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2017 Blizzard 800 Oil in Coolant?

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#1 ·
I bought a 2017 Blizzard 800 etec this fall and have been out on it 3 times so far.

Last ride I went on, I checked the coolant level before the ride and noted that it was low. I forgot and never filled it and went for a ~2 hour ride. It did not overheat, though it got a bit hot while road ripping.

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Sorry, for some reason the forum is making this pic upside down.

When I got back I noted the coolant was now green, and a couple silver specks floating on the top. The specks seem to be gone now, or at least not floating on the top anymore. My initial thought was there is oil in the coolant but a few guys I have talked to seem to think its next to impossible.

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The general consensus is that there is both red and green coolant mixed in the sled, though the previous owner insists he only ever used red. It has sat for three days now and still is baby poop green. The reservoir is also still more full than it was before my ride.

Any ideas as to what is going on, and possible fixes?
 

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#2 ·
Something similar used to happen on the old rotary valved engines, although it was always coolant getting into the injection oil not the other way around. Your cooling system is pressurized whereas the oil in your water pump gear cavity isn't. It gravity fills from the oil tank. If you had bad O-rings on the water pump gear it could let coolant fill the water pump gear cavity and push this up the hose into the oil tank (this is what used to happen on the old RV motors sometimes). I don't think it is possible for the opposite to happen as the oil isn't under pressure in the cavity.

What does the oil in your tank look like? Any sign of milkiness/cloudiness?
 
#3 ·
If it was mine I'd just drain all the coolant out and start with fresh. Looks like red and green were mixed in the pics.

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#4 ·
Something similar used to happen on the old rotary valved engines, although it was always coolant getting into the injection oil not the other way around. Your cooling system is pressurized whereas the oil in your water pump gear cavity isn't. It gravity fills from the oil tank. If you had bad O-rings on the water pump gear it could let coolant fill the water pump gear cavity and push this up the hose into the oil tank (this is what used to happen on the old RV motors sometimes). I don't think it is possible for the opposite to happen as the oil isn't under pressure in the cavity.

What does the oil in your tank look like? Any sign of milkiness/cloudiness?
I am at work right now, but when I checked the other day the oil looked perfectly normal. To be fair, I didn't look super close at it, more so just checked the level.

If it was mine I'd just drain all the coolant out and start with fresh. Looks like red and green were mixed in the pics.

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That does seem to be the common opinion, I plan on draining it this week. There are two things that make me question this theory though. 1) This wasn't my first ride on it, it should have mixed before and I have not noticed it. It has yet to separate again and it has now been sitting for 4 days. 2) The coolant reservoir is still more full than what it was before I noted the colour change. Obviously I would expect expansion while it was hot, but it should be plenty cold by now!
 
#5 ·
I am at work right now, but when I checked the other day the oil looked perfectly normal. To be fair, I didn't look super close at it, more so just checked the level.

That does seem to be the common opinion, I plan on draining it this week. There are two things that make me question this theory though. 1) This wasn't my first ride on it, it should have mixed before and I have not noticed it. It has yet to separate again and it has now been sitting for 4 days. 2) The coolant reservoir is still more full than what it was before I noted the colour change. Obviously I would expect expansion while it was hot, but it should be plenty cold by now!
FYI you can't really go by the reservoir level on a Doo. Depending on the system pressure (which depends on how well the cap is sealing that day) the level can vary from day to day.

I would do 2 things that will involve swiping your wife's turkey baster ;) :

1) pull some coolant out of the reservoir and let sit in a glass jar in a warm room overnight. If there is oil in it, it will separate.

2) Do the same with some oil from your tank. Try to pull a sample from near the bottom of the tank. If the sled hasn't been run recently the coolant (if there is any) will has gravitated to the bottom of the tank.

If there is no sign of separation in the coolant and your oil is uncontaminated then I would drain and re-fill your coolant. This isn't a fun process. Pulling the bottom hose under the Y-pipe while hoisting the back end and removing the cap is usually the best way.

:Cheers
 
#6 ·
FYI you can't really go by the reservoir level on a Doo. Depending on the system pressure (which depends on how well the cap is sealing that day) the level can vary from day to day.

I would do 2 things that will involve swiping your wife's turkey baster ;) :

1) pull some coolant out of the reservoir and let sit in a glass jar in a warm room overnight. If there is oil in it, it will separate.

2) Do the same with some oil from your tank. Try to pull a sample from near the bottom of the tank. If the sled hasn't been run recently the coolant (if there is any) will has gravitated to the bottom of the tank.

If there is no sign of separation in the coolant and your oil is uncontaminated then I would drain and re-fill your coolant. This isn't a fun process. Pulling the bottom hose under the Y-pipe while hoisting the back end and removing the cap is usually the best way.

:Cheers
Thank you for your help. I will do this tonight, the wife will be impressed! I really appreciate the tip for draining it as well.
 
#9 ·
I use a large fluid transfer syringe and some long flexible tubing. Suck as much out of the reservoir as you can, then disconnect the line going down to the water pump. Put your tubing as far down as you can and suck out the rest.
Much less messy and you can save most of the liquid if needed.
 
#20 ·
Make sure you use distilled water to mix it. Not plain tap water. I used the same antifreeze in my 800 which I mixed 60/40.
 
#22 ·
I get deionized water at the drug store, 4 jugs per box. If I can't flush everything out (that takes a lot of work), then I remove most of it, refill with deionized water, run the engine, flush and refill with a final mix.
This way is the preferred if you can ensure you are able to completely get all the water out after flush. If you cannot then be careful doing it this way because your ratio will change with the extra water left in the system.
 
#23 ·
This way is the preferred if you can ensure you are able to completely get all the water out after flush. If you cannot then be careful doing it this way because your ratio will change with the extra water left in the system.
So true. I compare the amount of water flushed with what is shown in the Shop Manual.
 
#25 ·
So quick update. We flushed the system four times using just regular tap water and finally got it entirely clear.

On the 2nd flush we noticed metallic flakes which we had noted in the reservoir before. By the fourth, once it was clear, they were entirely noticeable. I've attached a photo, sorry it's not super easy to see.

Seems I may need a new water pump and potentially the seal behind it is gone as well, causing oil to mix?
0d598ccbc3179335b19ef2b7f9d6fa8c.jpg


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