Oil in the coolant
 

Hi,

Am hoping I can lean on the collective wisdom here to help me identify an issue on my 2010 Tenere.

I have noticed that there appears to be oil in the coolant ie the water has gone black and the texture of the water has a slightly oily shine to it.

The coolant level does not seem to have changed, its just the colour that�s changed. The engine oil level has dropped slightly, but not sure if this is related the issue or if its just general oil consumption.

I am unsure whether it�s the head gasket or water pump that�s at fault. However, the engine oil is not emulsified and it seems to be running ok, so I�m guessing it�s the water pump seal and not the head gasket?

Has any body got any thoughts or experience on the above issue?

Rgds

John

The first thing I'd probably do is drop the coolant that is in there, flush out the cooling system the best you can and refill with fresh coolant. Top the oil up and make a note of the level and then ride it for a while, keeping a watchful eye on what's going on.

As you say, there are only two places where oil and coolant can mix: the head gasket and the water pump. If it's running OK, then the head is unlikely. Head gasket rarely fail on XTs, water pump seals do however. If the water pump oil or mechanical seal has failed then you'd expect to see coolant, oil or both leaking out of the tell-tale drain hole on the underside of the pump body. Wipe that area clean and keep an eye on anything coming out, if at all.