Kawasaki Mojave 250 has oil in radiator, what is causing this and how do I fix?

Question

There is oil in the coolant in the radiator. Can't afford to take it to shop as they charge $60 an hour. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Answer 1

bad head gasket, check your antifreeze, i bet it has oil in it, it will look like a milkshake

gotta tear down, and if you gotta ask this, i bet it ain't for you.... start saving, and quit riding or it will create more expensive problems

Answer 2

all three answers are on the money. have you ever overheated the bike? if so, you probably warped the head causing coolant to enter the oil. I'm not familiar w/your bike but a shop will probably charge you a pretty penny to repair it. I would get 2 or 3 opinions from shop mechanics and pick the one you feel good about and start saving for the repair job. oh, and don't forget to keep those coolant levels up.

Answer 3

Also, if you have coolant in the oil the engine bearings will fail very soon if you keep running it.

Answer 4

Most likely the head gasket is blown.

You may want to take it to a good mechanic, anyway, or you will waste the whole motor quite quickly. Radiators do not work well with oil, but the real problem is  engines do not run well on coolant. If you have oil in the radiator you can assume coolant in the oil.

Answer 5

Both good answers.  However, it's also possible that the water pump gasket has gone south.  It might be best to check this first, as it'll be easier to replace than the head gasket.