Honda GXV530

066 · Aug 13, 2013

A question for all you fellow mechanics, when checking the oil on a GXV530 have you ever seen white sludge on the inside of the oil fill/dip stick tube? I only see it on these GXV530 v-twin engines that come in to my workshop, it kinda looks like what you get on the underside of a oil cap on a car engine that has a blown head gasket/moisture getting in to the oil, there are 5 machines in the area that we do the servicing work on & 4 have the grey/white sludge in the fill tube.
We use a Agip brand of oil 10w30 SL,SJ rating also Kohler 10w30 SH,SJ & Honda 10w30 SH,SJ has been used aswell with the same result, some machines come back after 50hrs for a service others after 100hrs with the same symptoms in summer or winter.
Thanks for any thaughts.
Bryan

robert@honda · Aug 13, 2013

066 said:
A question for all you fellow mechanics, when checking the oil on a GXV530 have you ever seen white sludge on the inside of the oil fill/dip stick tube? I only see it on these GXV530 v-twin engines that come in to my workshop, it kinda looks like what you get on the underside of a oil cap on a car engine that has a blown head gasket/moisture getting in to the oil, there are 5 machines in the area that we do the servicing work on & 4 have the grey/white sludge in the fill tube.
We use a Agip brand of oil 10w30 SL,SJ rating also Kohler 10w30 SH,SJ & Honda 10w30 SH,SJ has been used aswell with the same result, some machines come back after 50hrs for a service others after 100hrs with the same symptoms in summer or winter.
Thanks for any thaughts.
Bryan

Hi Bryan:

A few questions:
1. Give me some details on the type of equipment these engine are powering.
2. Tell me about the environment they operate in (humid, wet, dry, elevation, outside air temp, etc.)
3. How many hours at a time are they typically operated? Commercial (daily) or residential (infrequent) use?
4. Any modifications to the engines at all? Exhaust, intake, etc.?

Got any photos you can share?

At first glance, it sounds like moisture in the system. Seen this before in certain regions, especially on engines not used very often.

EngineMan · Aug 13, 2013

It may well be or is condensation, check the breather side of things..!

066 · Aug 13, 2013

Hi Robert, these engines feature on a locally made product here in New Zealand called a Kingcat Cheetah, which is a rear engined ride on mower, 42' or 46' cutter decks,
All are contractor machines except one, the exhausts are made up of a cylindrical shape mounted below the engine or just above the tow hitch,
The town of Waihi where i work is not too far from the sea, it does get damp in winter, never snows, these machines have no hood over the engine, they are exposed all the time but there is also a Briggs intek v-twin on one which has never showed any signs of moisture in the oil, these machines are also the same machines that were in another post about K46 Tuff torq snapping axles at about 300 hrs but thats another story.
I'm off to work now, if one turns up a the shop today i'll snap some pics.
Regards

Bryan

robert@honda · Aug 13, 2013

Like this?

066 · Aug 14, 2013

yes thats the one, i'm trying to post some pics of one that came in to work today with sludge under the cap

066 · Aug 15, 2013

View attachment 16447 View attachment 16446 View attachment 16448 View attachment 16449
Here are some pics of one of the engines, this one isn't so bad

pugaltitude · Aug 15, 2013

Now that you have shown the picture then yes that is quite common over here aswell.
I never really looked into it.

I think its wrong oil being used. I use a multigrade 10W40 engine oil.

If a tractor comes in for service that I have never seen then the oil can be like this but if its regular customer using the oil I use then I dont seem to see it.

robert@honda · Aug 15, 2013

My guys here tell me for sure it is moisture in the system, but the reason might not be obvious.

1. Something is not right in the breather system. This is unlikely if you see this condition in multiple machines. Still, double-check all the breath parts for any obstructions, debris, collapsed/perished tubes, etc.

2. More than likely, it's the application/use, possibly the oil itself. The muffler routing does take a lot of the heat away from the engine, so it doesn't get really hot and burn off the moisture in the oil sump. If the engine is run for 15-30 minutes, then shut down, transported to another job site, run again, etc. it might not really get up to full operating temp. Might try a different brand of oil, but stick with the recommended grade (SAE 10W-30) for that engine.

066 · Aug 16, 2013

Thanks for your input, i'll try again with the genuine Honda oil 10w30 sj rated & report back on any developments.
Regards
Bryan

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