave said:
Any way to check without splitting cases?
Click to expand...
Sure, if you don't care about having it blow up.

That looks significant. Did you have any "special" parts in it that might be the cause?
 
the most likely places you would get bronze are the cam bushings and the intermediate gear bushing. I have never seen a superblend cage fail.

The motor I just finished rebuilding had the intermediate gear seized on the pinion shaft. The gear was turning on the stationary bushing and the oil was full of bronze. That sounds more likely than a cam bushing unless you are running an automatic cam chain tensioner or the chain was overtightened.

You should be able to find the problem by removing the side cover. If the intermediate gear bushing is good then I would back off the valve adjusters and check for play in the cam. Jim
 
Looks can be deceiving, did you run a magnet near or through the gold looking speckles?

If brass or bronze, could it be an oil pump churning up?
 
Dances with Shrapnel said:
Looks can be deceiving, did you run a magnet near or through the gold looking speckles?

If brass or bronze, could it be an oil pump churning up?
Click to expand...

The pumps do have the brass end plate.
 
Saw your comment on Facebook referring to the tray to make catching the draining oil easier, which I like. However I replied that the oil looks like metal flake paint and you relied it was because the oil was hot, honestly even hot oil should be clean. You have some serious metal contamination and it does look like bronze, have you checked with a magnet to see if there is ferrous material in there as well? Either way contamination like this means that all your engine internals are being ruined if not already badly damaged. When you find out the cause you will need to do a complete engine disassembly etc.
 
That doesn't look good Dave, but I'm not sure all is lost just yet.

I've seen similar in my race engines before, and not having time to strip the motor before the next race, I ran it. And again. And didn't strip it until the end of the season, whereupon there was still no really obvious cause.

I would do as Comnoz suggests and remove the timing cover and check the parts he suggests, along with the pump, this is only an afternoons work. You'll see if there are any issues that require further rectification. If there is no obvious issue, I would run it further, especially if there are no untoward noises when running.

I would suggest it a lot depends on your intended use. If you are about to campaign a full race season, or embark on a coast to coast tour, it needs stripping. If you only do short rides and club runs, it may well be fine until the end of the riding season.

Just out of curiosity, are you running a filter? If so it would be wise to cut it open and have a look inside. If not, you should definitely fit one!
 
Could be fine aluminum. The OP swooshdave never said it was bronze and oil can make aluminum metal flakes look funny :D

I have even seen hot drained motor oil with air entraining look like metal particles. Is it magnetic, is it brass, is it aluminum, is it gritty to the feel.

Really need more information.
 
Dave, this happened to me with my race motor not long after I had first built the motor.
Was doing an oil change after first days racing ready for the next day as the motor was fresh and new, drained the oil into a blue ice cream container and it looked like yours, all "brassy" especially as I rolled the so called brass bits across the bottom of the container.
Didnt race the next day, took it home pulled the filter out, nothing, pulled the motor down, still nothing.
Turned out the warm/hot oil had superfine air bubbles in it which look like brass fines on the blue back ground.
Hope yours in not any more sinister than that.
I missed a days racing and had to do a rebuild for no reason.
Regards Mike
 
If that is really metal particles it an awful lot...enough for multiple engines.

Not buying this one...must be April Fools joke :D
 
Imagine what that stuff could be doing to the crank journals, main bearings, cam & follower faces, rocker shafts, etc.

Saying you AREN'T going to split the cases would be the April Fool's joke.
 
Surely any entrained air has escaped by now, and it certainly doesn't settle in the bottom of the pan...
 
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