Hi today riding my bike 1990 cbr1000fl and when filling up with petrol also checked oil level which was lovely and clean and full then i decided to check coolant here i found the problem of oil in the coolant with the radiator cap of on reving the engine it shot out brown sludge I know on a car this normally signifies a blown head gasket but there doesnt appear to be any sludge or water in the engine oil and also the bike still fires up ok though i took the wise decision and called out the relay people to take my bike home incase it was to cause damage by riding it
can anyone please tell me
1.is there any other way for oil to contaminate the coolant system other than a blown head gasket
2. would anything else also cause the coolant to shoot out when the radiator cap is of and the engine reving (it doesnt on tickover)

hopefully as the bike seems to be running and starting up pretty much ok if the head gasket is the problem i have caught it in time before any serious damage

any comments would be greatly appreciated as on searching i saw some reference to water pump o rings and wasnt sure if this would cause problem

regards
colin

 

Before you panic, do a complete flush and refill on the coolant system.

It might just be neglect that you're seeing. It's a cheap enough place to start,
and will need to be done, anyway.

Then monitor the fluids to see if it re-occurs.

If it's either the head-gasket or the water-pump, it should be a 2-way migration.
As long as you keep a check on all of the fluids and keep them topped off,
short term, you should be ok.

Hope this helps, Ern

 

+1 on that.

 

might just be a water pump seal if you find it keeps coming back - as the
guys said don't sweat it just yet

 

many thanks for the advice i will try that and see what happens
regards
colin

 

Best of luck with that Colin,

keep us posted on the outcome.

Cheers, SB

 

update I flushed the system all out and ran it for a while but I now have creamy deposits in the oil as well , do i try water pump seal or oil cooler seals or does this mean the head gasket has gone ?

 

Normal next step here with a car engine would be radiator pressure loss test?

From memory, isn't the oil cooler a separate wee radiator not physically connected to the water radiator (therefore no migration opportunities in that area)?

 

If this has just recently happened then it's likely to be head gasket.
Oil pressure is far higher than in the cooling circuit so the first symptom will always be oil in the water. Once the head gasket starts breaking down it won't be long before you see water in the oil though, especially when the engine has been through a few heating/cooling cycles.
If you've got water in the oil, don't ride. Repair.
While you're at it, polish the exhaust ports if you have a day to spare. A most worth while task.
I hope for your sake Sprock is right. Much easier repair.

 

If you can, refill the radiator with distilled water - far less deposits in the cooling system that way. Anti freeze is also a good idea.

but I now have creamy deposits in the oil as well
Sad to say I think our HenryM ('allo matey !)has it spot on.
Head gasket.
Bad luck but you should have no other damage as you were careful.
Good luck.