'86 ZL600 coolant issues

Rhamah

Rhamah

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Hey guys, been awhile!

Having problems with the bike (aren't we all?). This time it's the coolant system. About a week ago I get almost home at the end of the day and notice my Temp light is on. I don't really think anything of it because I was in stop-and-go traffic for the last 45min and figured it was normal.

The next day, I get about halfway (6-7miles) to the destination of my morning commute and it comes on again. This time I knew there was a problem. I ride it out because I was late for work and prayed it wouldn't blow up on me. When I finally get to the parking lot I noticed dried fluid on my right exhaust. I check the reservoir (ignorantly) and decided that for some reason I'm out of coolant. I actually wasn't surprised because it had been sitting in a garage for almost 7 months and coolant was one of the things that I didn't have the presence of mind to change. So... my fault. I called my girlfriend and she brought me a jug of antifreeze that I happened to have lying around. Turns out I WAS out of fluid, and I filled the radiator plus about 1/4 of the reservoir with what I had left.

Fast forward to today and I get no more than a city-mile from home and my coolant starts streaming from the reservoir. I start thinking to myself, "You idiot, you filled the radiator AND 25% the reservoir! Where did you think the extra was going to go?!" So I grit my teeth and ride to work. It doesn't hit me that the coolant shouldn't be shunted to the reservoir a mile from home, until I get to work.

And... here I am. Does anyone know why it keeps dumping to the reservoir? Why the reservoir keeps dumping it from the top port/nipple onto the road? Was it just me overfilling it? Is the top port/nipple thing of the reservoir supposed to have another hose attached to it? Are there any special considerations I need to keep in mind about radiator fluid?
 
I'm not that familiar with the 600's but on the bigger bikes, it's usually the radiator cap, thermostat or just air in the system that causes overheating issues. Is your fan working? As far as coolant goes, you want to make sure it says something about being ok to use with aluminum and I think you want to use stuff with no additives. The only stuff I have found around my area is called Peak. The other coolant option that a lot of zl owners like and use is Engine Ice - it's a little expensive, but works really good. If your fan is not working properly, you may have other issues with the temperature sensors, etc. Is your oil in good shape as well? Later.
 
Jarney said:
I'm not that familiar with the 600's but on the bigger bikes, it's usually the radiator cap, thermostat or just air in the system that causes overheating issues. Is your fan working? As far as coolant goes, you want to make sure it says something about being ok to use with aluminum and I think you want to use stuff with no additives. The only stuff I have found around my area is called Peak. The other coolant option that a lot of zl owners like and use is Engine Ice - it's a little expensive, but works really good. If your fan is not working properly, you may have other issues with the temperature sensors, etc. Is your oil in good shape as well? Later.
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The oil has just been changed, and the fan is working. It always comes on when I stop, and when I'm in traffic. I just read the thread on radiator caps, but wasn't really sure as to why the one I have on it is bad. Is it a lack of airflow? And I'll make sure of the coolant.
 
The radiator caps have to do with pressure of the coolant system I think. You really can't tell they are bad by looking at them - they have to be pressure tested. There is more info on the site somewhere about the pressures - I think somewhere between 12 psi and 20psi is what the caps are rated at. They are cheap to replace and there are many that will fit (the big bikes at least) at local auto parts stores. One other thing I forgot to mention, is your water pump working and in good shape or have you noticed it leaking? I would probably replace the radiator cap first if you think the coolant and system are clean and see if that helps. I wouldn't use anything like Engine Ice until all the problems are solved since it is so expensive - I would hate to see that stuff pouring out onto the ground. Is there any gunk in the overflow reservoir? The system may just need to be flushed out real good. I'm sure someone with a 600 will chime in with a better knowledge of the bikes and thier issues. Later.
 
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I agree with the radiator cap recommendation. For every pound of pressure that cap hold you raise the boiling point of the coolant by one degree. The cap on a 600 is .9 bar or about 13PSI. If it was me I would replace the radiator cap first and then make sure you have all the air out of the system using the bleed plug on the water pump. You might to bleed it more than once to ensure all the air is out of the system. If it keeps overheating I would replace the thermostat and/or clean the radiator, in that order. The link posted above has the part numbers for car parts that will replace the OEM parts for a cheaper cost. Good luck
 
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