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Help ZR250 Overheated

Discussion in 'Kawasaki 250cc In-line 4's' started by Peter Batt, Oct 27, 2016.

  1. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Hello guys,
    I'm sure some of you have seen that my bike is all fixed up and posted to 'The garage'
    Well, I was riding to work (consisting of a fair few red lights) and I noticed the temp sensor light come on
    Light went green, I rode on and it went off.
    Next lights it came on again, someone pulled up next to my and told me my bike was leaking, which it was.
    A large portion of my coolant was on the road, so I had to uber to work and my bike is now stranded a fair way from home.
    What would you say is the cause of this?
    Its a 1999 ZR250 so one of the hoses could be old and burst?
    Did I have the choke set too rich, causing it to burn hotter and overheat?
    Does my radiator fan work? How can I go about testing it?
    I really don't know what happened, all I know is that it didn't come out of the drain plug as it was dry

    What is the most likely cause of this and how would you recommend fixing it?

    Thanks alot,
     
  2. Adam Giles

    Adam Giles Well-Known Member

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    Where to start? First off find where the fluid came from. If the radiator pipes have burst, then that would the cause of the bike overheating. If the fluid is from the expansion tank, then you have probably overheated causing the fluid to boil up and overflow. Find out where the fluid is "leaking" from should be your start point.

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  3. zixxer

    zixxer Well-Known Member

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    you can by pass the auto switch on the fans with a 5 dollar switch. on the left side of the radiator unplug the black wire, find a switch for it at jaycar and just tape it somewhere easy to get to.
     
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  4. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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    Heres the cooling system .... check all the hoses and connections ..... refill the coolant and start it to see where its leaking if its not obvious beforehand

    ZX cooling.png
     
  5. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    After playing with it a fair bit today we decided the coolant came from the overflow tank, so the coolant overheated and increased pressure, blowing out through there. I am fairly in not 100% certain the fan doesnt work though.
    Seeing as this all happened while i was stopped, i would say the fan didnt kick in to cool the engine, so the fluid overheated and all came out
     
  6. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Funnily enough I work at Jaycar and I'm going in tomorrow so I'll probably just nab a switch from somewhere. Hopefully it is something as simple as that but I fear the fan itself isn't working.
    Is there an easy way to test the fan without pulling the entire bike apart?
    thanks
     
  7. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Oooooooh sweet, thankfully I think all the hoses are actually intact.
    I think its just the fan has given up on me, causing the pressure to build up and blow out the overflow
    Thanks for the diagram! I'll definitely refer to that alot :D
     
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  8. my67xr

    my67xr Bike Enthusiast Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Look's like the fan switch might be the one on the left side of the radiator in the diagram above.
    If it is, it'll have 2x wire's going to it, take the 2x wire's off the switch, then turn the ignition on and bridge the 2x wire's that you just unplugged with a short bit of wire.
    If the fan is working ok then it should come on.



    One of these might do the trick as a temporary measure
    https://www.jaycar.com.au/spst-ultra-mini-rocker-switch/p/SK0975
    If the wire's on your bike to the switch have bullet terminal's then you might need a couple of crimp on female spade terminal's too
    https://www.jaycar.com.au/fully-insulated-female-spade-red-pk-8/p/PT4525
     
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    Last edited: Oct 28, 2016
  9. Adam Giles

    Adam Giles Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like fan or fan switch isn't working (or wiring for), OR thermostat isn't working.

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  10. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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  11. my67xr

    my67xr Bike Enthusiast Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Could also be a blown fuse or bad wiring connection if the fan wont come on
     
  12. sharky

    sharky Well-Known Member

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    Do as my67xr suggests by taking the switch off & bridging a wire across both terminals with the key on, the fan should work if not follow the wire up to see if its connected properly. Coolant coming out the overflow tank is usually a sign of air in the system, and it usually boils over before the fan would come on anyway
     
  13. Mad_Ryan

    Mad_Ryan Active Member

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    I would take your water pump off and check the rotor isnt dissolved.....followed by a proper flush (the radiator cleaner from repco) desludge....make sure your thermostat actually works....theres a wee nipple on the left side crack it while the engine is cold and warm up the bike...once it starts bleeding tighten it up and let the bike idle. If it cooks at a standstill i would say your problems are epic...if it doesnt cook till you fang it....i would consider how lean your bike is running especially the two middle cylinders.......my bike doesnt even get barely warm after an hour of riding in the city and the fan isnt even connected....ill put my money on a blockage...thermostat or pump rotor....followed by a worst case of an imminent catestrplophic failure.....worth checking your oil pimp while you have the water pump off too...if oil isnt moving...your engine will cook no matter how good your water pump and cooling system is...the oil pump will be well worn on the axial faces if the oil hasnt been changed regularly......even with no water in the radiator your engine shouldnt get too hot too quick but be mindful as the collant is the lube for the ceramic washer in the water pump ....i had a dissolved rotor on my old cbr 250...tried everything then eventually found it...changed the rotor...never got hot again.....but for sure...check your carbs arent running lean.

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  14. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Haha sorry, I forgot to update.
    The temperature switch for the fan wasnt working, so i just fashioned a cable from jaycar and made a waterproof inline switch when im sitting at traffic lights or its feeling hot or something.
    Probably wouldnt pass a rego inspection and definitely not the cleanest solution but its not bad
    heres a quick video of it:

     
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  15. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Updated!
     
  16. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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  17. Adam Giles

    Adam Giles Well-Known Member

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    Could you not get replacement fan switch? Pretty sure many Kawasaki share same switches.

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  18. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    Hahaha I did almost exactly that, great idea and it worked out super well :D
    Theres a video of it earlier :)
     
  19. Peter Batt

    Peter Batt Active Member

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    I could have, but that would just too logical and easy :p
    Plus now i have fully manual control over the fan, which im sure is very important :p
     
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  20. Mad_Ryan

    Mad_Ryan Active Member

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    Did you use a switch with thencorrect current rating....the switch wont last long if not...its turning the fan off that does the damage to the contacts ...or at least put a snubbing resistor across the poles ;-)

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