Coolant leak

Hi All ,

Well i stopped for petrol the other day and noticed coolant leaking from the bottom right of my radiator it seemed to originate from the middle of my radiator just under where the horn is . I got to work ok with no warning lights and topped up my coolant bottle before setting back home it had lost 1/4 of a litre .

Can anyone recommend anything to plug the leak ?

Is that rad weld from halfrauds ok to use on bikes or should i get an external putty type product ?

[jambo]

Having established that the leak is from the radiator itself, I would remove the Rad and inspect the damage.

I'd avoid rad weld myself.

I fixed a similar problem in a radiator.
1) Found the leaking element, and removed around an inch of the fins above and below it so you could see all the way round the bar.
2) cleaned up the metal, and sanded it to key it.
3) wrapped some putty round the element, and used some thin wire or wrap to give the putty some strength.
4) Sprayed the area the same colour as the rad.

Of course you may have to replace the radiator. If this is holed then your bike's coolant system will not be pressurising, so will boil at a much lower temperature than normal, so don't ignore this for too long.

Jambo

[dizzyblonde]

I have no choice but to radweld my curved radiator on the VRap. Professionally repairs have been to no avail.
If you are to go down this route, you must take note of the capacity of the radiator, and use the correct dosage of radweld.

You only need a very small amount. I'd have to rummage my posts on the other forum for the dosage to work from.

It has been successful on several Raptor radiators that I know of, so I would say its ok to use on an SV or any other motorcycle, provided you use it correctly. Just stick it in and leave it. Upon replacing the coolant at another time, I should imagine you'll see if its been a permanent fix.

Thanks for the input !

I,ve looked round it today and i can't for the life of me find a leak and it,s not leaking anymore

I did drop it off a front stand a couple of days ago with no damage could that have caused it to leak some out ?

[muzikill]

loose clip on the rubber hoses?

Originally Posted by muzikill

loose clip on the rubber hoses?

+1

Had a leak on mine and it turned out to the little rubber hose that comes off the top of the rad near the cap to the expansion tank. It was dripping down the right hand side of the rad and onto the floor, Turned out to the clip that holds it on. Worth a check...

Hi chaps ,

I,ve checked the clips on the two big hoses and the mini one to the expansion tank , no leaks to report after two trips to work and no coolant loss - baffled !