Radiator damage

W

whitehawk

Member
Just had to replace the radiator after coolant leak and engine overheating.
I was on the motorway filtering through queuing traffic on a very hot day (for the UK), when the temperature warning light came on and then the bike went into neutral - engine still running but no gears, so had to coast to the side.
Coolant had clearly leaked from the back of the radiator around the center area.
Garage has replaced the radiator (£400 just for a new radiator!!) and the cause of the problem surprised me - many of the fins on the old radiator were badly corroded and damaged which caused the radiator to overheat (not the engine at this stage). This overheating caused it to warp very slightly which brought some of the water channels into contact with the spinning electric fan on the back of the radiator.
The fan then took a small chunk out of the water channels which of course lost most of the coolant.
I had been intending to fit an extender on the front mudguard to help keep the radiator clear of muck from the road, but this is now a higher priority to help prevent the same happening again.
Fortunately looks like no engine damage.
 

Gizmo

Gizmo

Active member
Site Suporter
Need to inspect the bike more often for preventative maintenance/damage other than just scheduled maintenance.
 

W

whitehawk

Member
>>Need to inspect the bike more often for preventative maintenance/damage other than just scheduled maintenance.<<

Indeed. Every time I washed the bike I tried hosing dirt out of the radiator with a low pressure hose, but there was an area in the middle that could not be cleared with normal pressure, and a high pressure washer would have damaged the fins. If I'd spent the time clearing it manually bit by bit with an appropriate small tool then I may have noticed the poor condition of many of the other fins.

Expensive lesson learned.

Any suggestions for best place to get a front mudguard extension? I've seen a couple on ebay.
 



You must log in or register to reply here.

Top