Coolant Leak

So Saturday I went into the garage to get my 01 prepped for my track day on Sunday and as the garage door opened I was greeted with a view of my 09, which is expected but with something I wasn't expecting... a small puddle of fluid under the lower cowl.

[image: IMG_2803_zpsfhrvnieo.jpg]

At first I thought it might be oil but then thought about, I don't use K&N oil filters so I think it's something else  :wink: . Second thought, fork oil, but when looking at the fluid closer, it wasn't oil! At this point I went onto the 01 to get the prep work started and I'd get back to the 09 later in the day. I took my time with the 01 as the wife was out of town until Monday so I knew the weekend was all mine. So I did a coolant flush/fill (As it was overdue), cleaned and lubed the chain and bled the clutch and brakes. Also checked the oil and safety wired the oil filter and RTVd the oil drain bolt. After that my friend came by and we loaded the 01 onto his truck and then I went onto the 09. I took off the fairings and saw immediately that the reservoir was empty, not overly concerning but a concern none the less. I opened up the radiator and WOW! coolant was almost not visible, now this IS a concern! :ohmy:

So I filled up the radiator and reservoir and looked for leaks but nothing obvious so I went to dinner and then did a few other things and then another friend came by so we could get his tires mounted, so I put the search for the leak on hold until later. Well Sunday was a bust due to the track day and being too tired when I got home so I took a look at it Monday. I had a problem with my radiator cap a year or two ago so I thought that it might be the same issue or maybe the thermostat and that running the bike would be the only way to tell. Well I started it up and let it run the bike slowly rose in temperature and stopped about 150F +/- a couple of degrees so I shut it off and waited to see if there was anything leaking but nothing...right away. As I was looking the bike over I noticed that right under the water pump there was a few drops and then saw it turn into a small puddle!

Here is where I saw the coolant dripping from

[image: IMG_2815-Leak%20Location_zps05bv0v5e.jpg]

Then taking a closer look it was actually from underneath the water pump.

[image: IMG_2813-Leak%20Location_zpstssxprg9.jpg]

So now I'll need to look into this, hopefully it's just a gasket or the bolt needs to be torqued down. Worse case scenario a new water pump but an investigation will suss this out I hope. If the latter is the case I'll probably also change the thermostat for good measure.

yo...keep me posted. This way I can add to my things to worry about on mine!

Well I decided to just replace the water pump and the thermostat. The o-ring/gasket that would appear to source location of the leak is going to take a few days to get anyway, so I'm more inclined to just replace the pump and thermostat at this point. My mileage is 54,770 miles at the moment so figure do it as a preventative measure. I already have a new stator and RR so no harm no foul IMO.

Well today was the day. Unfortunately I had to go out of town this past week for a project and came back yesterday (Saturday). So today I was finally able to replace both the water pump and thermostat. Took my time and made sure I disconnected and reconnected everything properly and made sure to burp the system, let it warm up and took a couple of rides, with and without the side fairings.

[image: IMG_2850_zpscvn8m6xv.jpg]

[image: IMG_2849_zps5seriu3n.jpg]

[image: IMG_2854_zpscjuwfrjf.jpg]

[image: IMG_2853_zpsc2xxeks1.jpg]

Oh yeah, while I was there under the tank and throttle bodies, I finally removed the PAIR valve stuff and installed my TPO block off plates. I think I've had these on the shelf for quite some time. I was originally planning on doing a starter valve sync as well, but time and energy were not with me today. Maybe next time I have some more "down" time.

[image: IMG_2856_zpste8ix4fd.jpg]

[image: IMG_2857_zps5aslf91v.jpg]

Don't sweat the starter valve sync. I've done it a few times. I've never found it to be very far off, and haven't noticed any real difference in how the bike preforms.

5 minutes ago, MBrane

Don't sweat the starter valve sync. I've done it a few times. I've never found it to be very far off, and haven't noticed any real difference in how the bike preforms.

Actually I just want to try out my synchronizer! I have a feeling they're not that far off but wanted to check see and adjust if they were. More for the sake of being able to do it, than I think they need it.

I made my synchronizer from a 6' piece of 1X2, some 1/4" vinyl tubing, and filled it with ATF. It made a huge difference on my old ZX600A.