10 replies to this topic

[floored]

Yesterday I took my newish to me Pro 300 for it's first long distance ride, and paid the price for it. Early on I saw some signs of coolant smoke, but had presumed it was overflow hitting the exhaust( I'd just checked & topped up the coolant the day before so I figured it was just returning to it's normal level). Eventually I stopped halfway up a long climb after putting on a smoke show. Upon closer inspection it became clear that the head was leaking from a small spot close to the brake reservoir.

So.....since I'm new to all this (and the contemplation of working on ones own bike) what should I do now?

#1 - Just try new interior & exterior "O"rings and hope for the best?
#2 - Suck it up and send the head & cylinder to the machine shop for flattening, since the localized leaking and lack of overflow from the rad are good signs of warpage?
#3 - Take the bike to a mechanic and let them rebuild it outright, and also see if they can find any possible causes?

[Lowbrow]

What you describe isn't an uncommon event. The rubber 'o' rings in the head harden with age and eventually blow . Just replace the 'o'rings. When the head is off look for any signs of bore damage and check the fan works properly and the rad' is not blocked with crud before your next ride.

[Magicmat]

My brothers 04 raga has had this recently,

First it was the eltronic gismo not letting the fan work..or it did intermittently... 40-50 to replace...

.. then it happened again..overflowing... so we had to replace the fan,...sorted now,

£58 inc postage, from GGuk... got quoted 67 +vat from a local dealer that i wont name...told em GG price and they soon dropped there !

[floored]

MPM, thanks for the good...ish news. Here's hoping I didn't cook it too bad in trying to get it out of the bush! I stopped and topped it up with water twice, but it took a lot on the second stop.

Magicmat, the fan seemed to be working fine (except when the water got below the switch). When I said that I'd that I'd checked the coolant the day before, I'd actually checked the whole cooling system. Knowing that we were going for a long ride, I'd thought it'd be wise. I never thought to check the "O" Rings .

Anyway, thank you and I'll let you know how it goes.

By the way:
#1 - Anyone know the torque specs for the head bolts?
#2 - I don't know how the "O"rings come (dry or packed in light oil). Do I use them how I receive them, Dry them, Lube them or use some blue gasket seal?

Edited by floored, 13 February 2007 - 03:52 PM.

[PeterB]

Hello Floored,
The O rings come dry. You can assemble with a little grease. Sorry but I don't know the torque figures.
The head does not usually warp.
Check the fan is working properly, they normally blow like a good hair dryer. (Not that I use one!) The other problem area is the thermoswitch, they cut in around 80C - you can check the operation in a cup with boiling water and an ohm meter (DVM) - in boiling water the switch should close in approx 10 to 20 seconds.
If your ignition system is Ducati, there could be another problem - there is an electronic unit under the tank that provides the ignition curve and the AC to DC rectification for the fan - if the thermoswitch and fan check out ok and the fan still does not turn on when the motor is getting hot, then this module has failed.
Check to see you are not losing water into the gearbox via the water pump seal.
Good luck, Peter.

[Lowbrow]

I always torque my head down to 18 foot pounds and believe this is the correct value. I don't use jointing compound with the 'o' rings, but I do use it between the barrel and a head spacer and this has been adequate so it could help to prolong the seal of the 'o' rings, I guess. Hope you're back out on her soon.

[spinner]

8mm head bolts 18 foot pounds
6mm head bolts 9 foot pounds

I always use grease on the o-rings to hold they in place.

[floored]

Thanks for the Specs and advise everyone.
I've ordered the rings, but the distributor is away until Tuesday Feb. 20th so it'll be awhile before I can update as to how things work out.
Here's hoping I'll be posting good news!!!!!!!!

Edited by floored, 16 February 2007 - 08:19 PM.

[speed2101]

floored, on Feb 16 2007, 12:10 PM, said:

Thanks for the Specs and advise everyone.
I've ordered the rings, but the distributor is away until Tuesday Feb. 20th so it'll be awhile before I can update as to how things work out.
Here's hoping I'll be posting good news!!!!!!!!

So I guess that means you won't be riding on sunday??????????????

[floored]

Trials?
One word, starts with "N", has 2 letters.
Any guesses?

Maybe the 400.

[floored]

So I pulled the head the head this weekend, and unfortunately discovered that it had been pulled before. Not that it should be a problem, but whoever did the work before put a few marks in the mating surfaces. Fortunately none of the damage was where the seals ride (but close), so I used a razor blade scraper and planed off the burrs.
Anyway, I put her back together and got a few hours out yesterday without any problem.
So here's hoping it sticks, touch wood.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

-Andrew