Grr. One for Lozzo; K1100

So, as much as your crowing causes me minor irritation at time (because
it's so unfair...)

I was riding my K1100 home one night a couple of weeks ago. Fast. Well,
for K1100 versions of fast- about 40 miles at 125mph.

And then... as I left the motorway I got a whiff of coolant. Got home ,
it was running happily enough; one of those things.

Switched it off and put it on its sidestand whilst I opened the garage.
It started to drip coolant. Since I was going away I just put it in the
garage fully expecting it to fix itself over the next two weeks. It
didn't.

So... I bought a really handy 'cooling system pressurising tool'[1],
stripped the fairing and crap off the engine and had a look- the top of
the engine (effectively the back of the barrels was covered in coolant
and the radiator/hoses looked fine. So dried it all off, cleaned it all
up and pressurised the system; it didn't hold pressure and sure enough
the coolant was welling up through what looks like a casting mark in the
engine (small depression about the size of the tip of my little finger.

I filled this, with belzona, and a week later pressure test again.

Bitch. It's not holding pressure, it's very slowly leaking. On
inspection it's 'bubbling' out of a line that runs for about 2-3 inches
either side of the casting mark.

Plan to cut out a 'v' and then fill and pressure test again. What a
fucking pain. Should this fail I think it's a replacement engine; cos
the chassis is in good nick... or should I break it for parts?

One for the black book I guess 'cos I can't see how this is due to
anything apart from a casting flaw.

[1] Am really happy with this tool, brilliant piece of kit. Replaces
the radiator cap (about 12 versions in the box) and you pump it up with
the supplied pump to 15psi and watch the pressure on an attached gauge.

 

One that's been bodged up from the inside by the PO or the factory, iwt,
by the addition on Barr's Leaks or something similar.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

Teach a man to fish and he and his pikey mates will have the
river cleaned out in a day.

 

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 06:31:39 +0100, wrote:

snip>

You really will have to bite the bullet and take the engine out to fix
it properly. The crack needs 'stopping' by drilling a small hole at
each end and then plugging the hole with either a screw or filler.

Isn't there some way you can drop the engine half out of the frame and
get enough access to do this or is it really a full on strip down?

 

They are fabulous things. The sort of kit (like a compression tester)
that you use once in a blue moon, but which works perfectly, and for
which there is no substitute.

 

Bodge it then Nige it on eBay.
If you can pressurize the system you should be able to vacuumize it
then put some slow-setting epoxy on the outside. After an hour it
will have penetrated enough so you can release the vacuum and wipe off
the excess.

 

I bought a tool this week that fits into that category - a compound
mitre sliding radial arm saw, wiv 2 lazers. Cutting the trim to go
around the edge of kitchen cupboards is now a delight rather than a
major headache.

--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

I was about to buy one of those things to make the flooring and decking jobs
I'm doing a little easier. Then I remembered a pal had one so I've borrowed
his.

He then went out and bought a bastard big new radial arm saw for 1600 squids
(nutter) and said I could keep the one he lent me. Result.

I -did- give him a Hydrovane compressor a day later though when he rang
asking me where he could source a compressor he could use inside schools and
which ran quietly.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Ztimulating.

 

It's a minor personal bugbear; think of it as an e-mission.

No, not that kind.

 

Well, I think using a PCB drill I can get in there. Just got to get a
better idea of where the fucking crack actually is.

Current plan... wipe top of engine with water, pressurise to get an idea
of where crack is. scribe along top to be certain.

Drill holes either end of crack with PCB drill. Cut 'v' slot in top of
crack with dremel, fill with belzona.

Check again, and then curse because it isn't fixed.

To get the engine out I've got to remove a whole bunch of ABS gubbins
which I can't really get at easily (and suspect won't thank me for being
messed with).

 

Well, given that I've had the bike for about 3 years and have done about
12,000 miles on it I doubt that was the cause. Or, if it was, the bodge
was a pretty bloody good one.

 

I don't have access to dye penetrant kit these days or I'd have a ride
down and give you a hand tracking where the crack goes.

That should do it because it's not as if you need to drill in square
to the casing, all you're trying to do is remove a stress point by
spreading it over a larger surface area.

As long as you roughen the surface to allow the filler to key itself
into it and make sure it's 100% grease/oil free then it really should
work.

I've got some very good cleaner which I can post down to you if you
let me know asap.

Best left alone then.

 

Rad Weld lasts longer than that, so it's entirely possible it was a bloody
good bodge.

I "repaired" the rad on the Zed at around the 600 mile mark after seeing
green juice jetting out of the front of the bike when I was sitting at a set
of traffic lights, and it's held for the following 15,000.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Drop the contents of a can of Rad Weld in when you re-fill. It'll stop any
hair pulling and teeth gnashing. It works even when/if you subsequently
change the coolant.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I could probably blag some at work now we're near the end of the
outage but he needs to chip in pretty fucking quick if he wants the
stuff because I reckon we'll be out of the station before the end of
the week.

 

No, it's fine. I can see the 'bubbles clearly enough to be pretty
certain where the crack ends. I'll drill a touch beyond that for
safety. It's a job for a masonry drill on hammer I guess.

 

I've got an SDS drill with a chisel bit that you could borrow.

 

He already said he hasn't got any.

 

On an alloy casting? You may as well use a cold chisel to do the job,
at least you'll get some exercise out of fucking it up.

 

<sniff>

You horrible little bastard.