Water in trans??
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,280
Likes: 2
From: Matthews, NC
Water in trans??
Just changed my oils today. It had HD oil in it. Redline shockproof in trans now.
When I drained the old oil out of my trans it had that milky, froth like appearance. Anyone else come across this? If so... what did you do to prevent it?
When I drained the old oil out of my trans it had that milky, froth like appearance. Anyone else come across this? If so... what did you do to prevent it?
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 696
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte
RE: Water in trans??
Lee,
Water in any gearbox is bad news. Even though you have changed the fluid there is probably still some water in there. It needs to be flushed out. Maybe you can do this with a couple of fluid changes between some riding but I would watch it closely.
I've had this problem on a tractor in the past and I was told to replace the hydraulic oil with kerosene and run it enough to get it to circulate and then replaceto the original fluid. The kerosene mixes with the water easily and makes it much easier to flush out. I doubt you will find that in any service manual but it did displace the water and clean it out very well.
You may need an old schooler to help answer this for ya, maybe Ben at Ben's V-Twins?
Your bike is too cool to have anything happen to it. Find that source of water penetration and get that baby straightened out. You don't want anything seizing up while cruising down the road.
Water in any gearbox is bad news. Even though you have changed the fluid there is probably still some water in there. It needs to be flushed out. Maybe you can do this with a couple of fluid changes between some riding but I would watch it closely.
I've had this problem on a tractor in the past and I was told to replace the hydraulic oil with kerosene and run it enough to get it to circulate and then replaceto the original fluid. The kerosene mixes with the water easily and makes it much easier to flush out. I doubt you will find that in any service manual but it did displace the water and clean it out very well.
You may need an old schooler to help answer this for ya, maybe Ben at Ben's V-Twins?
Your bike is too cool to have anything happen to it. Find that source of water penetration and get that baby straightened out. You don't want anything seizing up while cruising down the road.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
From: west of the big lake
RE: Water in trans??
mine does this anytime i ride in a real nasty rainstorm. changed the breather to a short chrome aftermarket one. hopefully this gets rid of the problem.
i just check/change the trans after any riding in the rain.
i just check/change the trans after any riding in the rain.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,920
Likes: 6
From: Upstate New York
RE: Water in trans??
make sure everything is sealed???????
gotta be getting in there somewheres
gotta be getting in there somewheres
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 855
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Water in trans??
Yes, I bought a used night train in 03 and when I changed the tranny oil the oil was white (what the f@#$).
Minehad to be from condensation, fromshort rides, and it was stored in a detatched garage! The bike had low miles and was probably a bar hopper.
I changed the tranny oil twice in 1000 mile and all was fine.
I would check the stick at different intervals to monitor the color of the red line. Red line is what I have in my Heritage.
You should be fine!
Keep us posted
Minehad to be from condensation, fromshort rides, and it was stored in a detatched garage! The bike had low miles and was probably a bar hopper.
I changed the tranny oil twice in 1000 mile and all was fine.
I would check the stick at different intervals to monitor the color of the red line. Red line is what I have in my Heritage.
You should be fine!
Keep us posted
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,280
Likes: 2
From: Matthews, NC
RE: Water in trans??
Thanks for the advice. I did ride it in heavy rain. My trip to NY from NC was basicly under bad rain the whole trip. And... my garage is not heated. Both suggestions make sense. It has to be a little of both. I'll keep an eye on it from now on.
Snort, you have a valid point. I'll check it again in a couple days. If it is the same, I will work on flushing it out.
I'll look for that aftermarket breather. Thanks kurtlange.
A local wrench told me that another way water gets into the trans is at the car wash. If you concentrate on the clutch lever to long, water could travel in the clutch cable, into the trans.
Thanks people!! Appreciate the info.
Snort, you have a valid point. I'll check it again in a couple days. If it is the same, I will work on flushing it out.
I'll look for that aftermarket breather. Thanks kurtlange.
A local wrench told me that another way water gets into the trans is at the car wash. If you concentrate on the clutch lever to long, water could travel in the clutch cable, into the trans.
Thanks people!! Appreciate the info.