Help - General coolant faliure

[breedos]

Hi,

I'm new to all this forum stuff and this is my first so hopefully I'm doing this right! I have read some posts that other people have and they are sort of similar I think. I still have not got use to the ZXR system so quite unfamiliar where everything is.

I rode the bike from Exeter to South Wales and stopped on the way once, when I got to a roundabout in south wales I noticed the thermometer read the engine was really hot so I pulled off to let it cool down. As I was parking the bike it spat out a green fluid from the left hand side of the bike along side a fizzing sound, like boiling water. I switched her off to let her cool down and check the coolant reservoir, which to my understanding is on the right had side of the bike and it had a minimal amount of fluid in there. I also notice that the cooling fan didn't come on.

Does anyone have any idea where I should even start looking or had the similar problem.

I have added a pic if that helps. You can see the Green fluid, but I'm not 100% what I'm looking at.

20120922_095744.jpg

Thanks!

[cookiesol]

as per what others have posted n from personal experience,
the zxr runs alittle on the hot side at lower speeds with multiple stops (lights etc)
no temp problem on highways for me thou.

the radiator fan kicks in at around mid of temperature range and if yours doesnt, perhaps u might wanna check thermostat or wiring etc?
being a 91 model, have u checked the condition of the radiator hose? assuming there's no change, i believe it would have been wrecked after these many years
changed mine along with rad cap, coolant flush & head gasket when i first got it.

[banner001]

Hi,

I'm new to all this forum stuff and this is my first so hopefully I'm doing this right! I have read some posts that other people have and they are sort of similar I think. I still have not got use to the ZXR system so quite unfamiliar where everything is.

I rode the bike from Exeter to South Wales and stopped on the way once, when I got to a roundabout in south wales I noticed the thermometer read the engine was really hot so I pulled off to let it cool down. As I was parking the bike it spat out a green fluid from the left hand side of the bike along side a fizzing sound, like boiling water. I switched her off to let her cool down and check the coolant reservoir, which to my understanding is on the right had side of the bike and it had a minimal amount of fluid in there. I also notice that the cooling fan didn't come on.

Does anyone have any idea where I should even start looking or had the similar problem.

I have added a pic if that helps. You can see the Green fluid, but I'm not 100% what I'm looking at.

20120922_095744.jpg

Thanks!

ok first up, the thermometer on your instrument panel will have a series of graduations, where abouts was the needle when you said it "was hot", was it in the last quarter/in the red portion, or was it in the middle?

next go and buy some pre-mixed coolant - you will need 2.3L to do the whole system, and fill the expansion tank to 1-2cm under the MAX line.

now take the radiator cap off and topup the radiator. at least you now have your coolant levels full...i would also suggest that you do a full flush of the coolant system...i might post something up later today.

now where on your picture does the coolant apear to be leaking from? that black plastic cylinder with the brass end is (i think) a kind of pressure switch to keep coolant flowwing in only one direction (i think)...so that might be blocked and would need replacing. check all the tubing connections as well for cracks, or loose fitting clamps, the cooling system is under pressure.

also you will need to check that your fan works, left-hand front side of the radiator there is a protusion with 2 wires coming from it. hook those wires up to a battery and see if the fan turns, if not you will need a new fan.

coolant problems could be dodgy thermostat, fan switch, coolant pump, poor coolant, cracks and leaks, blockages, crap all over the front of the radiator...it will need a systematic investigation to rule things out im afraid.

[RedexRobB]

dont forget the radiator cap also has its role

[banner001]

dont forget the radiator cap also has its role

aye, your radiator cap might not be functional, i take it it releases at a certain pressure?

[breedos]

Thanks for all your replies!

I finally found out the main causes! The coolant pipe which runs into the bottom of the Carb had perished causing fluid to leak out. After repairing this I also found on the right had side of the bike a water filter. This looked like the owner before me had forced it into position causing it to bend and finally split (on my journey). I took the filter out because it looked skank and didn't look like it would do much. I pushed the pipes inside each other, wrapped insulation tape around them and used the clips that were on the pipes to keep them in place. I have just ridden about 100 miles on it this evening and had no problems, even the temp gauge was reading really low which is a good sign! Cheers for your help people!

[banner001]

Thanks for all your replies!

I finally found out the main causes! The coolant pipe which runs into the bottom of the Carb had perished causing fluid to leak out. After repairing this I also found on the right had side of the bike a water filter. This looked like the owner before me had forced it into position causing it to bend and finally split (on my journey). I took the filter out because it looked skank and didn't look like it would do much. I pushed the pipes inside each other, wrapped insulation tape around them and used the clips that were on the pipes to keep them in place. I have just ridden about 100 miles on it this evening and had no problems, even the temp gauge was reading really low which is a good sign! Cheers for your help people!

that filter is the coolant filter, needs periodically cleaning, it should just pull apart.

[breedos]

Is that the one on the right hand side of the bike? So what does the one of the left side do - I'm guessing its a filter as well?

[banner001]

Is that the one on the right hand side of the bike? So what does the one of the left side do - I'm guessing its a filter as well?

i think the left one is a one-way valve...though i may be wrong.

i though it was so that hot coolant from the engine went into the carb, then through the filter, then towards the pump...?

[RedexRobB]

dont forget the radiator cap also has its role

aye, your radiator cap might not be functional, i take it it releases at a certain pressure?

Yes, there's a number on the cap at which it does that in bar. My versus has 1.1 stamped on it. So a temperature that raises the pressure to 1.1 bar or more and the cap will allow fluid to pass into the expansion tank.

[breedos]

Oh right okay that makes sense. I've looked on eBay for the smae filter that went wrong and couldn't find one. Do I really need it on the system and if so any idea's where I can order one from?

[RedexRobB]

if your not fussed about the heating circuit for the carbs you can bin it entirely and just plug the end where the filter goes in. You only need the heating really for winter and even then ive had carb icing before, so its not guaranteed to work.

[breedos]

Right okay thanks!