Burning Coolant?

[Mark512]

Hey there all... I have a 2002 KDX220 that seems to be losing about 8 ounces of coolant in a hour of riding. It is not leaking anywhere. Shall I assume that I need to replace the some gaskets, or is there another possibility?

 

[RM85rider123]

If your exhaust smells sweet, then you are burning coolant. You will have to replace the head gasket or base gasket(lower cylinder)

 

[Mark512]

Not smelling sweet

If your exhaust smells sweet, then you are burning coolant. You will have to replace the head gasket or base gasket(lower cylinder)

Thanks for the reply to my question... Although I am not smelling the burning coolant, I can't imagine what else it could be. I guess I can try starting the season leaving it alone to see if it gets any worse. If it does, then I can strip it down and change gaskets. Does that sound like a good plan or not to you?

 

[_JOE_]

How does the plug look? Have you changed the tranny oil lately?

 

[Someone]

If the oil is milky, you have a bad head/base gasket or water pump issue.

 

[dirt bike dave]

How are you measuring the coolant loss?

Does it keep losing coolant at the same rate beyond the initial 8 ounces/hour (i.e. do you lose 12 ounces in 1.5 hours), or does it hold at 8 ounces lost?

FWIW, if you are filling the radiator all the way to the top, you will lose quite a bit (8 ounces?) as the coolant expands with heat. The KDX coolant overflow reservoir does not stop the coolant from splashing out as you are bouncing down the trail.

Just trying to make sure you really have a problem before you open up your motor.

 

[KdxChode]

You might check in Canadian Daves KDX forum too. It's the sub forum of this one. There are guys that frequent it that know pretty much everything there is to know about a KDX. It is by far the best source of info I have ever found for that bike.

 

[sr5bidder]

you really should not ride untill you have it figuered out I know I would'nt I don't have $500 bucks or more to spend on redoing the topend

check the radiators real good and the hoses when coolant leaks are small they can evaporate right off theface of the coil (radiator)

 

[porterdog]

As posted above, these bikes are known for losing coolant out the overflow bottle when ridden over rough terrain.

One fix I've heard suggested is to run the vent line along the upper frame rails so that it's end is higher than the spigot on the bottle; you're less likely to lose it from splashing with the hose setup this way.

 

[sr5bidder]

my bikes catch tank is all cracked up and I always have coolant all the way to the top of the fill side radiator...are you lossing it from the catch tank or does it take 8oz in the radiator to fill it back up??
I think the tank is just for the tree huggers maybe laws??? I have noticed the racing 2stroke bile have no tank