please help! radiator!

[thumperwrestler]

I just fell and my left rad took the hit. It's kind of twisted. The top left corner is pushed forward and the bottom right corner is pushed back(towards the rear wheel) My left radiator is leaking a little of this green fluid!

it's leaking on the edge second clesest to the left of this red tie down. near the buckle. the leak is where the top cover piece fits to the vertical piece.

http://www.motorworld.com/gcvt/vehicles/drz400/sm/Jpegs/11.jpg

not my pic but it's all i got right now.

I pushed the top piece back in and it's not leaking anymore but it was shooting out like 2 ft high be4! The rad shroud is bent up too.

IS time of the essence!!!!

[kman780]

If it is leaking that bad you really should have it repaired or replace that one.

If its not leaking just just probably because you pinched it together when you straightened it out. Hard to see anything in that pic.

[strollerking]

I dont know about just bending it back and calling it good. Before you head out on the Alaska to tip of South America ride I would fix or replace it. What radiator guards were you using?

[thumperwrestler]

thats not my bike. my digital cam is not with me right now. It stopped leaking, but it's kind of twisted. The left lower side is pushed in.

When I squeeze the tube behind the rad, green fluid comes out of the leak. ?

[kman780]

What radiator guards were you using?

Look like flatlands to me, I run them and they have taken some hard shots and been fine.

Anyway, that is no way to run your bike. You need to fix then ASAP. Sorry for the bad news but better to do it now than try to find them on the road with a steaming hot overheated bike....

[thumperwrestler]

I did not have rad guards. I illustrated this pic to show you what i mean

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/KTM20-20radiator20guards20-20smallc.jpg

this pic is from a ktm.

[Pockets269]

It may not leak while cold but once you get it to temperature and it pressurizes I'm pretty sure it will leak. You should get it fixed or replaced.

[Forewarned]

Clean the leak area with a wire brush and brake cleaner. Put some JB weld on there and let it set over night. It should not leak anymore. Of course do this with the rdiator off the bike. I have done this a few times and it works great.

[thumperwrestler]

thanks forewarned! When i take the radiator off, do i need to disconnect the hoses? I just called my cycle shop and they said exactly what pockets just said. It's still a little mangled, so I'll have pics tomorrow.

[Pockets269]

Clean the leak area with a wire brush and brake cleaner. Put some JB weld on there and let it set over night. It should not leak anymore. Of course do this with the rdiator off the bike. I have done this a few times and it works great.

Good idea forewarned. That just might work. JB Weld's get stuff ain't it?

[strollerking]

Just to through this in. I wonder if dropping some stopleak in on top of the jb weld would help? It works of car radiators pretty well. I would want to make pretty sure it would not hurt anything else though.

[sireland67]

Do not put stop leak in any bike, bad, bad, bad.

[Forewarned]

Bad idea, the epoxy (jb weld) needs a clean dry surface to work well. If you do it right it will last for 5 to 10 years no problems.

[Action]

Myler's is the place to call. They fixed my rad the same day they received it in the mail even after the local rad shop had said it was irrepairable. I had managed to cave in the side pretty bad when I fell over. Cost was about $65 or so. They're recommended by many on TT. www.motorcycleradiators.com

[thumperwrestler]

I'll look into that action. I just looked at the rad again and it appears that the bottom left side of my left rad is torn backwards(towards the rider). Do you guys think this needs repair or will it suffice? I can get pics later if you need to see them.

OK, i got some pics.

this is what itlooks like when i squeeze that tube behind the rad.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad5.jpg

this shows how bent it is

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad4.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad3.jpg

if you look to the right, you'll see the crushed zig zags

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad2.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b120/TTRer/rad2-1.jpg

Salvageable? ?

[strollerking]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to push stopleak as a fix for anything but why is it not good for bike radiators? Is it exclusively bad for bikes or does it go the same for cars?

[seehenry]

I have never personally found a "stop leak" radiator product good for anything but a temporary, emergency repair. I would be really reluctant to put it in any modern engine as they frequently have narrow waterjackets any tiny passages that I think could be easily blocked by a chunk of "stop leak". The "stop leak" products do not seem to have changed much over the last 20 years and they where never worth much to begin with.

I would treat a JB weld repair the same way. Ok in an emergency but repair it correctly as soon as you can.

There is a good chance that any local radiator repair shop with aluminum radiator experience will be able to successfully repair a motorcycle radiator.

[thumperwrestler]

I think I'm going to have to remove my rad, so to remove it: I just drain the fluid from the bottom hose and remove the top hoses, then remove the bolts that hold the rad on, right?

[Fred_Bear]

remove it, send it to mylers, install unabikers and ride.

[logging road rider]

I think I'm going to have to remove my rad, so to remove it: I just drain the fluid from the bottom hose and remove the top hoses, then remove the bolts that hold the rad on, right?

Drain it by using the drain plug on the right side of your case. I think it's the bottom bolt on the water pump cover.