Overreacting?

dan druff · May 23, 2007

I took the rm out for a quick spin today to test the new clutch plates, and It seemed to be running hot so I think, but not too sure. Maybe it felt hot becasue I was in shorts and not gear, but whatever keep reading. So I checked my over flow tube and there were little spatter drops of what appears to be coolant about 1/3 of the way down the tube, after that it is dry. I have never looked at the overflow before right after a ride, is this normal, am I overreacting?

live_to_bike · May 23, 2007

this isnt out of the orinary.. whne u ride ur coolent is gunna splash around a bit.. its not uncommon for there to be alittle bit in the over flow line

sixds · May 23, 2007

well its not common to burn a hole tank of coolant. the right side crank gasket may be blown, and the head gasket.

MikeT · May 23, 2007

live_to_bike said:
its not uncommon for there to be alittle bit in the over flow line

I'm not so sure about that. If coolant is coming out of the overflow tube then either your bike is overheating or your radiator cap is going bad. I would top off your radiator and check it again after it has cooled down after your next ride.

Keep a close eye on that or your bike will be toast!

76GMC1500 · May 23, 2007

If you topped up your radiator recently or you get the engine warmer than it has been since it was last topped up, you will see some coolant get pushed out the overflow. A quick burp of coolant every once in a while is ok. Enduro bikes have a coolant reservoir will draw it back in as the radiator cools and pulls into a vacuum. MX bikes just dump it on the ground so you have to keep an eye on the radiator level. If the bike boils over, you've got a problem. If you continually have to add coolant, you've got a problem. You should never see the coolant level drop below the top of the radiator core if you look in through the radiator cap fitting.

dan druff · May 23, 2007

sixds said:
well its not common to burn a hole tank of coolant. the right side crank gasket may be blown, and the head gasket.

I didn't burn any coolant due to bad crank seals, i just had the mreplaced last fall, and less than an hour on since.

I could not see the top of my radiator core, i did however top it off to the lip of the hole where the cap sits and will continue to monitar. Judging by some of the posts i think it was just a little burp, I mean there weren't any spatter marks past a few inches from where the overflow hose connects, and there wasn't a serious loss of coolant. I know when I changed out the coolant I didn't fill it as high as I have it now, so this will be a benchmark for future observations on this. Any info on clogged radiators, or tips to ensure proper funtion would be great Thank you guys for the responses!

bruno670 · May 23, 2007

Keep a close eye on the level , a couple of places where coolant could be lost. The head gasket is one and the waterpump is the other. under the pump case there is a small hole that is used when the pump seal is bad. If you suspect that the leak is there put a small amount of toilet paper in the hole. Rev it up and see if it becomes wet. If it does then you need to replace the waterpump seal AND it is a good idea to change out the waterpump shaft, sometimes they become worn and just the seals won't solve the problem.

76GMC1500 · May 23, 2007

Coolant expands as it warms up. If you keep your radiator completely full, you will lose some out the overflow when it warms up

just_a_rider · May 23, 2007

Well there is no dought that the pipe felt hot wearing shorts, I've burned my leg with shorts but not again. As long as the coolant level is not dropping a noticable amount there should be no probs.

dan druff · May 23, 2007

just_a_rider said:
Well there is no dought that the pipe felt hot wearing shorts, I've burned my leg with shorts but not again. As long as the coolant level is not dropping a noticable amount there should be no probs.

I wasn't talking about the pipe, the air rushing through my shrouds felt unuasly warm, but then again the whole shorts thing....

thanks again for the responses

whenfoxforks-ruled · May 23, 2007

How did the clutch feel,a slipping clutch will overheat an engine quick!New plates on old hubs will wear till they seat or roast from being bad.

mox69 · May 24, 2007

If your concerned they make cheap thermometers that stick onto the side of the engine and give you a temperature reading.

I have no idea how well they work though.

Also, if you know someone with a car repair shop they probably have an infrared thermometer available. Bring the bike to their shop, warm it up and have them check the temp.

BTW what is a "normal" operating temperature ?

I'm going to guess somewhere between 160f-200f (like cars), but I honestly don't know.

griffbones · May 24, 2007

Just pressure test the system and your cap. If you do not have the tools, stop by your dealer, they can do this in like 5 - 10 minutes. Oh and puts some pants on!

76GMC1500 · May 24, 2007

Normal operating temp should be less than 216 degrees F if running straight water. Any higher and you boil over.

dan druff · May 24, 2007

whenfoxforks-ruled said:
How did the clutch feel,a slipping clutch will overheat an engine quick!New plates on old hubs will wear till they seat or roast from being bad.

I took the bike to the service shop and asked them to inspect and replace any faulty components becasue I was having terrible clutch drag. He told me it was smoked and put in a new clutch kit. It felt great in comparison to before. Would a blown silencer attribute to temprature problems? becasue my core has seen better days.....plus looking at it now the gas was on the older side, and the mods make the engine finicky so could detonation be a casue as well?

Unfortuantly my time and efforts are being diverted to a much more urgent cause, my hot water heater failed some time yesterday so I came home from work to find the storage area of my basement soaked! :yikes: but after this weekend I hope to get into this bike more....

again thanks for the insightful replies

whenfoxforks-ruled · May 24, 2007

40 gallon natural gas,high recovery,580 installed.Bad silencer means it will not run good.High compression engine and crappy gas can mean detonation and overheating.

dan druff · May 25, 2007

whenfoxforks-ruled said:
40 gallon natural gas,high recovery,580 installed.Bad silencer means it will not run good.High compression engine and crappy gas can mean detonation and overheating.

crappy gas and high comp engine sounds like the ticket here......

sounds like you know water heaters too, that could be a good thing, or a bad thing..............on mine the pressure relaif system failed, and a steady leak had occured, i could see it coming from the pressure relief pipe. Called the plumber he installed a new valve, old one wasn't seating properly. but now instead of running out the pressure relief tube, it is coming from where the relief tube leaves the main body of the heater :bang:

whenfoxforks-ruled · May 26, 2007

Believe me when I tell you plumbers are like everybody else,some good and some bad!Turn off your supply at the heater cold side or your main coming into the house.Drain off enough water to unscrew the relief valve.Plumbing supply house or the thrifty menards have a blue thread sealer or 7 wraps of teflon tape in the direction of the thread.Start it by hand and crank it down with a 18" pipe wrench.If it is 3/4" coming out then it needs a 3/4" pipe directing overflow to within 6" of the floor,drain.It is a pressure relief and when it works or not,can become a hazard if not safely directed.You should be certain this is where the water is leaking,when the tank goes it can seem to be leaking and the only place you see it is at the bottom,average life is 8 to 10 years,I have seen them last 25!What about the bike???

Filthy_McNasty · May 26, 2007

76GMC1500 said:
Normal operating temp should be less than 216 degrees F if running straight water. Any higher and you boil over.

Not true. The cooling system is pressurized, raising the boiling point of water to near 260 degrees.

dan druff · May 28, 2007

whenfoxforks-ruled said:
Believe me when I tell you plumbers are like everybody else,some good and some bad!Turn off your supply at the heater cold side or your main coming into the house.Drain off enough water to unscrew the relief valve.Plumbing supply house or the thrifty menards have a blue thread sealer or 7 wraps of teflon tape in the direction of the thread.Start it by hand and crank it down with a 18" pipe wrench.If it is 3/4" coming out then it needs a 3/4" pipe directing overflow to within 6" of the floor,drain.It is a pressure relief and when it works or not,can become a hazard if not safely directed.You should be certain this is where the water is leaking,when the tank goes it can seem to be leaking and the only place you see it is at the bottom,average life is 8 to 10 years,I have seen them last 25!What about the bike???

I was up at the family cabin for the holiday, the RM didn't make the journey.....will be getting some fresh 110, and hopefully a new silencer off that big auction site by weeks end and will give it a whirl.

on the heater front. I drained enough water out of the heater so it stopped leaking for when I went away this weekend. I will be in contact with the plumber, becasue I don't want to pay the bill for his "fix" and we can work something out here.... But I definatly could tell it was coming from the overflow pipe, then after he was there it was coming from where the over flow pipe connects into the main part of the heater, there was a line of water running from it hours after even with my infeed supply vavle closed, and the unit unplugged... :coocoo:

whenfoxforks-ruled · May 28, 2007

Believe me when I tell you plumbers are like everybody else,some good and some bad!If I can not fix it then I do not CHARGE!You may have some issues with the shut off also,DO NOT ASK HIM!Generally I always tell people to get any 3 quotes,be specific about alleged repairs and extras!

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