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half way through a long journey my engine temperature went through the roof. i noticed that i had lost water from the coolant reservoir, but still had quiet abit left. i was miles away from home so had to continue riding it. there were no obvious water leaks, but were ever it was leaking from it was making its way onto the exhaust slip on as it was leaving a crusty residue on it, presumably anti freeze. when changing down gears i was getting clouds of smoke from the exhaust. the bike wanted to cut out when coming to a stop, and if it did it really didn't want to start again. when it did cut out there was a grey smoke still leaving the exhaust, which made it seem like coolant was getting within the engine. eventually it gave up and it went the rest of the way home in a van. when it was back and had cooled down it still wouldn't start, i bumped it off and reluctantly it started which huge clouds of grey smoke coming from the exhaust. once started it runs fine, you wouldn't know theres a problem, plenty of power, no funny noises etc. the engine oil is fine and unclouded, however the water in the coolant reservoir is murky and slightly oily. it still doesn't like starting, the engine temp goes off the scale after riding for 5mins, the coolant level stays the same, runs fine when going, no apparent leaks when its running. somebody please help! only had her two weeks.

sorry to say it but thats screaming head gasket, and if it is using/runnin it will make it worse and damage the head or worse

Wow, sounds like the head gasket has gone in a big way! If the coolant also smells slightly of exhaust then its definately a head gasket. The exhaust escapes through the head gasket and into the coolant system, obviously it can make the colour turn too. Also causes the system temperature to sky rocket as the fumes are essentially heating up the coolant.

If you repair it yourself get the head checked to make sure its not warped, and check the entire top end for any damage like the cams and followers, otherwise you might be lucky just to get away with a blown head gasket.

well thanks for the reply guys. it is what i expected, just wanted a second opinion to confirm. and yes the coolant does smell of exhaust fumes, couldn't quiet put my finger on what that smell was but as soon as i read that i knew. would riding it on a short journey damage it, ie 5miles to my mates garage? even though it runs sweet when going could i still have damaged the engines internals? and any idea on the cost of repairs? thanks.

I wouldnt ride/run it at all as could cause more damage, you could be lucky and as rob says just a gasket. If you run it any more could end up needing head skimed, oil change etc etc

ok, well thanks for your help chaps.

Yeah dont ride it anymore, it'll get just as hot and may eventually melt the hardening on your cams which is what happened to my first ZXR and ruined the motor.

scary i dont mean to this thread or anything, but just as so everyone knows and me, how hot should they be allowed to get, mine gets real hot real quick after a run. i never gets above half wen the fan comes on, i dont let it, coz last time it ran badly. is there a safety margin to be aware of before we start ruining cams?

hi rob b and thanks for the reply. i wont be riding it anymore, back to the boring old car for now. you mention that you ruined your motor in a similar way, this worries me. the engine temperature was literally of the scale, however it still ran fine. could my engine still be buggered even though it apparently runs ok? also have you carried out a head gasket replacement? i'm toying with the idea of doing the work myself, although my mechanic friend seems to think the whole engine needs to come out, is this correct? also are there any special tools i'd require to do the job? sorry if it seems like im sucking your brain dry of information, but if possible i'd like to avoid a scandalous labour bill from a garage. thanks again. dave.

there's mixed feelings about taking the engine out to do the head gasket, personally myself i would take it out, its soo much easier to work on and it aint that hard to drop a zxr400 engine.

hmmm, food for thought. any ideas on where i can get the head gasket?

kawasaki dealer will supply the gasket.

My engine eventually went cos i kept riding it, i was sorting the simple stuff out first like a new radiator cap and new coolant as the temp would rise very quickly and get quite hot, but i went out for a ride one day and then it started tapping like anything. But if it sounds ok you might have got away with it, even mine pulled and accelerated away no probs. One problem i did have was starting, it starting missing on one of the cylinders where i can only imaging coolant was seeping through and fouling the plug.

As for the engine, ive never done it, but if its your first time then take it out as its obviously going to be easier to work on.

Cradley's are good for parts

Good luck with it and let us know how you get on.

p.s.
While you have the engine apart it might be worth doing the cam chain tensioner or replacing the cam chain while your at it. If the bikes covered roughly 20k or more itll need doing soon anyway.

thanks for the reply. the bike has a massive service history, lots of recent engine work, its practically a new engine so i dont think camchains etc will need doing. i'll be devastated if the engines damaged though. on my quest to solve the problem i stumbled across a company called steel seal. they make a sort of chemical metal that you add to your coolant/water mix. when you let the engine idle it coats your radiator internals and penetrates blown gaskets etc to provide a seal, and sets at a certain temp. presume its a similar principle to tyre slime or radweld. the company target this product at blown head gaskets. have you had any experience with it and do you think its worth a go? i may post it as a new topic to see if anyone can vouch for the companies bold claims. dave

Ive heard of that sort of thing where you pour stuff into the radiator to seal it, ive heard of people using eggs! Only problem i have with that stuff is that surely it could cause a blockage or restrict the flow of coolant?