Coolant Circulation

Message

wanablaze · #11 Post by **wanablaze** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:18 am

Jess,
It sounds as though your impellar is working, but you have a leak somewhere if it isn't building pressure. Be careful and do not let the motor get hot if your cooling system is not holding pressure. The pressure in the cooling system actually keeps the water from boiling. The impellar itself probably doesn't build much pressure, it just creates flow. The pressure is from the coolant wanting to expand as it warms up.

I'd inspect your hoses and check for leaks. You may just have a loose hose clamp. Tell tale signs of leaks will be white dried up looking water streaks, or you may see a puddle the color of your coolant some where. Also look for crystalization build up or corrosion around any hoses. Don't forget to check the plug at the bottom of the radiator.

Edit: Just saw that you said you lost your coolant. Where did you loose it? Did it burn off internally or do you have an external leak?

jesshamner · #12 Post by **jesshamner** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:39 am

Its definitely leaking. Do you remember looking at it while at the group ride drags? It was leaking from very high up near the cap. I thought maybe the cap wasn't on right so I just filled it back up with coolant. So this weekend I rode for about 15 minutes to see what happened and it was the same thing. Coolant leaking down the right side of the quad. When squeezing the hoses at idle, it doesn't feel firm like it used to. And when I shut it off, I can hear the air blowing through the hoses when I squeeze it.

NorCalRacer · #13 Post by **NorCalRacer** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:58 am

QUOTE (jesshamner @ Oct 10 2006, 02:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its definitely leaking. Do you remember looking at it while at the group ride drags? It was leaking from very high up near the cap. I thought maybe the cap wasn't on right so I just filled it back up with coolant. So this weekend I rode for about 15 minutes to see what happened and it was the same thing. Coolant leaking down the right side of the quad. When squeezing the hoses at idle, it doesn't feel firm like it used to. And when I shut it off, I can hear the air blowing through the hoses when I squeeze it.

Sounds more like a problem with the coolant bottle or cap than the impeller. I would check the coolant bottle closely for cracks and make sure your cap is holding, especially under temp.

jesshamner · #14 Post by **jesshamner** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:07 am

I went out to the garage to check my impeller again. I was using the biggest screwdriver I could that still fit inside there. I was on the verge of bending the screwdriver so I'm pretty sure the impeller is still good. I couldn't move it either way.

wanablaze · #15 Post by **wanablaze** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:53 am

Jess,
When you get a chance, remove the plastic and gas tank. You should then be able to see where the coolant is leaking from.

From the sound of it there is nothing wrong with your impellar, you just have a leak somewhere. It would be easier to spot if the quad was clean (The water will absorb into the dirt and just look like wet dirt). If it's clean, once it leaks you will better see where the coolant is.

Give me a call if you need some help or post some pictures, wanablaze.

MyCannibal · #16 Post by **MyCannibal** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:08 pm

His coolant bottle has to be cracked from over tightening the cap...I had the same problem once too...

promod · #17 Post by **promod** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:33 am

QUOTE (jesshamner @ Oct 9 2006, 09:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

BTW, I still have the plastic impeller. LOL. I'm leaning towards a stripped impeller. It's the original from the factory.

What could plug up the coolant system?

Do you still have the Aluminum valve cover? My bike overheated on me and I assumed the impeller was stripped. Well it was not. I replaced it anyways along with all the other updates while it was tore apart. When going back together large (big enough to block a radiator hose) chunks of silvery crap fell out of the the coolant reservoir and out of the radiator. After looking at I determined it was the sediment for the valve cover that collected while the bike sat.

Take the bleeder hose off the coolant reservoir and see if its stopped up with a silvery/whitish stuff. If it is that possibly could be the problem.

Just a thought

jesshamner · #18 Post by **jesshamner** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:32 am

Well I have the aluminum valve cover now. I drained the coolant and blew some air through the system. I could feel some air coming out of the bleeder hose. I guess it could be plugged enough to stop coolant flow though.

However, it seemed to run ok for the first 5 hours.

On further inspection, I noticed that the airbox was pinching the bleeder hose against the frame. Could this cause the leakage? I am going to make sure that everything is sealed well and then I'm going to refill and bleed the system. Hopefully it was just a bubble or the pinched bleeder hose.

CannondaleRider · #19 Post by **CannondaleRider** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:47 am

QUOTE (promod @ Oct 10 2006, 05:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you still have the Aluminum valve cover?

I think your confused.

The Magnesium valve covers corroded, the aluminum ones do not.

cannondale27 · #20 Post by **cannondale27** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:42 am

Make sure its not coming out of the weep hole.Its a real small hole under the waterpump.Check the cap also saw one once where rubber inside was pushed to the side.