White Transmission oil

[hotroadking]

Buddy has a shop, was draining the transmission on a bike and out came white fluid, he'd never seen that before, what can cause trans fluids to turn white, or is there a white fluid out there?

The oil in the left side of the pan is white, mixing with the other oil from the engine in the pan, looks like a mix of heavy cream and coffee...

 

[Doog]

What kind of bike??? Harley? Schwinn? Honda??? That looks like a Harley drain plug.

That could be white Quinplex gear oil. It comes in 90w or 140w or 250w. It is a food grade gear lube. Doesn't look like water intrusion on regular gear oil since it is way too white and not light gray like gear oil mixed with water. But if it is a water cooled bike then might be coolant mixed with the trans lube. If it is water the guy might have power washed the bike and filled the trans with water.

BTW if it is Quinplex the guy who put it in there is an idiot.

 

[adolan21]

http://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/695519-milky-white-primary-fluid.html

Did quick search and the pictures look similar to your situation. General consensus was water was getting in there.

 

[Bror Jace]

Yes, an oil (engine, transmission, power-steering, etc ...) that looks white is almost always moisture contaminated.

 

[Robenstein]

For it to be white instead of just chocolate milky looking means there is a lot of moisture in oil that was very clean still.

 

[Ducman]

Originally Posted By: Doog
What kind of bike??? Harley? Schwinn? Honda??? That looks like a Harley drain plug.

That could be white Quinplex gear oil. It comes in 90w or 140w or 250w. It is a food grade gear lube. Doesn't look like water intrusion on regular gear oil since it is way too white and not light gray like gear oil mixed with water. But if it is a water cooled bike then might be coolant mixed with the trans lube. If it is water the guy might have power washed the bike and filled the trans with water.

BTW if it is Quinplex the guy who put it in there is an idiot.


Agreed.
It's much too pure white to be water contaminated.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: adolan21
http://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/695519-milky-white-primary-fluid.html

Did quick search and the pictures look similar to your situation. General consensus was water was getting in there.


You didn't read the thread. Couldn't be water. Air cooled motor getting full of water in a dry climate in one day.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: adolan21
http://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/695519-milky-white-primary-fluid.html

Did quick search and the pictures look similar to your situation. General consensus was water was getting in there.


You didn't read the thread. Couldn't be water. Air cooled motor getting full of water in a dry climate in one day.


Unless someone got water in it from pressure washing. Motorcycle manuals always say to not pressure wash bikes as the water can get into all sorts of things like bearing, fill plugs that are not tight, ect.