The Story Of The Resurrection of Blitsie….

[Superkazy]

You can braze a radiator for very cheap no need to replace the radiator if there is a hole. Put the bike on a stand and kick the revs up for a while then look around for leakage around the hoses and the radiator front and back side. Do this with the fairings off to have a better view of of everything. Also wipe with a paper towel and see if you get any dampness when wiping.

[ClimbingTurtle]

You can braze a radiator for very cheap no need to replace the radiator if there is a hole. Put the bike on a stand and kick the revs up for a while then look around for leakage around the hoses and the radiator front and back side. Do this with the fairings off to have a better view of of everything. Also wipe with a paper towel and see if you get any dampness when wiping.

More or less what we did on Saturday - even dried the rad out with a compressor (softly) - didnt actually see any seeping...

The sides of the Rad are plastic (the end-caps) where the thermostat fits in, so I dont think the can be brazed..... But, I am certainly prepared to send it out for a look - Silverton radiators I suppose?

[Superkazy]

Plastic weld type of products works great on plastics same with some epoxies and jb-weld also. There are a wide range of diy products to fix a leak. Have you checked the fin pipes front and rear of the radiator for any dings?

[Superkazy]

Just fyi bend some of the hoses under pressure as holes can open under movement and standing still can seal them back up. This happened to my front rad hose that had a stress fracture and only leaked when going over bumps so took me a while to find out it was a hose that's leaking.

[ClimbingTurtle]

Just fyi bend some of the hoses under pressure as holes can open under movement and standing still can seal them back up. This happened to my front rad hose that had a stress fracture and only leaked when going over bumps so took me a while to find out it was a hose that's leaking.

Thats worth a shot!!  Give that a try this evening.

Also going to mix up some epoxy and layer it around the rad cap area - saw a thread about pin-holes on AdvRider.....

[Superkazy]

Just make sure you sand and clean the area if you going to epoxy onto smooth areas. This will promote adhesion.

[ktmmer]

Just fyi bend some of the hoses under pressure as holes can open under movement and standing still can seal them back up. This happened to my front rad hose that had a stress fracture and only leaked when going over bumps so took me a while to find out it was a hose that's leaking.

Thats worth a shot!!  Give that a try this evening.

Also going to mix up some epoxy and layer it around the rad cap area - saw a thread about pin-holes on AdvRider.....

Maybe rather find the leaks and have it tig welded. Epoxy will contaminate the material if you decide to weld later.

[ClimbingTurtle]

Just fyi bend some of the hoses under pressure as holes can open under movement and standing still can seal them back up. This happened to my front rad hose that had a stress fracture and only leaked when going over bumps so took me a while to find out it was a hose that's leaking.

Thats worth a shot!!  Give that a try this evening.

Also going to mix up some epoxy and layer it around the rad cap area - saw a thread about pin-holes on AdvRider.....

Maybe rather find the leaks and have it tig welded. Epoxy will contaminate the material if you decide to weld later.

Its plastic, unfortunately - this is the issue actually - the sides, where the thermostat sits and the in-flow & out-flow and over-flow pipes connect, are all plastic..... The core is alu I assume?

[BullFrog]

Just put an egg in there!!!! 

[ClimbingTurtle]

Just put an egg in there!!!! 

And then we have cooked egg in the radiator..... 

Because there is no leak......

 

[ClimbingTurtle]

OK - so this morning I loaded Blitsie onto the trailer and off to Silverton Radiators in Benoni.....

First - pressure test - 1.5Bar - no drop in pressure.
Was then advised to strip the rad out, and bring it in for more testing, so off home, drain coolant, strip out the rad, back to Silverton Radiators, luckily not too far....
Secondly was a air-pressure test - plugged all the pipes (overflow bottle still attached), add some air pressure, immerse in the water-tank - no bubbles at all.....
Bear in mind the overflow is also in the system at this point, as they use a cap without a spring pressure in it.
Thirdly, they then caustic cleaned it - to get out any calcification in the core - and water-pressure tested it again - no air-bubbles in sight.

They declared the radiator to be completely leak-free - I have to agree with them...

Also, they didn't charge me for the testing...... What a nice place - I will go back there!!

So, we know all the areas it isn't, but not the areas it is causing a problem.....

So Thursday, we ride again.

[BullFrog]

Just put an egg in there!!!! 

And then we have cooked egg in the radiator..... 

Because there is no leak......

 

In jest.....

[ClimbingTurtle]

Just put an egg in there!!!! 

And then we have cooked egg in the radiator..... 

Because there is no leak......

 

In jest.....

I know.....   

I was looking at more modern versions of the egg as well - but the result is still..... No Leak.....   

[Jughead]

Make sure the engine is cold.  Pull the sump plug but only allow the oil to seep out slowly.  Collect this oil in preferably a clear glass jar.  You only need to drain about 100ml.  Once it has settled, check if you have any coolant on the bottom of the jar.

I am assuming you fitted new waterpump seals.  Are you sure you put them in back to back, and not facing the same direction?

[ClimbingTurtle]

Make sure the engine is cold.  Pull the sump plug but only allow the oil to seep out slowly.  Collect this oil in preferably a clear glass jar.  You only need to drain about 100ml.  Once it has settled, check if you have any coolant on the bottom of the jar.

I am assuming you fitted new waterpump seals.  Are you sure you put them in back to back, and not facing the same direction?

Thanks - will do this tonight as well..... The oil is all nice and new as well.....

New water-pump, with seals - correct facing direction as well - new drive gears too - pump works correctly, i stripped the cover off and bumped the motor to confirm they are turning.

[Jughead]

Make sure the engine is cold.  Pull the sump plug but only allow the oil to seep out slowly.  Collect this oil in preferably a clear glass jar.  You only need to drain about 100ml.  Once it has settled, check if you have any coolant on the bottom of the jar.

I am assuming you fitted new waterpump seals.  Are you sure you put them in back to back, and not facing the same direction?

Thanks - will do this tonight as well..... The oil is all nice and new as well.....

New water-pump, with seals - correct facing direction as well - new drive gears too - pump works correctly, i stripped the cover off and bumped the motor to confirm they are turning.

   I have seen a few pumps where the seals were fitted the wrong way around.  The working sides of these seals need to both face outward.  If the outer one is the wrong way around it will result in coolant slowly bleeding into the sump as the pressure in the cooling system builds.

[ClimbingTurtle]

  I have seen a few pumps where the seals were fitted the wrong way around.  The working sides of these seals need to both face outward.  If the outer one is the wrong way around it will result in coolant slowly bleeding into the sump as the pressure in the cooling system builds.

I imagine it would - and I reckon it would be noticeable if 190ml of coolant found its way into the sump - but the seals are definitely in the correct way - there is a note in the installation manual about this irrc, anyway I remember wondering about this and did some research at the time as to the why of it.

Drained some oil out of the sump last night - as you can see, there isnt any coolant in that!

My current bet is on either a pin-hole in a hose, or a leaky hoseclamp........

Keep ideas coming, I appreciate the input, and there has been thoughts posted that I didnt have, so thank you!!

[dirt rat]

Check the hose on the bottom of the radiator- if the exhaust header is not correctly installed it can touch the hose at the bend and burn it.

[ClimbingTurtle]

Check the hose on the bottom of the radiator- if the exhaust header is not correctly installed it can touch the hose at the bend and burn it.

It is very close, isnt it? I will check again to be sure, certainly!

The clutch cable was incorrectly routed prior to my getting the bike and scorched the cover somewhat - not critically though.

Ran out of time last night to refill the coolant accurately, and rather than rush it and guess, i decided to leave it for tonight.....

Tomorrow I will ride again!

[katana]

I am not sure if it was mentioned, but have you replaced the radiator cap?