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Condensation on outside of engine

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Old 12-09-2014, 05:59 PM
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Default Condensation on outside of engine

The other day it got up to 62 degrees after being in the 30's for several days.
Anyway on the 62 degree day I opened the garage door to do some work on my car.
It was then I noticed moisture condensation on the chrome parts of the engine on my Fatboy.
I took my floor fan and turned it on to circulate the air in the garage and the condensation went away.
My concern is if there is anyway that this condensation can find it's way ( through a vent hose, throttle body etc.) into the engine, transmission or primary? I was surprised when I saw the condensation on the engine as I figured the engine would have been closer to room temp.
 

Last edited by Falcon195; 12-09-2014 at 06:13 PM.
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Old 12-09-2014, 06:07 PM
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Engine warms up slower than surrounding temperature. Warm moist air will condensate on cold objects.
It's physics, just like what forms on the outside a cold beverage glass.
You might want to run a dehumidifier in the garage.
 

Last edited by upflying; 12-09-2014 at 06:22 PM.
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Old 12-09-2014, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Falcon195
The other day it got up to 62 degrees after being in the 30's for several days.
Anyway on the 62 degree day I opened the garage door to do some work on my car.
It was then I noticed moisture condensation on the chrome parts of the engine on my Fatboy.
I took my floor fan and turned it on to circulate the air in the garage and the condensation went away.
My concern is if there is anyway that this condensation can find it's way ( through a vent hose, throttle body etc.) into the engine, transmission or primary? I was surprised when I saw the condensation on the engine as I figured the engine would have been closer to room temp.
This is really very common.

You mentioned that it has been cold for several days.
After several days of these cold temps, the contents of your garage (bike, cars, etc) also become "cold".

Now when the outside temps warm up, the inside of your garage is still on the cold side.
You then open the door and all that warmer air rushes in and "condenses" on the cold metal parts inside the garage.

You usually see this more often in the spring. Nice spring days after weeks of cold temps.
 
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Old 12-09-2014, 10:03 PM
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It's not likely that the condensation will get into the engine or tranny. Like Rollamo explained, the moist air condenses on the cold parts, but only on the outside. The moist air won't get into the engine/tranny to condense on the inside. No worries..........
 
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Old 12-09-2014, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by NO PCKL
It's not likely that the condensation will get into the engine or tranny. Like Rollamo explained, the moist air condenses on the cold parts, but only on the outside. The moist air won't get into the engine/tranny to condense on the inside. No worries..........
If it's vented, it's going to breathe. This is why we top off our gas tanks in the fall and check for engine and transmission oil contamination in the spring. And this is why people pay to store their bikes inside, or store them in places that aren't prone to condensation. I don't store my bikes in my garage in the winter any more.
 

Last edited by RK4ME; 12-10-2014 at 12:01 PM.
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Old 12-10-2014, 05:13 AM
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Brand name doesn't matter but is it the Roland Sands that has the clear cam cover? I watched a bike start up and warm up with this clear cover installed and rivulets of condensation rolled down the inside until warm.
 
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Old 12-10-2014, 10:48 AM
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YES, you can get moisture inside you M/T/P. If you ( read below)
That is why you'll read in here in many places about letting you bike run a bunch of times for a few mins during storage.. it doesn't get hot enough to evaporate the moisture that can build up inside.

also its why most will say to spray a film of WD-40 or equal on all chrome parts..
 

Last edited by oct1949; 12-10-2014 at 10:50 AM.
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Old 12-10-2014, 01:44 PM
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Just leave a fan circulating the air in the garage. Or move the bike into the house. Climate control or circulating air. This isn't rocket science.
 
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Old 12-10-2014, 01:57 PM
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Surely the insides of the motor , transmission and primary would always be covered by a film of oil and any trace of moisture would just evaporate away ?
 
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Old 12-10-2014, 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Fat Bey
Surely the insides of the motor , transmission and primary would always be covered by a film of oil and any trace of moisture would just evaporate away ?
Yes

And a reason why you shouldn't start a a bike (or car) just to let it idle for 10 - 15 minutes.
If your going to start the engine, make sure you run it until ALL fluids are completely up to normal operating temps.

What the OP described really isn't too much to worry about.
Now if the bike was going to be stored for 2 or 3 years like that, then you might want to have a different approach.
 


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