radiator steam

[Henry]

hi guys, maybe you could help me out, on my bike(RM 125 1997) the right radiator steams after it is warmed up. i PMed Tryce on this matter and gave me good help but it is still steaming! i dont THINK it has a leak becaue the coolant level is not going down. and it just started doing this after i swithed to Maxima Coolanol, did not do it before. i tried to flush it out(outside) with water but it still steams. what could it be???

[Henry]

Also if there was a leak, wouldnt the radiator leak while its sitting on the stand?

[Keetoman393]

Henry, I would suggest that if it wasn't doing it before swithing to the Coolaniol to switch back to what you were using or to Engine Ice. I have had GREAT luck with the Engine Ice.

[TheRooster]

Can you see a leak in the radiators? If you do, and do not have the money to replace it right now, put pepper in your coolant, and that will stop the leak, for a short period of time anyway. Short period of time, I mean a few weekends of racing.

Secondly, what time of the day do you start it up? Is it right away in the morning? Right after you wash the bike?

If the radiator has any water on there, then the radiator will steam.

If it's not full of water, then the coolant that you put in there probably isn't meant for those types of radiators, and that is if you are positive that you do not have a leak.

Before your next ride, drain the coolant that you have in there, and put strictly water in there. Make sure your bike is completely dry, and has sit in a dry area overnight. Then, start the bike up, and find where the steam is coming from. If it comes fromt he same area every time, it most likely has a leak, it's just a matter of finding it.

You could take the radiator off, plug the end, fill the radiator up with water, and tip the radiator in every direction, and then the radiator will leak as gravity will fall.

[NYMXer]

If you have trace steam coming off the radiator then you have seepage steaming off. If it is coming out of the overflow hose then you have a bad head gasket, faulty cap or worse.

You say you are not loosing coolant so ride it a few laps, let cool and check level again. Maybe your just seing water residue from washing steam off?

I guess we need more info!

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TheRooster

Can you see a leak in the radiators?

no, but the steam only comes off of the right radiator, and if i did have a leak big engough to make that much steam i would be able to see something, right?

Originally Posted by TheRooster

Secondly, what time of the day do you start it up? Is it right away in the morning? Right after you wash the bike?

i usually start it around 3:00 in the afternoon so there is no dew or anything on it, and of course i start it after i wash it but i already know that that will cause steam.

Originally Posted by TheRooster

then the coolant that you put in there probably isn't meant for those types of radiators

the new coolant is Maxima Coolantol, and it is ethylene glycol coolant 50/50 anti freeze and deionized water for aluminum engines, which is exactly what the service manual calls for.

Originally Posted by NYMXer

If you have trace steam coming off the radiator then you have seepage steaming off.

what is trace steam?

Originally Posted by NYMXer

If it is coming out of the overflow hose then you have a bad head gasket, faulty cap or worse.

i am sure nothing is coming out of the over flow tube except for a little over flow care of putting a little too much in at first, but not anymore.

Originally Posted by NYMXer

Maybe your just seing water residue from washing steam off?

i am a little confused about this??

and my question:
if there was a leak coming from the fins in the radiator (which is where the steam comes from) would it leak when it is stitting in the garage NOT running?

and thanx for everyones help so far!!

[TheRooster]

Chances are, there is a leak. It could be so small that you wouldn't be able to see it. Check it over really good, and the fact that it only comes off of the right radiator, indicates to me that there is a leak...

Fill the radiator with water only, and put some pepper in there, see if the steaming stops. If it does, then there is a leak.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TheRooster

Chances are, there is a leak. It could be so small that you wouldn't be able to see it. Check it over really good, and the fact that it only comes off of the right radiator, indicates to me that there is a leak...

Fill the radiator with water only, and put some pepper in there, see if the steaming stops. If it does, then there is a leak.

but it didn't have this problem befroe i changes the coolant. and i didn't do anything but change the coolant.

also, have you done the pepper trick?

[TheRooster]

I know somebody who did, and they had a quiet large hole in their radiator. I witnessed it, but have never done it myself, simply because I have never had a leak in my radiator.

But it does work, and I am 100% positive on that.

Do what I said, drain your current coolant into a clean bucket, go fill up a bottle from your kitchen sink, and pour that in your radiator. Start that up, let it warm up, and see if it still steams. If it does, you have a hole, if it doesn't, then it's your coolant.

[NYMXer]

It may not leak from sitting in the garage because there is no pressure in the system.

Trace steam is just seepage residue burning off

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TheRooster

Do what I said, drain your current coolant into a clean bucket, go fill up a bottle from your kitchen sink, and pour that in your radiator. Start that up, let it warm up, and see if it still steams. If it does, you have a hole, if it doesn't, then it's your coolant.

al right thanks i will check it with water! i'll let you know how it goes.

[yzernie]

My guess would be a small...very small leak. It is so small that it will not leak until the system gets warmed up and pressure-ized. Do you have any access to a pressure tester?

[Henry]

Originally Posted by yzernie

My guess would be a small...very small leak. It is so small that it will not leak until the system gets warmed up and pressure-ized. Do you have any access to a pressure tester?

no acess to a pressure tester.

and i drained the coolant today and i flushed it out with white vinegar and distilled water, no steam. then i flushed it with only distilled water, no steam. then i put pepper in the distilled water like Jake said and then flushed it again with white vinegar and distilled water then just distilled water, no steam. then i put the coolant back in and no steam. this is weird... becuase now it is not steaming at all.

[ossagp1]

Most filling stations with workshops have pressure testers. It is pretty easy to make one too. You just need an air supply, a cap with a good gasket, a schrader valve, and some epoxy, and an air gauge. Check the net though, i bet you can buy one as cheaply as you can make one.

[ossagp1]

Sounds like Jake's pepper fixed your leak.

[Henry]

could dryed coolant steam when heated up?

[TheRooster]

No. I don't think anti-freeze can freeze... but I'm not 100% sure.

If it did steam, then it wouldn't steam for very long, as it gets very hot inside the radiator, and it would just melt away the dryed stuff.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TheRooster

No. I don't think anti-freeze can freeze... but I'm not 100% sure.

not freeze(not cold enough yet, i dont think it ever will be -34f) just dry up, the nwhen the radiator gets hot then steam off?

[TheRooster]

I am not sure on that, but using common sense, depending on how much you ride your bike, I think it would be VERY hard for your anti-freeze to dry up.

I let my bike sit for the winter, all winter, and that's from November to March, that's 5 months, and I have NEVER seen anything like that.

Is it possible that the screw on the top of the right radiator is tight? It might start to steam when the bike gets hot enough to steem, but once you start moving, then you have air flow through your radiators, so it won't be as hot.

Make sure the hose clamps are on tight, and the bolt on the top is tight.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by TheRooster

I am not sure on that, but using common sense, depending on how much you ride your bike, I think it would be VERY hard for your anti-freeze to dry up.

I let my bike sit for the winter, all winter, and that's from November to March, that's 5 months, and I have NEVER seen anything like that.

Is it possible that the screw on the top of the right radiator is tight? It might start to steam when the bike gets hot enough to steem, but once you start moving, then you have air flow through your radiators, so it won't be as hot.

Make sure the hose clamps are on tight, and the bolt on the top is tight.

i dont mean all of the anitfreeze dry up just a couple of drops on the outside, or would it just stay wet?

an what bolt on the top????