OK, i give. I'm stuck waiting ANOTHER three weeks on parts from Megazip, so I figure i'll ask here. The one thing i've noticed so far with my ZXR is that it always runs REALLY low on the temp gauge.... like never climbing above the bottom bar on the range. The longest ride I've gotten it on is ~15km so far, but idling in the garage it won't come up to temp either. The radiator gets warm, but not hot to the touch, and it doesn't like going high up in the revs, or high up in load either. I figured the bike was still too cold. My theory came down to "someone decided this bike doesn't need a thermostat"... as it acted exactly like cars I've had without them. So the other night I pulled apart what I thought was the thermostat... I was wrong, but I found it soon after immediately under what I thought was a thermostat! Turns out it has a thermostat, the thermostat tests good in boiling water... and I drained perfectly good, new coolant out of the bike... I've recently read the manual to discover there's two coolant bleeders apparently. Is it possible the PO missed the one in the head, and I've just been fighting a giant coolant bubble? i seem to have drained not nearly enough coolant out of the bike... but then the manual told me it's only supposed to hold 1.2 liters of coolant. I'd say it looks like about that much in my pan at a guess. Thoughts, ideas, stories? At least it's December while i'm waiting here... but still, I wanna ride. -M
What's the ambient temperature at the times when you've been riding? Hypothetically an air bubble preventing coolant flow meaning that the hot coolant never reached the temp sensor and thermostat and the cold ambient air preventing overheating. Starting the bike with the radiator cap off and let it run for a few minutes to see if you get evidence of flow through the radiator Other possibility is that the water pump impeller has lost it's teeth through corrosion resulting in the same symptoms as a trapped air bubble. Third possibility the thermostat is the wrong temperature range and the flow commencing sooner prevents the engine from going higher into the temperature range. They may have an opening temperature stamped on them somewhere. Please note that I have no actual experience with ZXR's.
It's been cold- ambient between 2c and about 8 or so. Explains the lack of overheating but I still expect it to come to temp. I'll check the water pump for certain- especially since the bike is drained right now. I am hoping it's a matter of the PO didn't know about the multiple bleeder situation ...
The multiple bleeder sounds like the most plausible explanation. I do seem to recall someone else on the forum with the pump impeller blades virtually non-existent because they were either corroded aluminium or plastic which had disintegrated. I don't recall what bike it was though. It's simple to check though which is a good thing
My zxr stays on that bottom line on 35c days until you start hitting some red lights, cools back down once back on open road though, & it can idle for ages before its suddenly starts warming up, Theres a water temp switch on the head just above the starter motor that could be the culprit, it can be taken out and tested.If your radiator and hoses are warm everything seems ok then indicating its moving through, try squeezing the hose that comes out the top of the water pump(the bleeder hose)as you start up, you should feel it pressurize which means the impellor is ok, I only ever bleed from there as its usually not feasable to remove the airbox etc to get to the other bleed nipple, just fill the last 3-400ml extra slow and squeeze the hose near the rad cap to get those bubbles. -Im having a similar sort of issues with cooling where after each ride it gets hot theres about a 200ml air pocket left in the radiator which wont recover fluid from the reserve tank, if I remove the cap the fluid sometimes flows back through & fills the rad,other times it wont, the reserve is full, its either the cap itself or the routing of the reserve hose, but the manual doesnt even mention that hose.
Yeah its the cap for sure, as soon as im out of hospital I will look at a replacement for it, whether it be an oem cap or a supercrap special. Does anyone know which cap ill need for the zxr??,cant check the manual & im only limited on my phone while in here.
hahahahaha so I just had a little freak out. It was funny. I get the water pump cover off, pump impeller looks fine. Thing won't turn. I have a little freak out. Seems it should turn like every water pump I've ever had in my hand. I then realize I've only ever held beltdriven pumps in my hand. Bump starter, pump turns lol. I had a dumb. Water pump is fine. Just one more gasket I have to buy now tho. Gah.
rolls of various thickness gasket paper are a godsend...beats waiting for various replacement gaskets
True story. It IS just a paper gasket anyhow. A little bluing on the edge and I can transfer a template and cut one out.
That's what I do all the time, if you want to be certain of a a good seal - give all surfaces a coating of this stuff http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/Pr...n-Form-A-Gasket-Sealant-Liquid-No-3-59mL/5355
Cheers, just had a look on google/ebay etc cant find much locally, might be a job for Mr Kawasaki next week
I took great pride once in making all my own gaskets, even had templates for each one,now I just use the Loctite blue gasket maker for all the covers,never had a leak. I even fixed both covers for a mates mc19 that had hairline cracks from overtightening,with a lightest smear over the inside of the crack, still holding up 2 yrs later
I think i'm gonna end up making a paper gasket for the waterpump if only to ensure clearances remain similar- I'd hate to lose the clearance of the gasket paper and up the water pressure or something dumb like that... i'm already tired of this dodgy system as it is- i'd prefer to not make it dodgier in the process. I put in a parts order from Megazip- then i emailed them about adding an item to an order before it shipped. They never responded, and I object to 17 dollars US to ship a 4 dollar gasket. I'll make a paper one, and put the correct piece on the next big order I put through (speaking of dodgy fixes...at least it's only temporary).