gettin'n hot!

[ARCHIVE_vin]

Petrol in oil !!!

I have just taken the timing cover off my ZL 1k and noticed that the oil that came out looked a little thin !
So I gave it a sniff - as you do
Smells of petrol - ****
I ahve previously had a carb leak and presume that some of the gas has seeped through the inlet manifold and into the barrel and hence into the crankcase - mixing with the engine oil.
The only good side to this is that I was wanting to turn the engine over using the nut on the end of the crank - if I had turned her over on the starter - she would have bent the crank

 

[ARCHIVE_Wuputt]

Good thing vin, that you didn't crank it over. Did you find the culprit? I would suspect the float needles.

 

[ARCHIVE_Rocket]

I suspect the fuel may be draining into the airbox and out the drain tube into the tranny, that's what happened to mine.

 

[ARCHIVE_vin]

Thanks for the reply Rocket - I didn't have the airbox etc hooked up at the time, but will watch carefully for that situation.
I haven't found the culprit yet Wuputt - don't seem to get the time to do any work on the bikes right now!
I will post any findings once I have done some invetigating.
I would not have thought of turning her over by using the end of the crank - had it not been for being a member of the Eliminator forums - as I would not have even considered the bike hydraulic locking
I think the lesson learned is - go slow and do your Homework
Regards,
Vin

 

[gearhead1970]

hello all! my 900 is gettin an over heating problem in the 90 plus degree weather we all seem to be having! i'm ok until i come to a long traffic light! then my temp light comes on! i'll get rollin an it will go out! this only seems to happen after serious burst of speed an then going right into city riding! if that's the problem then there is nothing wrong with the bike other than extreme summer temps! like i said 90-100 degrees seems to be the problem! an input would help! thanks again!

 

[Grabber]

the problem with these bikes is the fan start too late.... the temp sensor (below tank) is a 120deg if i recall correctly to me it is too hot.
I have made a wiring modification to mine in a way that the fan start at 100 deg. (using the temp sensor that is located below the radiator)
I have also installed a temp gauges, very nice when i want to see if the bike runs hotter than normal.

Now when riding in hot weather condition, the bike never comes hotter than when i ride, even on a stop at idle because the fan comes on sooner and keep the bike at a the same temperature as if i was running.

I should also say that this modification hasnt cancelled the fact that the fan would come on when you shut the engine off.

Easy to see that when you have a temp gauges. I strongly suggest that you install one.

 

[lowlife]

Do you know what ohm resistor you used. Not familiar with the wiring but assume its a 2 wire for the fan switch?

 

[zlMark]

Couple things to look at. if you have a vacuum leak you are running lean and hotter than normal. Also if the radiator cap is weak then the boiling point is lowered in your cooling system causing overheating symptoms.

I'm all tore down now and I'm adding engine ice when it goes back together thursday night as suggested by Dale Walker.

 

[Grabber]

I will take a picture if you want tomorrow. If you do that, man you will be pleased. Your engine temp light will never comes on again.
there is no ohm resistor at all, you just bypass some wire from the sensor below the tank to the one below the radiator.
So when the sensor below the radiator kick in (100deg usually. This sensor is the one that make the fan start when you shut the engine off) the bike think that the signal comes from the 120Deg sensor but it is NOT and it makes the fan to start until the temp drop below 100deg.

 

[Kawasaki-krazy]

Gearhead......First of all the temperature light is the last resort and you should switch the engine off immediately otherwise you'll cook the motor.
The light comes on when everything else has failed.
You don't mention whether the fan comes on or not.
Check that the fan is working because no matter how long the bike runs, the fan should kick in and out and keep the temperature within limits. I have NEVER had the light come on on my 1000.

Mark has also got the idea. We have been through the overheating issue many times before and the solution is the radiator cap.

Grabber....I too made the wiring modification because I too thought that 120deg was too high (and I wrote a long post about it ages ago) but (and I don't admit this often) I WAS WRONG. When the rad cap is working properly, it pressurises the cooling system and water under pressure no longer boils at 100deg. Fitting a new cap fixed the boiling over problem and I have put the wiring back to how it should be.

However....gearhead's problem is related to the fan circuit and the fact that the light is coming on means that the fan is not working properly, if it was....the light would never come on.

KK

 

[wuputt]

I gotta agree with KK!
I have never had the temp light come on. I have had the fan come on during hot days and at a stoplight. Only a couple times has my fan kicked on while riding, and it was HOT and I was city cruising.
Like KK stated, if your temp light is coming on, you better find out why before riding anymore!!!

 

[sr903]

Temp gauge

Questions for Grabber- What temp gauge did you install on your ZL and where did you install the sensor? Been planning to install one for awhile, just haven't picked one out. Think I'll replace the radiator cap before trouble starts since it's probrably the original. I had previously made a wiring change so that either (97 or 110deg) temp switch will turn on fan whether ignition is on or not. Fan now cycles on and off while running and only runs a couple seconds when I shut down, even in 95 deg weather.SR

 

[Grabber]

I dont remember the brand of it.... but here is a picture.

edited by zlMark