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Coolant in oil: Fe550 2008

C

Connecticut_FE550

Joined Dec 2023
39 Posts | 0+
Connecticut m, USA
I have changed the water pump seal twice now and I am getting coolant in my oil. I have taken the gear case apart a total of 6 times, ran into other issues along the way but all have since been resolved.

Most likely, what am I doing wrong?

I also noticed a small chip between the bearing and the seal, could this be the issue? See image

I am thinking about putting some all purpose lube between the water pump seal and the balancer shaft bearing as well as some at o-ring 65 ( 0770173024) hoping it will make an extra tight seal.

Could someone please provide some insight?
 

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This is a picture of the oil after letting it rest for about an hour.

The video in the link is oil directly after I ran the bike for 60 seconds. I then added more oil and ran it again for 60 seconds hoping it was just residual from something but the peep hole showed as cloudy as the video.
 

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if the bearing is worn enough, the shaft quivers. You need good O rings at the water jacket and the intermediate shaft. the back of the seal is what you should see in the cover. it is counter-intuitiive.

I've been recommending that owners drill out the bottom.

Taffy
 

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  • new hole from underneath. Old hole can be seen on the left (front of engine).jpg
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Taffy said:
if the bearing is worn enough, the shaft quivers. You need good O rings at the water jacket and the intermediate shaft. the back of the seal is what you should see in the cover. it is counter-intuitiive.

I've been recommending that owners drill out the bottom.

Taffy
Click to expand...
Thank you. Is drilling out the bottom going to help with my problem? Or is that just an additional suggestion?
 
Connecticut_FE550 said:
Thank you. Is drilling out the bottom going to help with my problem? Or is that just an additional suggestion?
Click to expand...
Taffy said:
if the bearing is worn enough, the shaft quivers. You need good O rings at the water jacket and the intermediate shaft. the back of the seal is what you should see in the cover. it is counter-intuitiive.

I've been recommending that owners drill out the bottom.

Taffy
Click to expand...
I read about piston rings being an issue with oil/water mixing. Is that something that happens to the fe550 or just the prior generation of bikes?
 
You may have a head gasket issue. Coolant entering the cylinder then mixing with the oil that bathes the crankshaft which also is the transmission oil. Top off the coolant (just use plain water for now) start it and see if there are bubbles in the radiator (leave cap off). If there are bubbles you probably need a new head gasket. Remember all the smoke in your earlier post. Coolant can cause exhaust smoking too. Its looking more and more that a complete rebuild is in order. Hopefully I am wrong, and a simple head gasket replacement will do the trick for awhile.
 
husabutt said:
You may have a head gasket issue. Coolant entering the cylinder then mixing with the oil that bathes the crankshaft which also is the transmission oil. Top off the coolant (just use plain water for now) start it and see if there are bubbles in the radiator (leave cap off). If there are bubbles you probably need a new head gasket. Remember all the smoke in your earlier post. Coolant can cause exhaust smoking too. Its looking more and more that a complete rebuild is in order. Hopefully I am wrong, and a simple head gasket replacement will do the trick for awhile.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input and good memory on the smoking. That smoking issue is long gone, I’ve put about 20 hours on the bike since then. Who ever suggested it being over filled I think was right.

I ran the bike today and there was no smoking but I did not look down the radiator, I’ll do that at next opportunity. Since this post I’ve already changed the oil twice (hoping the problem would just go away) and taken the clutch case off again (for about the 7th time)

It is extremely subtle (or perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me) but I think Taffy’s knowledge bank is right, the seal around the balancer shaft does not look even so it is probably wobbling.

I am going to press the bearing in, hoping it evens out, I am going to try using a slightly bigger o-ring on the balancer shaft, and perhaps use some all purpose lube right behind the water pump seal (hoping it creates a better seal). If all this fails, I’ll feel pretty defeated and probably give up for this season and do a full rebuild over the winter. Might even buy another bike in the meantime to keep me entertained.
 
husabutt said:
You may have a head gasket issue. Coolant entering the cylinder then mixing with the oil that bathes the crankshaft which also is the transmission oil. Top off the coolant (just use plain water for now) start it and see if there are bubbles in the radiator (leave cap off). If there are bubbles you probably need a new head gasket. Remember all the smoke in your earlier post. Coolant can cause exhaust smoking too. Its looking more and more that a complete rebuild is in order. Hopefully I am wrong, and a simple head gasket replacement will do the trick for awhile.
Click to expand...
Well I see smoke and the exhaust smells like more than just burnt gas. I didn’t see bubble when it ran but I heard it go glug glug glug from the radiator after I turned it off. So I guess I’m going to learn how to replace the head gasket, which is a project for the winter.

I’ll check the valve and clean the carb while I’m at it since I have all winter. Is there any other suggestions for when I attempt to change the head gasket?

I know people are annoyed of seeing my posts but I’m sure once I get the top end off I’ll have questions.

Thanks for all your help.
 
Just a hunch, but back in June, I posted a list of parts to replace when servicing the water pump. Did you replace the O-ring #65 in the parts diagram? This is a fairly large and thick O-ring compared to the small one on the balancer shaft. It can sometimes fall out when you remove the side cover. You may not have noticed it as it tends to get flattened out over time and then doesn't resemble an O-ring, just a round flat black strip. This O-ring seals the coolant coming out of the center cases, through the oil, and into the water pump. If this O-ring is not doing its job, coolant will be dumped into the engine oil. It's a good idea to replace this O-ring every time you remove the side cover, as it performs a critical sealing task.

BTW i don't think that anyone is annoyed by your posts. Keep the faith and don't get discouraged.
 
Last edited:
husabutt said:
Just a hunch, but back in June, I posted a list of parts to replace when servicing the water pump. Did you replace the O-ring #65 in the parts diagram? This is a fairly large and thick O-ring compared to the small one on the balancer shaft. It can sometimes fall out when you remove the side cover. You may not have noticed it as it tends to get flattened out over time and then doesn't resemble an O-ring, just a round flat black strip. This O-ring seals the coolant coming out of the center cases, through the oil, and into the water pump. If this O-ring is not doing its job, coolant will be dumped into the engine oil. It's a good idea to replace this O-ring every time you remove the side cover, as it performs a critical sealing task.

BTW i don't think that anyone is annoyed by your posts. Keep the faith and don't get discouraged.
Click to expand...
I did replace #65. I’ve actually bought Tatty’s water pump kit twice over the summer and have done the job twice, hoping maybe I just scratched the seal since I didn’t use the bullet guide the first time. I also had the kick start issue. The clutch assembly has come off maybe 5 times, I learned about the timing chain since I accidentally misaligned it when trying to put the clutch hub back on. So maybe I messed something up on the top end when the piston was being shoved into the valves trying to start the engine not realizing what I had done. Gone through about 7 quarts of oil and 2 jugs of coolant testing each project.

I’ll keep at it, just wish I had something to ride this season. The bike was crazy fun when it worked, tons of torque and very fun in the twisties.
 
Connecticut_FE550 said:
I did replace #65. I’ve actually bought Tatty’s water pump kit twice over the summer and have done the job twice, hoping maybe I just scratched the seal since I didn’t use the bullet guide the first time. I also had the kick start issue. The clutch assembly has come off maybe 5 times, I learned about the timing chain since I accidentally misaligned it when trying to put the clutch hub back on. So maybe I messed something up on the top end when the piston was being shoved into the valves trying to start the engine not realizing what I had done. Gone through about 7 quarts of oil and 2 jugs of coolant testing each project.

I’ll keep at it, just wish I had something to ride this season. The bike was crazy fun when it worked, tons of torque and very fun in the twisties.
Click to expand...
just start out clean , buy some cheap oil and start over , had same issue befor , if all parts are new , water pump bearing , water pump seal, coolant o ring in case , ,maybe you just didnt torqe outer case to spec ,this will cause the coolant o ring to not squish and seal the water from the motor ,therefor coolant leak, , easy head gasket leak check with case cover off put thumb over coolant o ring port and put in water from top and check for leak . believe me i have 3 2008 husabergs and i know this bike.
 
Connecticut_FE550 said:
Thank you. Is drilling out the bottom going to help with my problem? Or is that just an additional suggestion?
Click to expand...
The idea is that if the seal leaks, water will drain out rather than contaminate your oil.
I did mine during my seal replacement, just for good measure.IMG_0998.JPEG
 
Keith550 said:
just start out clean , buy some cheap oil and start over , had same issue befor , if all parts are new , water pump bearing , water pump seal, coolant o ring in case , ,maybe you just didnt torqe outer case to spec ,this will cause the coolant o ring to not squish and seal the water from the motor ,therefor coolant leak, , easy head gasket leak check with case cover off put thumb over coolant o ring port and put in water from top and check for leak . believe me i have 3 2008 husabergs and i know this bike.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks for the advice. I’ll try this out next time I pick the project back up. Im a little worn out having gone through 6 quarts of oil, 2 gallons of antifreeze and spending my entire summer waiting for parts and trying to figure this out. Everything is torqued down.



So if I put my thumb over thumb over the water pump hole and where should I see water come out if it is the gasket?
 
o6550 said:
The idea is that if the seal leaks, water will drain out rather than contaminate your oil.
I did mine during my seal replacement, just for good measure.View attachment 17962
Click to expand...
I appreciate the explanation. I’ll try it then. I ended up ordering a new/used clutch case from someone who put in new seals (incase I was doing it wrong) so I’ll have two anyways.
 
unlike the other guy, I feel the coolant shouldn't fill up to halfway before it comes out. 2.5mm diameter drill bit and use the original side seal with the bottom 1/8th chopped out; call it from 5pm to 7pm, and then insert it before the bearing.
drilling with a 2.5mm drill bit.jpg

Taffy
 

Attachments

  • new hole from underneath. Old hole can be seen on the left (front of engine).jpg
    new hole from underneath. Old hole can be seen on the left (front of engine).jpg
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  • drilling angle. Spot the Drill bit on the right of the cover.jpg
    drilling angle. Spot the Drill bit on the right of the cover.jpg
    137 KB
Taffy said:
unlike the other guy, I feel the coolant shouldn't fill up to halfway before it comes out. 2.5mm diameter drill bit and use the original side seal with the bottom 1/8th chopped out; call it from 5pm to 7pm, and then insert it before the bearing.
View attachment 17964

Taffy
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info. I destroyed this seal in the process of getting it out and I cannot find a part number for it. Is there a way to buy a new one?
 

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it doesn't do anything and never worked when it was there. One of the more important things is to decided who to square up a bearing in the housing without going to the end. that seal makes it easier. now you'll have to adapt won't you, use the old grey matter!

One more thing, as the shaft wears a groove, you need to find fresh parts of the shaft for the w/p seal lip to sit on so don't press the seal in to the same place every time. leave it proud by 1mm although going deeper into the cover tends to loosen it.

Taffy
 
Taffy said:
it doesn't do anything and never worked when it was there. One of the more important things is to decided who to square up a bearing in the housing without going to the end. that seal makes it easier. now you'll have to adapt won't you, use the old grey matter!

One more thing, as the shaft wears a groove, you need to find fresh parts of the shaft for the w/p seal lip to sit on so don't press the seal in to the same place every time. leave it proud by 1mm although going deeper into the cover tends to loosen it.

Taffy
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info It doesn’t seem to worn right now. I think I am headed towards a tear down of the top end. So I’ll look for parts when I am ready for that project.
 

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