Rik398 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Well, I have a very slight oil leak on my bandit 600. Only really noticeable if left parked for a while when the ground is wet... get the whole rainbow color thing going on. It is coming from the oil cooler. I have not had chance to have a proper look yet, but there are a range of scenarios: 1) A hose needs tightening, excellent news 2) Need to take it apart to have a proper look, find out its an 'o' ring, stick back together and do an oil change (probably needed anyway) 3) As above, but realise it is the pipe (don't think it is)4) As above, but its a crack in the flange 5) As above, but crack in the actual cooler (bad news ) An internet search has found someone on a different forum who had the exact same problem as me, and it turned out it was a crack in the flange. Many people replying to the guys post agreed that they had similar issues at one stage or another. So lets assume once I look at it properly that it is a crack in the flange, I was wondering if I would be able to use some of that metal putty kinda stuff to fill it up, or would that not be a good enough repair? I was thinking that if there was a bit of a crack or something, I could fill it with the putty stuff, check it for its strength, make sure its all sanded flat again to make a decent seal, and then that would be good enough? I have used this kind of stuff in the past for various things and it seems fairly strong and works rather well, but would this be a suitable use for it? Anyone else done similar? Cheers Folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megawatt Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Those Bandit oil cooler connections do rot. Clean everything, remove bolted fittings, check where leak is from. Replace or weld fitting. If you use gunge on it, it will leak again, usually at the worst possible time!!! Don't bodge it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik398 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Yeah sounds fair to be honest. From a quick look from the outside though it seems to be all clean and in - tact. May be an 'o' ring, but I don't think it would cause it to leak that much. It lives outside at the moment so I will have to get it under cover before I can look at it properly. Needs an oil change anyway so just going to use the opportunity to take the thing apart and have a proper look. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megawatt Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Keep us posted mate. Plenty of Bandit bits around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattycoops43 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 If they are the same as the XJ oil cooler pipes, the flexi bit rots and leaks, on those you cut out the flexi section and replace with fuel hose and jubilee clips. The correct ones from yamaha are over £100 and second hand ones always leak anyway.Oil cooler is not subjected to high pressure, so don't need to go overboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastanglianbiker Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 bandit oil coolers are known for spliting at the union joints thats the first place i would be checking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik398 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 It should be more or less fine. Ebay seem to have hoses for £15, like I say not sure if flange or a part of the hose yet, but it looks more or less like it is the flange. The place I take my bike to for MOT's has a welding place next door, and they did a brilliant job on the alloy bracket for the nose cone fairing when I had the daytona so may pop in there if it turns out something needs done. But yeah loads of bandit bits around (part of the reason I got it to be honest) so yeah should be able to sort it fairly cheap. But yeah nothing stops someone for getting it fixed at the best price regardless really, £10 is still better than £15, student life eh? lol. Will keep you posted. On a side note... anyone heard of or ever used the aluminium welding rods you see on you tube? the ones where you just use a blow torch and stuff. Brazing rods or something... I looked into them when I had the issue with the daytona bracket and maybe they will be of some use here? though I highly doubt they are any bit near as good as the videos suggest. this kinda stuff"> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointblank0 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Like already said mate, it's not under high pressure so you could use that weld thing on you tube. I wouldn't bother worrying about it yet till you have had a look at where the problem is. Sods law it will be something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankbag Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 How's it going ? I guess you've read this thread but just in case its viewtopic.php?f=5&t=45014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 It should be more or less fine. Ebay seem to have hoses for £15, like I say not sure if flange or a part of the hose yet, but it looks more or less like it is the flange. this kinda stuff"> Why do people who have little experience put videos on youtube showing how to do things they can't do.The basic principles are cleanliness, temperature and secure clamping. And don't blow it. Let it cool naturally.I would have thought with the amount of heat involved to get this cooling device to the temperature of molten aluminium, it would be best to remove it. I'm not sure how your matrix is constructed but the heat may open other welds. If it is the joint that has gone, I'd be checking with a professional for the cost before having a go yourself. A skilled welder can do things in 10 mins that a novice amateur may end up botching. Handy piece of kit though. If it's copper to steel or steel to steel it might be easier to hard/silver solder the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointblank0 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 It should be more or less fine. Ebay seem to have hoses for £15, like I say not sure if flange or a part of the hose yet, but it looks more or less like it is the flange. this kinda stuff"> Why do people who have little experience put videos on youtube showing how to do things they can't do.The basic principles are cleanliness, temperature and secure clamping. And don't blow it. Let it cool naturally.I would have thought with the amount of heat involved to get this cooling device to the temperature of molten aluminium, it would be best to remove it. I'm not sure how your matrix is constructed but the heat may open other welds. If it is the joint that has gone, I'd be checking with a professional for the cost before having a go yourself. A skilled welder can do things in 10 mins that a novice amateur may end up botching. Handy piece of kit though. If it's copper to steel or steel to steel it might be easier to hard/silver solder the joint. I hadn't actually watched the video before commenting. That guy doesn't look very competent to me. Looks to me that he has a little DIY experience in copper pipe welding/soldering by his technique. Remember he is using some chunky steel bits there. May be disasterous with a thin oil cooler though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredc Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 The guy in the video didn't know how to use the stuff try this http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/aluminium-repair-starter-kitfrom machinemart.co.ukEdit : link didn't work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik398 Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 I will be having a proper look at everything tomorrow, but yeah the leak is coming from where the hose is attached to it, so is likely to be a crack or something where the bolt goes in, or possibly an 'o' ring though I doubt it... it would have to be fairly well ruined for that I think. I will keep everyone updated... could be interesting to see if epoxy kind of stuff works, or the brazing rods. I have been curious about them for a while to be fair so it could be interesting to see if they are any good, if they are then they could be used for all sorts of bike stuff so could be cool. Got to wait for my loan to come in before actually fixing it, but I can afford to be off the road this week due to holiday and stuff, so will start taking apart and looking. Bit of a pain... soon as I think of adding something to the bike or doing any upgrades and stuff... something happens that needs fixed. EVERY TIME lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I wouldn't think epoxy would be any good for sealing a hot oil system without sandwiching it between something.These days a wash is the only upgrade mine gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Git Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 The aluminium repair kit works fine - I did a test 'welding' a split coke can with no problems (except I needed reminding not to pick up the can immediately after doing the test weld..... )Liquid steel (the stuff in the tubes) will work but will not look great - ensure area is fully cleaned and dry before using. Epoxy resin is not recommended.All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik398 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Ok folks sorry for the lack of progress, uni has started and I have all sorts of busy stuff on from day 1, with data to analyse, a PGCE application to chase up, and yeah already behind on day 2 (back to normal then) I had a chance to take the hose off on the side that the leak was coming from. There do not appear to be any cracks... to be fair I think I would have been happier if there were, least I would know. So anyway just cleaned it up a bit and had a look and can't see anything obvious as of yet. No cracks jumping out at me, and no real corrosion to speak of. But it is coming from that area for sure. I think I will have to get the cooler off and have a proper look. Doing that over this weekend, as my gran's house has a cover and all of the old tools lying around (discovered a welding machine of some type the other day... what it is I am clueless of but hey) I would just buy another cooler, but if I can fix it I will, and post some pictures and stuff when the time comes. May serve as some help to others experiencing the same thing (saw a guy on here with the exact same problem as me funnily enough) and I am the kind of person (perhaps idiot) that would perhaps rather try and fail to fix something cheap before finally admitting defeat. So, as for now, either an 'o' ring, or a tiny hole somewhere. will keep posted. Thanks for the help folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik398 Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Apologies for the lack of feedback, but I had to check (you will see what I mean) Basically, I just undid the pipe a little, gave it a bit of a clean with a cloth, and then did it up again. This was meant only as quick check, but it seems as though the leak has stopped. There is no evidence of it at all any more, and when I had the pipe off I couldn't really see any cracks or anything. Looks as though it may have just been a little loose, though the bolt seemed tight enough when I took it off. Could this simply just be down to colder weather at the moment? My train was cancelled the other day so I drove it to Plymouth and back which is about an 80 mile round trip for me and still there seemed to be no evidence of a leak or anything? Seems strange but not complaining lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Could have been a bit of muck on the seal that you've now cleaned off...... Anyway, as you say, if it's stopped leaking and there's no sign of any cracks or anything then jobs a good'un....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin the Bear Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Result. It's the old, take it to bits, can't find anything wrong , put it back together and the fault has gone, routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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