Water in oil after rain
 

I've only been caught in the rain once on the Hawk and it was a heavy rain that I rode about 3-4 miles in. The next day I checked my sight glass before my ride and it was nothing but milk on oil. I changed the oil immediately and it seems no worse for the wear but...... Is this thing safe to ride in the rain? I have no idea how it could have gotten wet in the engine.

Anyone else experience this problem?

shouldnt be any way for water to get to the oil. even if it sucked it in the intake it is just vaporized and sent out the exhaust

The engine is sealed up tight, rain water should have no way of getting into the engine. Check the dipstick plug and make sure it's closed up. Can't think of any other way water could've gotten in, unless the oil was contaminated. Change the oil and monitor it to see if the issue returns.

condensation...



..

I was just going to say..

My Storm glass fogs over during rainy days.

2 easiest routes for water to get in. 1. Already mentioned but the oil fill/dipstick not being sealed. 2. water got into the air box and made its way down the crankcase breather hose (or the hose has a hole in it somewhere).

I rode my last Hawk in more than one rain storm and never had a problem with water getting in. Others here have bravely gone through deep water without a problem.

It is possible that one of the side case gaskets is not sealed well, but if that were the case you should also see at least a slight film of oil from it seeping out.

I don't have any oil seepage anywhere and my airbox was bone dry. I'm really careful with things on this bike that's what's so confusing. Condensation seems to be the answer because it seemed like the milky white in the sight glass was "stuck" to the whole glass. It's not like it was clear and then I tilted the bike upright and say milky oil on the bottom half with the oil level, the whole thing was completely covered white on it's side stand.

So, it that normal? Is it just that there was so much moisture in the air that as the Hawk was taking in air it formed condensation in the crankcase? What do you guys do when you see that? I suppose if that's the case then firing it up and getting the engine warm again would drive it out but that makes me very nervous of course.

Do you have a PCV Valve installed on the engine yet?

There's no PCV valve that I've installed. I did the mod where I left the breather tube attached to the airbox and filled the triangular hole with a pot scrubber and capped it then opened up the low end of the airbox and attached a drain tube.

Condensation could be to blame. 3 or 4 miles isn't a very long run time, maybe not enough to get the oil/engine hot enough to vaporize condensation, especially if you aren't pushing the bike very hard. Combine in rain, which will keep the engine in a cool state longer, and you may have just had the perfect storm for severe condensation in the engine.

One practice I have always used whenever I ride any bike in the rain is to let it sit and run in a dry place for a couple to few minutes. This will help accelerate drying the bike, and in this case maybe have helped evaporate some moisture from the engine.

When you changed your oil, did water visibly separate?

I recommend that you put a PCV valve in that crank case breather line. The way it is set up from the factory, the crank case inhales and exhales every revolution. Highly humid air, like during rainy weather wants to condense in the crankcase until all of the engine reaches 147 degrees f. Not just the cylinder and piston, all of it. A correctly installed PCV valve speeds this process up by not permitting damp, cool air to be inhaled into the cases. The air coming into the cases past the rings is already heated and is very dry. I hope this makes sense to you. If not, I can go into this further...ARH:)

I didn't make my bike(s) a few ounces heavier for no reason :hehe:


Go ahead and try the Koolaid (PCV), it's good for you :lmao:

Yes that is correct: it is good for you. And for many reasons besides what I already described. Less crank case air pumping losses. Easier life for the seals in the engine. Less oil mist in the crank case. Less atmospheric pollutants admitted to the crank case...ARH :tup:

No problem. Thank you all. I understand what you are saying about the PCV. I assumed I really didn't need one because of the other mod but it makes more sense now to do it. Is there a certain one I need to get or is it just a matter of asking for one at an auto store that fits the hose?