'03 clutch fluid milky white?

[R1150Rclean]

So when I got my '03 R1150R with ~6k I checked the clutch fluid and it was a milky white, the mechanic at the BMW dealer said that was normal. But since replacing it several times it has never turned milky white, just beer brown. The bike had had the clutch fluid flushed by a cycle shop before I purchased it. Is it possible that the mechanic put in mineral oil instead of DOT 4 fluid? The only other thing I can think of that could of made it milky white is water.

[jcridge]

If this is the same mechanic that said milky white is normal, hell yeah...its possible.

It's more likely moisture / water that is producing the milky
white color. Pressure washing, poor reservoir seal, etc... Will be a good place to start. The fluid should come out very much like it went in, clear, maybe slightly discolored browner.
If you suspect mixed fluid, flush the system 2-3 times and see what it looks like.

John

[R1150Rclean]

If this is the same mechanic that said milky white is normal, hell yeah...its possible.

It's more likely moisture / water that is producing the milky
white color. Pressure washing, poor reservoir seal, etc... Will be a good place to start. The fluid should come out very much like it went in, clear, maybe slightly discolored browner.
If you suspect mixed fluid, flush the system 2-3 times and see what it looks like.

John

It was milky white when i got the bike, but has never been that way since I flushed it.

[boxermania]

Never seen brake fluid turn milky white, it usually progresses from light brown to dark brown (sic) as it breaks down with heat and contaminated with H20. I trust you have done a thorough flushing and installed new, fresh, fluid.

[R1150Rclean]

Never seen brake fluid turn milky white, it usually progresses from light brown to dark brown (sic) as it breaks down with heat and contaminated with H20. I trust you have done a thorough flushing and installed new, fresh, fluid.

It has been flushed 2 times "completely" with fresh fluid since I got it.

[CycleRob]

When I encountered really filthy DOT4 clutch systems they were taken completely apart for a factory-new like cleaning. You don't need much more than the usual wrenches and an internal snap ring plier. It sounds like overdoing it, but the internal parts are so few and easy to take apart, it's a no-brainer. Less than a half hours' work -after- the components are removed from the bike. On the OilHeads, that can be a 2 hour job (!) but when it's really gunky, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. If you have a HexHead, it's a lot easier to remove the components for disassembly. Either bike, after parts removal, it's very similar to This Rear Brake Assembly Pic. It's the only way to get the internals so clean they'll stay that way between the yearly service days. During solvent cleaning the rubber parts must be removed so the metal parts can be toothbrush scrubbed with brake clean. Also using brake clean spray to flush out the lines and finishing off everything with a full blast of shop air.

A little DOT4 smeared on the rubber parts and everything just slides back together. Filling and bleeding the system is also quick-n-easy when the correct procedure (covered elsewhere on our site) is used.

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