arkenskooter
New Member
Posts: 34
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Registered: Mar 19, 2018 20:34:35 GMT -7
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Post by arkenskooter on Apr 23, 2018 21:26:42 GMT -7
Day two of riding the bike with a grand total of 72 miles and when I got home this evening, I noticed that the temperature was at around 228. As I cut the engine, I heard the fan running and that's when I noticed a puddle of radiator fluid on the ground and more fluid was spewing of the top of the radiator. Anyone experience anything like this before? The dealer is picking up the bike tomorrow to have it looked at. I am just trying to figure out what went wrong. Right before getting home, I took the back roads trying to ride in the range of 3000 to 6000 rpms (going up to 6K and then decelerating to 3K). Hoping to get some insight on this.  |
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mario
Junior Member
Posts: 56
Likes: 14
Registered: Apr 4, 2018 4:44:17 GMT -7
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Post by mario on Apr 24, 2018 0:15:30 GMT -7
Looking closely at that pic it seems like the cap for the expansion bottle has come off / opened. Thing is, was it like that when you went out for a ride or has the pressure build up popped it off??
In all honesty my bet is that there was air trapped in the system which had worked it's way out to the expansion tank, the pressure has caused the cap for the tank to pop off and coolant has spilt out as a result. However that is just a guess. Best let the dealer confirm.
Please keep us updated as I would be interested to know. Saw a YouTube video last night of someone test riding a brand new 2017 model with 20 miles on the clock and it did the same thing!
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Post by RedAndBlack on Apr 24, 2018 0:18:36 GMT -7
I have witnessed this before but only in hot temperatures at the track. Usually it's from an overfilled coolant reservoir but I've seen reservoirs filled up to the max line overflow as well. Coolant will expand in the heat and the excess will be collected in the coolant reservoir. If you run out of capacity, the coolant will start flooding out of the overflow tube. I run my track bike at the low line due to the coolant expansion so I don't have this problem.
It's not too hot this time of year so unless you were riding in some heavy stop and go traffic, my assumption would be someone messed up with the prep of your bike and either did not Purge the coolant system of air, and/or they overfilled the coolant reservoir. Any Air bubbles in the system would expand as well in the heat and displace coolant and further overflow your coolant reservoir.
I've seen 230 on this bike before so it can get that hot, it's not unheard of. I wouldn't be that worried about that temp especially if that's what you recorded after you jumped off the bike with the engine off. Even with the fan, you'll see a jump in coolant temp when the coolant stops circulating through the system.
I think you made a smart moving having the dealer pick it up to assess it.
When you get it back, to double check the dealers work, Purge the system of air. Take the radiator cap off (only do this on a cold engine!!!) And start the bike. Start squeezing the coolant hoses around the bike to help Purge any air bubbles. When the coolant reaches the top of the radiator and starts to overflow, put the cap back on. That should Purge the majority, if not all, of any excess air you might have in your coolant system.
One time...I picked up my ZX6 from the dealer after they replaced a failed water pump under warranty and I made it 2 blocks before my radiator shot up above 245 and started just reading "Hi". The dealer didn't replace the coolant correctly and obviously didn't test ride the bike afterwards. I'm lucky I got stopped at a red light and looked down. That could've been catastrophic.
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arkenskooter
New Member
Posts: 34
Likes: 7
Registered: Mar 19, 2018 20:34:35 GMT -7
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Post by arkenskooter on Apr 24, 2018 19:56:03 GMT -7
Dealer suspected that the overflow cap was not set in correctly. They also suggested that it could have been an air lock. It seems like the cap can very easily come off and the slight pressure must have pushed it over and the fluid spewed out.
I did about a 100 miles today and it ran fine. I guess the bike does run a little hot. I saw it go up to 230 today, not something I have paid too much attention to.
Thank you all for your input!
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Post by RedAndBlack on Apr 24, 2018 20:13:06 GMT -7
Typical dealer horse shit. The only pressure that would be enough to pop that cap off would be from the fluid. They overfilled it or left air in the system.
Either way, hopefully it's fixed and hopefully you get to enjoy the bike with no more issues!
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