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Coolant Leak - advice needed

7K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  s7paul 
#1 ·
Took the bike out this morning, and on stopping after just a few miles I noticed it was leaking coolant profusely. I managed to top it up with water and carefully rode the short distance home.

Having taken the left fairing panel off it seems that the small 90 degree steel pipe that comes out of the cylinder head just below the thermostat housing (coolant bypass) has developed a hole, right on the bend. The problem is that I can't see how it's fixed into the head, and can't see it on the exploded views on World of Triumph's website. Does anyone know how to remove and replace this part?
 
#3 ·
It would help to know what bike you have. The '99-'01 model year bikes are totally different from the '02-'04 bikes in that area.

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#9 ·
So I've finally had a free minute to investigate this after the insanity of race weekend. I do not see this on any of the parts fiche I could find, but there's a very slim chance that I'm just missing it because of how badly Turnip has screwed them up. I can, with some force, turn the one on my spare head. The way it turns and the rubber around the pipe makes me think it's probably a press fit, but again I could be wrong.

I like the JB Weld idea and I fixed a leak on my 2000 ST with that before I sold it. That said, it was a leak on a flat spot, not a bend, and I would not want to use JB Weld or similar on a bend like that without being sure it would be smooth on the inside. If you can find a hose or something that just fits inside the pipe and you can use it to ensure smoothness, that's what I would prefer. I almost never advocate anything as drastic as cutting it flush and putting a new fitting on, but given the alternatives in this case I don't think it's a terrible idea and I would go that route if I couldn't make the JB Weld work.

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#11 ·
If the Tin Brazing won't work as Fred suggested, I'm just thinking out loud here, and this would depend on how much material is after the bend (towards the head). You could possibly sleeve it on the OUTSIDE with some hose/tubing, and secure the tubing sleeve to keep it from leaking.

It works in my crazy brain, so no guarantees it works in the real world but I was looking for the easy (aka not busted knuckles or fitting) solution. Either way, lots of ways to approach this as mentioned. I'm curious as to which one works in the end.
 
#15 ·
It's Fixed!

Hi All,

I thought I’d resurrect this thread to let those that provided advice know how it turned out. It’s taken a while to fix due to a (nearly 3 week) holiday, and then work-related stuff getting in the way. So, the story in full….

First of all, I tried using the J-B Weld. I really cleaned up and roughened the surface, then applied several layers of J-B Weld (it was runnier than I had expected). It seemed to set really hard, so I was quite confident. I re-filled the system and started the bike, and within a few minutes it was leaking again. The combination of the heat and the pressurized water had been enough to split the J-B Weld, and a big lump just came off. This clearly was not going to work.

I then starting searching for items that I could potentially use to fix the problem, and eventually decided to get a Reducing Hosetail (5/16” x 1/8” BSPT Male) in stainless steel, a 90 degree Silicon Hose Elbow and a straight Hose Joiner 8mm to 8mm.

I cut the leaking pipe off completely and ground it flush with the larger diameter portion that was still stuck in the cylinder head. I then went to drill the center hole out to 11/32” (tapping drill size for a 1/8” BSPT thread) and as I was drilling the rest of the pipe came out of the head. With that out of the way it was easier to finish drilling the hole, which I then tapped. I put some Stag Wellseal on the thread of the reducing Hosetail and then screwed in into the new hole. Finally, I wiped off any visible Wellseal, and then ran a fillet of J-B Weld around the joint (not shown in the photos).

Then, it was just a case of suitably shortening the legs of the 90 degree hose and attaching one end to the Hosetail and the other to the Hose Joiner. The original hose from the radiator also has to be shortened a bit to fit onto the other end of the Hose Joiner. I took the opportunity (while the system was empty) to give it a thorough flush, and then replaced all the original hoses with nice shiny new red silicone hoses.

So far, all is looking good!

As an aside, while the bike was off the road, I thought I’d give it a full service. Well, as it often does with vehicles, one thing led to another. This is what I ended up doing:

Checked & adjusted valve clearances – every single one needed re-shimming. All had around 0.1mm too much clearance.
Fitted new spark plugs.
Replaced one ignition coil (it had gone rusty inside and expanded – made it really hard to remove). Got a used replacement from eBay for £21.99.
Replaced engine oil, oil filter and air filter.
Tidied-up the wiring in the space behind the engine block (it was all over the place – looked a mess).
Replaced the fuel filter.
Replaced all of the plastic fittings on the tank with metal. This involved buying one each of the following:
- cLCD100040V Chrome Plate Brass Coupling ¼” BSPT Male Shut Off Viton
- cLCD170-04V Chrome Plate Brass Coupling ¼” ID Hose Shut Off Viton
- SA01-LT202 ¼” BSPT Male x ¼” ID Hose Brass Elbow Hosetail
Plus 2-off c731104 PLC/LC Series O-Ring Viton

I seem to have been very fortunate compared to some, in that I managed to remove both plastic fittings that were screwed into the tank without them breaking. It could just have been luck, but I did soak both of them with a good penetrating fluid (not WD40) overnight first, and then applied more as I was gradually undoing them. I was just moving them a few degrees each way at first, while applying more fluid, and then gradually building up the movement until they felt like they would wind straight out, which they did.

Getting the tank back on, however, was not so much fun. Like most people have found, it "grew" while it was off the bike. I got it back on, but it was a very tight fit!

This whole episode has reminded me (again) that Triumph parts prices are insane. The shims, the various gaskets & seals for the cam cover, a few fairing fixings and a couple of other minor bits added up to £218.

Anyway, have a look at the photos, and if I can be of any help with regard to the water leak problem or the tank fittings, please let me know. Thanks to those that offered advice in the first place.





 
#16 ·
Nice one, thanks for the followup! I've just recently bought a set of the same hoses I'll be fitting in the next few days.

Now, I don't want to alarm you, but are you sure you checked the valves correctly? They don't tend to need much adjustment and they're usually too tight when they do. (Just did the 36k check on my main bike and they're almost all exactly where they were at the 12k check.)

Cheers,
-Kit
 
#17 ·
I know what you mean Kit, but I did it as per the manual and I'm pretty sure it's correct. I've done various Suzuki's & Kawasaki's before without any problems. I agree that, if anything, they tighten up as the valves & valve seats wear, so I can only assume that they were not done correctly last time.

Cheers,

Paul
 
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