Ricky Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 Hey guys First off, I was just doing general maintenance on my bike ready for work and I noticed that one of the exhaust mounts that connects the the cylinder was slightly cracked (I should have just left it, I know) and as I was undoing the mounting thing (that was cracked), snapped off! I undid it as gently as I could!http://imageshack.us/a/img838/1923/mlwy.jpgIf you look at the down pipe that connects to the cylinder you can see the small gap the mounting thing left.So after I did that I finished putting the fairings back on went for a cruise as normal came back home I inspected the gap to make sure the gap hadn't made more cracks in the cylinder and i noticed the coolant was low so I filled it up, maybe a bit to much, it went over the 'top' line (is that a problem?) went for another cruise riding like normal and BAM! temperature light came on?!I carried on riding, got home looked at the coolant, it was the same as before so it hadn't leaked then I take a look at the radiator...http://imageshack.us/a/img19/7373/ethl.jpg It's wet!!! What can I do?I need it for my 42 mile trip to work and back tomorrow will it be okay to ride?I would seriously appreciate any help or advice please!?!?!?!?! Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 You didn't knock the rad when you were working on the exhaust did you? ..... Try some K-seal in the water system Ricky......it may just be a stone hole......which is why rad guards are a good idea..... Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 You didn't knock the rad when you were working on the exhaust did you? ..... Try some K-seal in the water system Ricky......it may just be a stone hole......which is why rad guards are a good idea..... Hey tango:)I don't know how it could be coolant from the radiator when the coolant level hasn't gone down I do have a spare radiator from the YZF I crashed do you think it's worth swapping?I checked it after I got to work this morning and there was nothing on the radiator this time?But the temperature light stayed on, could there be air in the system or something? Quote
Chrissb6 Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Morning, first check the electrical connection for the thermostat it should be on top of the radiator, l would not be surprised if you pulled a wire taking the fairing off. If there's no coolant leak don't be putting any sealant into the system. Try and draw off any excess fluid in the cooling system and get the level correct, you don't want it overflowing and getting onto the tyres or yourself. Keep us posted. Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Is the fan coming on Ricky? Does the red warning light come on immediately, or after a bit of riding? Where are you topping the water up......header bottle or straight into the rad? Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Morning, first check the electrical connection for the thermostat it should be on top of the radiator, l would not be surprised if you pulled a wire taking the fairing off. If there's no coolant leak don't be putting any sealant into the system. Try and draw off any excess fluid in the cooling system and get the level correct, you don't want it overflowing and getting onto the tyres or yourself. Keep us posted. Hey I checked the electrics, and all is in where it should be I also waited for it to cool down, removed the excess fluid and it still comes on Is the fan coming on Ricky? Does the red warning light come on immediately, or after a bit of riding? Where are you topping the water up......header bottle or straight into the rad? Hey tango The fan is spinning like crazy, it comes on after about 5-10 minutes easy riding then I'll stop for a minute and it'll turn off but if I go for long rides like to work it takes longer to turn off (the red light)I'm topping it into the header bottle Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Check the water level in the Rad.....as the water from the header may not be making it to there........and check that the water feed from the header tank to the rad isn't kinked or trapped.There is also the possibility of an airlock in the system mate.......or even that the thermostat isn't opening...so the rad can't do it's job properly...... So....is the fan running all the time Ricky....or does it go on and off? Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Check the water level in the Rad.....as the water from the header may not be making it to there........and check that the water feed from the header tank to the rad isn't kinked or trapped.There is also the possibility of an airlock in the system mate.......or even that the thermostat isn't opening...so the rad can't do it's job properly...... So....is the fan running all the time Ricky....or does it go on and off? Woahhhhh, I noticed you said water the first time but I thought nothing of it then you used it again serveral times more, am I meant to put water in the radiator?I was always told you put coolant in them? :'(I'll check the pipes now The fan comes on about 30 seconds after turning the engine on and it spins like crazy... I don't know if its meant to spin that fast or not? Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Check the water level in the Rad.....as the water from the header may not be making it to there........and check that the water feed from the header tank to the rad isn't kinked or trapped.There is also the possibility of an airlock in the system mate.......or even that the thermostat isn't opening...so the rad can't do it's job properly...... So....is the fan running all the time Ricky....or does it go on and off? Woahhhhh, I noticed you said water the first time but I thought nothing of it then you used it again serveral times more, am I meant to put water in the radiator?I was always told you put coolant in them? :'(I'll check the pipes now The fan comes on about 30 seconds after turning the engine on and it spins like crazy... I don't know if its meant to spin that fast or not? Sorry Ricky....when I say water I mean coolant......old habits die hard...... The fan coming on after about 30 seconds isn't normal......so there is either something wrong with the temperature sensor as Chris suggested.....or you've got an airlock in the engine.....or the rad is empty and the COOLANT in the header isn't getting through..... Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Check the water level in the Rad.....as the water from the header may not be making it to there........and check that the water feed from the header tank to the rad isn't kinked or trapped.There is also the possibility of an airlock in the system mate.......or even that the thermostat isn't opening...so the rad can't do it's job properly...... So....is the fan running all the time Ricky....or does it go on and off? Woahhhhh, I noticed you said water the first time but I thought nothing of it then you used it again serveral times more, am I meant to put water in the radiator?I was always told you put coolant in them? :'(I'll check the pipes now The fan comes on about 30 seconds after turning the engine on and it spins like crazy... I don't know if its meant to spin that fast or not? Sorry Ricky....when I say water I mean coolant......old habits die hard...... The fan coming on after about 30 seconds isn't normal......so there is either something wrong with the temperature sensor as Chris suggested.....or you've got an airlock in the engine.....or the rad is empty and the COOLANT in the header isn't getting through..... TANGO! you had me nearly draining my radiator and deleting my account on TMBF due to embarrassment! I did check the fan 10 minutes after riding for 21 miles so perhaps it was already hot? Everything seems connected and doesn't seemed to of moved from it's cable tidy things, how can I check all of these things?I've looked at all the pipes and there's no kinks, or cuts or holes in any of the pipes associated with the radiator? Quote
Chrissb6 Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 You might have an air lock in the water pump, there's normally a bleed nipple - small bolt on the pump or nearby housing have a look and see if you can find it. Without the engine running undo the nipple - bolt and see if and air comes out in front of the coolant. Fingers crossed. Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Did you also check the coolant level in the Rad?.......stranger things have happened..... If the engine isn't too hot you could also try squeezing the top hose from the rad repeatedly (burping the system)....that can sometimes shift an airlock if there's one in the water jacket..... Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Hey guys thanks for your replies I haven't checked the radiator level, when I touch it when the temperature light comes on it isn't boiling, it's a tiny bit warm...I've undid the air bleeding bolt and it shot off followed by coolant and then stopped I read that you're supposed to have the engine running a bit with the bolt off to remove air I did that and after a while coolant started flowing out so I switched the engine off and put the bolt back in and went for a ride and at the exact same point down the dual carriage way BAM red light :'(I'm absolutely mind boggled :'(I'm going to follow this tutorial on how to bleed and flush the radiator so I'm going to try that and If it still shows a red light it's going to a garage so I can be ripped off to buggary...I'll tell you how I get on Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 If it doesn't feel hot when the fan comes on Ricky then it could be a faulty temp sensor as Chris suggested further up......or possibly the thermostat isn't opening to allow the water to flow through the rad..... Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 If it doesn't feel hot when the fan comes on Ricky then it could be a faulty temp sensor as Chris suggested further up......or possibly the thermostat isn't opening to allow the water to flow through the rad..... Where can I find the temperature sensor?It comes on at the exact same point down the road each time it's pretty weird actually The radiator doesn't get warm while the light is on I've not checked to see if the fan comes on as well, I'll do that now Quote
Tango Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Not sure where the temp sensor is on that bike Ricky.......on my Triumphs they are normally on the top of the rad or around the top hose from the rad..... You can check the thermostat by taking it off and putting it in a pan of hot water.....you should see it open at around boiling point or maybe a bit below....depends on the thermostat.....certainly if it doesn't open at boiling point it is likely it's that causing your problem..... Quote
Ricky Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Not sure where the temp sensor is on that bike Ricky.......on my Triumphs they are normally on the top of the rad or around the top hose from the rad..... You can check the thermostat by taking it off and putting it in a pan of hot water.....you should see it open at around boiling point or maybe a bit below....depends on the thermostat.....certainly if it doesn't open at boiling point it is likely it's that causing your problem..... Hey tango I took off what looked identical to a thermostat on eBay poured my boiling kettle over it and nothing happened... I thought that maybe that wasn't hot enough so I left it boiling in water on the stove... Nothing happened... So I took the thermostat which I took off my old YZF put that on, flushed the radiator with that tutorial thingy, put in new coolant and got rid of the air again and I went up and down the road at high revs to get the engine warm and...NO RED LIGHT!!!!!!It usually comes on 30 seconds down the road but this time nothing for ten minutes I'm going to work on it tomorrow which will tell me definitely if you've all fixed it THANK YOU SO MUCH TANGO AMD CHRIS :D :DYayyyyayayayayyayayayayayayyayay I owe you a coca cola at the next rally Quote
Ricky Posted January 3, 2014 Author Posted January 3, 2014 So I went to work on it this morning and the red light has gone so you've all fixed it Thank you so much for your help guys Quote
Tango Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 Nice one Ricky.....glad you got it sorted mate...... Quote
Chrissb6 Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 Good news, glad you're sorted, and well done you for having the savvy to ask and digging in deep to bottom it. I've got plenty of time to help those who are prepared to have a go. It's all part of the learning curve and the bonus of saving yourself a small fortune to boot. Quote
Ricky Posted January 3, 2014 Author Posted January 3, 2014 Thank you both again so much You've saved me god knows how much in repairs and prevented me using public transport Quote
Tango Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 I'll echo what Chris said......we have absolutely no problem helping out someone who is prepared to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in Ricky.....so, hats off to you mate for sticking with it and listening to the advice and giving it a go..... It's all part of the learning process.....and hopefully you'll be in the position to offer advice and guidance to others having problems with their bikes in the not-too-distant future..... Quote
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