So I was riding home today from work. First day in a while that it's been 70 F outside. I've got a 696, the oil temp on the ride home reached 5 bars therefore between 161 C (322 F) and 175 C (347 F). I was in traffic... a lot of stop and go and slipping the clutch to stay at 4mph over the Brooklyn bridge. I know that this whole situation is not good. I looked down into the sight glass when I got home and saw the oil literally boiling in the glass...
Soooooooo.... wtf? What do I do? The oil level is fine... right between the lines. I've got stuff on order to do an oil change and even to install an oil cooler.... obviously needed... but is something wrong with the bike to make it run this hot? Maybe at the 600mi checkup they didn't do an oil change -- I've only got about 1250mi on it now. Have I hurt the bike by running it to the point that the oil is boiling?
I'm freaked out. Please help.
you sure it aint just foaming?
If your engine oil is boiling its well over the operating temp. that shit boils at 600+ degrees (and your bike actually reads the "oil temp" at the heads.) so id suspect that your bike would shit a brick by then.
Quote from: He Man on April 18, 2009, 02:48:43 PM
you sure it aint just foaming?
If your engine oil is boiling its well over the operating temp. that shit boils at 600+ degrees (and your bike actually reads the "oil temp" at the heads.) so id suspect that your bike would shit a brick by then.
Ah.... maybe then it was just foaming... cause if the heads were at around 350F, the sightglass was certainly at a lower temp... is foaming a bad sign?
I believe it means zombies are nearby....
seriously though, im not quite sure. i think its because there might be water in the oil if your oil glass gets white and milky now, then yea its the water causing i think. when did you change the oil and was it stored over winter?
Next time you finsh riding take of the oil cap and let the vapors run out.
Quote from: He Man on April 18, 2009, 02:58:58 PM
I believe it means zombies are nearby....
seriously though, im not quite sure. i think its because there might be water in the oil if your oil glass gets white and milky now, then yea its the water causing i think. when did you change the oil and was it stored over winter?
Next time you finsh riding take of the oil cap and let the vapors run out.
Will do. Stored over winter == yes.
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=12023.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=12023.0)
Yeah, just do an oil change if it concerns you. My 696 was doing the same thing (2500 miles), changed the oil and no more foam. In my case it might have something to do with the fact that a certain dealership in or around Yorktown (I'm not naming names) used car oil for the 600 mi. service, hence the reason I just did an oil change!
Your bike would be dead if the oil was boiling. Those temps are not nearly high enough to boil oil.
Quote from: obsidian gt on April 18, 2009, 07:25:04 PM
In my case it might have something to do with the fact that a certain dealership in or around Yorktown (I'm not naming names) used car oil for the 600 mi. service,
Shouldn't be a problem. I run Mobile1 Devlac (formulated for diesel engines) in my M750 and 900SS, also ran it in my Suzuki GS1150 no issues. I've run many car oils off the shelf from Wal-Mart in many different bikes over the years and "car oil" and "motorcycle oil" in many cases (friction-modified oils aside as they don't like wet clutches) only differs on the outside of the bottle.
JM
It's a shame that you have to spend the time and money to install an oil cooler on a new bike just to be able to ride it. Heavy traffic on a warm day is all part of normal riding and motorcycle use and it seems like there should be some recourse to Ducati but I guess not?
I give up on commenting on motorcycle oil because anyone with a computer and and opinion thinks they're an oil expert and there are just too many confusing comments. There was a guy named Georgecls who was a genuine oil expert, a professional lubrication engineer who shared a lot of very valuable information with us. Unfortunately George passed away last fall and the knowledge that he took such care in passing on to us is being forgotten.
One of our members, zarn02 has gone to the worthy effort of compiling a lot of George's oil comments here:
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1912.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1912.0)
If you have the interest, and it seems like you do, the thread is worth reading.
Wouldn't the electronics start melting before the oil would acually start to boil? I mean that the engine case would be soooo freakin hot, it would have melted the plastic on your boots.
Good read, thanks for the link!
JM
Quote from: Langanobob on April 19, 2009, 11:37:57 AM
<SNIP>
There was a guy named Georgecls who was a genuine oil expert, a professional lubrication engineer who shared a lot of very valuable information with us. Unfortunately George passed away last fall ..... <SNIP>
Didn't know that. Damn.
RIP George. :(
201oC is overheated on a 696. The sensor is not in the sump like earlier Monsters. It is up high in the vertical cylinder. The oil would be hotter in that location and, I would imagine, the hot metal of the cylinder probably adds to the elevated readings.
the only time i saw the oil boil... hehe... was when i had the coil... hehehe... issue. i had to toil... OMG hehe... an hour and a half to OKC to get an oil... lol LMAO.. change and the coil... ROFLMAO... fixed. after that no boiled oil... [laugh]
Quote from: Raux on April 20, 2009, 04:30:06 AM
the only time i saw the oil boil... hehe... was when i had the coil... hehehe... issue. i had to toil... OMG hehe... an hour and a half to OKC to get an oil... lol LMAO.. change and the coil... ROFLMAO... fixed. after that no boiled oil... [laugh]
im picking up what kinda reminds me of crazy as i read this [cheeky]
Quote201oC is overheated on a 696.
Hi Howie, are you saying that 201 C is Ducati's high oil temp alarm level? Even if it's measured at the head where it's circulating past and doesn't stay that hot for long, 201 C is really hot!
Out of curiosity (and please don't tell me to "get a life" ;D because this is my life and I like screwing around with this stuff [roll]) I heated up a tuna can of 10W-40 Motul 300 Factory oil to just below 200 C, measured with an $800 Raytek MX infra-red temp sensor. I previously heated the empty can to burn off any leftover tuna fish that might influence the highly scientific experiment [coffee] I don't know the exact temp that it started giving off visible smoke but it was well below 200C. At 200 C it was very visibly smoking.
I don't think oil will boil. I think it burns at temperatures lower than it would boil. Reagrdless, an oil change and cooler should solve your problems. If they don't get the oil pump checked. I may not be putting out enough pressure. Also, full synth is a little more resistant to breakdown at high temps like you're seeing.
Scott
Quote from: Langanobob on April 23, 2009, 03:22:46 PM
Hi Howie, are you saying that 201 C is Ducati's high oil temp alarm level? Even if it's measured at the head where it's circulating past and doesn't stay that hot for long, 201 C is really hot!
Out of curiosity (and please don't tell me to "get a life" ;D because this is my life and I like screwing around with this stuff [roll]) I heated up a tuna can of 10W-40 Motul 300 Factory oil to just below 200 C, measured with an $800 Raytek MX infra-red temp sensor. I previously heated the empty can to burn off any leftover tuna fish that might influence the highly scientific experiment [coffee] I don't know the exact temp that it started giving off visible smoke but it was well below 200C. At 200 C it was very visibly smoking.
Tell you to get a life, hell no! According to the owner's manual, yes. Would you probably smoke even the best synthetic oils at that temperature? Probably. My assumption,and we all know what that means, is the 201
o is not oil temperature, but a combination of oil and cylinder head temperature and (hopefully) Ducati got it right.
Google "oil flash point". Oil doesn't boil but if you heat it hot enough it will start to emit a combustible vapor. However, if it is mixed with water (i.e condensation or coolant leaking past a head gasket) the water component will boil at 100C and the whole mixture will froth.
Running oil at extremely elevated temperatures will oxidize and breakdown the oil rapidly so you should change to a full synthetic that tolerates higher temperatures, and change it more often than the normal interval.
I think the temps here (161-175C, 322-347F) are hot enough that any moisture would easily have boiled out in very short order. That bubbling may be some pressure in one area pushing though to another or the 'combustible vapors' pushing things around. Either way, it's not water and it's way hot and needs to be sorted out.
Scott