JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi all. Brought a Yamaha R6 2001 about a month ago and everything was perfect ...Now it has suddenly started to overheat. When it reaches 117°C the red oil warning light will turn on and the oil level symbol begins to flash.My engine oil level is fine and is at the maximum mark. Today I replaced the coolant because this was low and one of the hoses was leaking…. Fixed this, then went for a ride and still the temperature rises (to about 116 - 127°C on average) It gets really hot really quick. The temp quickly rises and stays between 113 – 127. When I ride, it goes down only a little (about 109) but when I stop at traffic lights or when I’m stationary the temp will rise again past 118. When it goes down to 116 the light goes away and the oil symbol stops flashing. The fan works fine as I can hear it switch on and I can see it working. I don’t know what else it could be. I don’t want to continue to ride because I’m scared I’ll blow up the engine or something.Any help will be massively appreciated. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazW Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thermostat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hodgy Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 This happened on my Triumph, it was the thermostat that had stuck, an easy fix, but expensive (on a triumph!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
priest Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thermostat?+1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Unfortunately I’m not too mechanically gifted… does anyone know where the thermostat is located on the r6 and how I can replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedevil Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Ive uploaded the cooling section of the workshop manual for your bike to my dropbox, just click the link to download.http://dl.dropbox.com/u/37965651/cooling.pdfIf the thermostat was stuck closed the rad probably wouldn't get hot, might be worth checking before you start stripping your bike.If you need the other sections of the shop manual let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushwind Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thermostat? ++1.thats your first check Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's not the stat as the fan is coming on and the fan is turned on by a sensor in the rad when it gets too hot I would consider getting a leak down test and a sniff test done this will tell you if its the head gasket or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's not the stat as the fan is coming on and the fan is turned on by a sensor in the rad when it gets too hot I would consider getting a leak down test and a sniff test done this will tell you if its the head gasket or not ok thanks, whats a 'leak down test' and a 'sniff test'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 A leak down or "cylinder leakage" test is similar to a compression test in that it tells you how well your engine's cylinders are sealing. But instead of measuring pressure, it measures pressure loss. An engine in great condition should generally show only 5 to 10% leakage. An engine that's still in pretty good condition may show up to 20% leakage. But more than 30% leakage indicates trouble.A sniff test checks the coolant for hydrocarbons which would indicate that the head gasket has gone and exhaust fumes are entering the coolant passage ways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedevil Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Could it be a broken water pump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushwind Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's not the stat as the fan is coming on and the fan is turned on by a sensor in the rad when it gets too hot fan will still come on if stat is not opening/closing as it should???, temp sensor on the rad will make the fan kick in???, i.e: rad coolant becomes hot because the water is not circulating through the water jacket, and the fan alone can not cope alone with cooling, as there will be no /or little circulation checki the thermostat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's not the stat as the fan is coming on and the fan is turned on by a sensor in the rad when it gets too hot fan will still come on if stat is not opening/closing as it should???, temp sensor on the rad will make the fan kick in???, i.e: rad coolant becomes hot because the water is not circulating through the water jacket, and the fan alone can not cope alone with cooling, as there will be no /or little circulation checki the thermostat this is what i thought...Will the stat be fairly easy to replace you reckon? its either that or the water pump as whitedevil said. ive already got sufficent oil and coolant. hope it nothing more serious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's not the stat as the fan is coming on and the fan is turned on by a sensor in the rad when it gets too hot fan will still come on if stat is not opening/closing as it should???, temp sensor on the rad will make the fan kick in???, i.e: rad coolant becomes hot because the water is not circulating through the water jacket, and the fan alone can not cope alone with cooling, as there will be no /or little circulation checki the thermostat Then when the fan comes on it will cool it down especially in these temps as its not cooling it I wouldn't think it would be the stat Just had exactly the same problem on a bmw turns out it was a cracked head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 whats the cheapest option to eliminate first?buy a new stat, water pump or them test things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Stat first then water pump if that's the way you are going to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushwind Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 whats the cheapest option to eliminate first?buy a new stat, water pump or them test things? i suggested stat as its the most common cause of overheating, , and the easiest to eliminate, just remove from water jacket, suspend in warm water, on string, then slowly heat water with a thermometer in it, note at what temp the stat 'opens', you can see the bi-metal move?, if thats ok , then u can investigate more serious options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 whats the cheapest option to eliminate first?buy a new stat, water pump or them test things? i suggested stat as its the most common cause of overheating, , and the easiest to eliminate, just remove from water jacket, suspend in warm water, on string, then slowly heat water with a thermometer in it, note at what temp the stat 'opens', you can see the bi-metal move?, if thats ok , then u can investigate more serious options? ok thankssorry to be a pain but could you explain it as you would to a child because this does not make sense to me (im not that mechanicaly minded sorry lol)whats the 'water jacket'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushwind Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 whats the cheapest option to eliminate first?buy a new stat, water pump or them test things? i suggested stat as its the most common cause of overheating, , and the easiest to eliminate, just remove from water jacket, suspend in warm water, on string, then slowly heat water with a thermometer in it, note at what temp the stat 'opens', you can see the bi-metal move?, if thats ok , then u can investigate more serious options? ok thankssorry to be a pain but could you explain it as you would to a child because this does not make sense to me (im not that mechanicaly minded sorry lol)whats the 'water jacket'? water jacket is the term for the metal casting around the cylinders which carries the coolanti think, even with your limited knowledge , you could do this simpls e test with the help of a manual or a local 'friend'?, the thermostat is located ( i think) on thel/h side of engine block,as seated,, there is a manual on the r6 forum?http://www.r6messagenet.com/forums/pdf/99-02R6_Service_Manual.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 ah thanks so much for your help. much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedevil Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 The hardest part of testing the stat is getting to it, as you have to remove a load of stuff. If the water pump has failed you usually can hear noises coming from it or sometimes you get a small amount of coolant leaking from it. The stat is the first thing to test tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 as ive just replaced the coolant today, could I drain the coolant and reuse it once ive replaced the stat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedevil Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 You've had a coolant leak, topping up may not be sufficient to expel trapped air. You may have an air lock in the system. Does the manual show how to bleed the system? Easiest first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 You've had a coolant leak, topping up may not be sufficient to expel trapped air. You may have an air lock in the system. Does the manual show how to bleed the system? Easiest first. When i say coolant leak, I mean that one of the hoses wasnt tight enough and noticed some leakage so I just tightened the clamp screw which stopped the leaking... could that still mean trapped air then?Ive had a look in the manual and nothing on bleeding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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