Primary oil milky

[jl551c]

Hey Everybody,
My buddy just bought a 2008 Buell XB12scg. Looks good with a few exterior issues, blinkers removed, mirrors removed, etc. Nothing too difficult to resolve. The bike has 4,300 miles. He had it shipped up to him and we decided to give it the once over. Oil level fine so we started it up very rough start and idle. Did a TPS restart and it smoothed out a lot, runs, but can be a hard to restart. Looks like it hasn't been run in years. But, this is not the issue I'm asking for advice on yet.

Before taking it out for a ride we changed the oil, looked like it had never been changed. Very dark. So we changed with some synthetic. Emptied the primary and it came out very milky. Not sure how this happened. Condensation? Water intrusion? What would you do? I'm thinking of doing an oil change, ride it and do another oil change. Never saw one this bad. Any advice is appreciated.

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[Barrett]

Ward: It's John Lutz. How are you? That is simply water mixed with the primary fluid. Damp environment where stored...pressure washing blasted water past gaskets/seals....water got in thru primary breather hose....water got into clutch cable and trickled down into primary....multitude of possibilities. Simply change it a few times with the least expensive 20W50 JASO-MA or MA-2 rated oil you can find and get as much heat into the motor/primary as possible. Should resolve it.

And if "rough running" as you mentioned, I'd install fresh plugs and carefully check the wires for age/vermin damage. And if sitting for several years in all likelihood you'll be battling fuel pump filter(2) problems so plan on servicing that as well.

[jl551c]

Thanks John, I'll take your advice and have him change the primary oil a few times until it cleans up. Check for all the leak areas you mentioned. Run it hot a few times. When I opened the drain plug I was like: WTH? It was a Florida bike, so with all the water there it makes sense.

To be a bit clearer, the bike starts difficultly, enough to run down the battery at times, but after running a bit it smooths out. I think it's plugs for sure. Hopefully I don't have to go into the fuel pump. I did that on a Uly a few years ago and don't want to revisit that.

This really is a nice looking bike that wasn't cared for. My buddy rode my 07 SS and was hooked. Had to get one. It's garage fun, hopefully riding fun soon.
Good to hear from you,
Ward

[Barrett]

My pleasure Ward and glad you're doing well. The FL thing pretty much explains the milky primary/trans fluid. It holds total of 1 quart with full overnight drain. When I run into this I'll buy a gallon of the cheapest 20W50 JASO oil I can find...drain and fill and ride 20 miles or so....repeat process....thoroughly drain overnight...then do final fill with 20W50 JASO MA-2 such as Mobil-1....Amsoil...any top quality meeting those specs. If you find that the swingarm plug or primary plug O-ring is bad, let me know and I'll fire you over a few new ones.
And I hear you on the pump. Hopefully it's OK but as these bikes continue to sit and age I'm now seeing them fail at an alarming rate.

[Cooter]

It's worth it for time and cost sake to just pull off the primary cover and hose the sticky milkshake off the internals with a cleaner. It's all foamy and coated in there The gasket is re-useable, the procedure is fast/simple and spelled out in the manual.

You could have a good look at the inside of a new-to-you bike, look at the clutch ramp and cable end, adjust the primary chain/clutch etc.

My 2¢, FWIW, IMO, YMMV, ETC

[jl551c]

It's worth it for time and cost sake to just pull off the primary cover and hose the sticky milkshake off the internals with a cleaner. It's all foamy and coated in there The gasket is re-useable, the procedure is fast/simple and spelled out in the manual.

You could have a good look at the inside of a new-to-you bike, look at the clutch ramp and cable end, adjust the primary chain/clutch etc.

My 2¢, FWIW, IMO, YMMV, ETC

Thanks Cooter, I'll see if my buddy wants to take off the Primary and clean. Picking it up today from the tire shop.