[grahambo]

Hey all

Having minor issue with my rc8r , could be normal behaviour.

The bike seems to be using coolant.

There is no smoke on startup so I don't think its a head gasket issue. Bike is a 2012 model and only has 17500kms on it.

When the engine gets hot the coolant level rises slightly and as it cools its goes ever so slightly below where it started. So I need to add a smal bit each month.

Have I got crap coolant in my bike thats boiling off.?
Any one else have this issue
G.

 

[grahambo]

Should also mentio bike is standard/stock

No mods at all!

 

[zoomdude57]

Radiator caps on the RC8R not the best engineered. Hose connector on top of the cap can get knocked out of whack and allow coolant to leak. Also the cap itself can loosen. I safety wired mine.


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[bajadog]

Are you riding it track, stop n' go traffic, straight highway?

I just ask because it's usually a lean/rich condition or an environmental issue.

 

[cstunt101]

I have the 2014. Same thing noticed the other day it was low. Was told it's normal to add coolant every now and then? City rideing. Have not checked the caps yet. Have noticed no leaks.

 

[pimpedc6]

It is not normal to use coolant. Coolant only goes two places. Into the motor or leaking out through a hose or cap. Most likely it is leaking into the motor. Based on my experience with my motor I would have it checked out. I don't trust the motors on these bikes


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[arsenalist]

You probably have a bad water pump seal. There's been plenty of guys who've had issues with them on all variants of the lc8 engine. Try the search function and you'll find plenty of info on this subject.
Take care of it quickly before it takes out your paper oil filter and causes some real problems.

 

[grahambo]

Are you riding it track, stop n' go traffic, straight highway?

I just ask because it's usually a lean/rich condition or an environmental issue.

I have the 2014. Same thing noticed the other day it was low. Was told it's normal to add coolant every now and then? City rideing. Have not checked the caps yet. Have noticed no leaks.

City Riding Mostly, Strange, you only got one a year old and the same thing is happening and you're city riding too.

Is there a way to test if the Oil in contaminated?

You probably have a bad water pump seal. There's been plenty of guys who've had issues with them on all variants of the lc8 engine. Try the search function and you'll find plenty of info on this subject.
Take care of it quickly before it takes out your paper oil filter and causes some real problems.

I've heard of the Pump Seal going alright, however I cant believe it would go on a 2.5 year old bike that has less than 20,000kms on it.

Again, is there any way to verify what the exact issue it?
I've checked the dip stick, I would expect to see yellow gunk on and under it if there was moisture in the oil. There's none
There is a a bit on the side, but nothing underneath, but it has been lashing rain the last good few days (I live in Ireland, very wet here) See pics below.

When I say the coolant goes down, it's going down may 1mm or 2mm every 5/6 days
It doesn't happen after a long spin, usually only city driving, temperature goes up to 98 degrees C and the fan comes on.
Maybe I could look a mod to get the fan to come on at 91/92 degrees C

I've opened the caps on the reservoir and the rad there is a hell of a lot of steam evaporating off.
I'm thinking I might need to change my antifreeze/water ratio to increase boiling point

G.

 

[SpeedTriple]

my '09 developed a coolant leak at around 5k miles, would leak tiny amounts out of the weep hole on the cover, never noticed problems with the level, it was just enough to make it smell like coolant burning and make a noticable mess on the side case.

replaced impeller shaft bearings and seal along with new water pump cover and gasket, problem solved, expensive but solved.

They redisigned the water pump cover and I noticed my new one doesn't have a weep hole to let you know that the seal is leaking, so maybe you have a tiny leak that is mixing with the oil and evaporating out the case vents.

 

[grahambo]

my '09 developed a coolant leak at around 5k miles, would leak tiny amounts out of the weep hole on the cover, never noticed problems with the level, it was just enough to make it smell like coolant burning and make a noticable mess on the side case.

replaced impeller shaft bearings and seal along with new water pump cover and gasket, problem solved, expensive but solved.

They redisigned the water pump cover and I noticed my new one doesn't have a weep hole to let you know that the seal is leaking, so maybe you have a tiny leak that is mixing with the oil and evaporating out the case vents.

I figured out what this was

Crack in Radiator!!!!!
On a 3 year old Bike with not even 20K's on it!

I'll be writing a letter to KTM!

G.

 

[PowderBrad]

GOOD FIND^^^^

However, the water pump seal is a relatively easy fix that anyone could do in their garage.

Once the clutch cover is removed its all there. And as long as the seals are installed correctly I didn't see much that could go wrong actually (besides normal wear, leading to leaks). Im not worried about it one bit...and if it happens Ill just fix it in an hour.

 

[punkinhead]

my bro's 2010 had rad replaced,recall or goodwill.don't remmember for sure,but KTM took care of it way past warranty.

 

[Egax30000]

Since you are speaking about radiators and coolant, what should be the average temperature showing on the dash? I rode my RC8R yesterday for the first time and wasn't sure if 210 farenheit was to high or average after riding for 2 hours.

 

[pimpedc6]

About right


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[Egax30000]

Thank you, one less thing to worry about.

 

[PowderBrad]

Since you are speaking about radiators and coolant, what should be the average temperature showing on the dash? I rode my RC8R yesterday for the first time and wasn't sure if 210 farenheit was to high or average after riding for 2 hours.

The fan doesn't kick on til 96 deg c (roughly208 f??) so thats normal.

Sitting in traffic mine gets up to 110 deg C !! That's with silicone hoses AND water wetter for coolant. Also on a 32 deg C day though. As soon as I get some airflow it drops to 93 or so. On normal days (22 deg c) its as low as 85 on the highway.

 

[Jericho]

Since you are speaking about radiators and coolant, what should be the average temperature showing on the dash? I rode my RC8R yesterday for the first time and wasn't sure if 210 farenheit was to high or average after riding for 2 hours.

Was that while you were moving down the road or sitting in traffic? Even on a hot day, if Im moving, the coolant will read on average at about 180 degrees farenheit. While sitting in traffic it can get up to 210 and kick the fan on.

 

[Egax30000]

That temperature seems about right, 179F to 185F while moving, up to 210 F when stuck in traffic.

 

[Egax30000]

Now I have another issue, I have to fill up my reservoir bottle sometimes up to 2 times a day while riding hard, last night I filled it up before going to bed and it was half way empty in the morning. The shop said it could be a leak in the radiator (checked) head gaskets or water pump seals. I have a little bit of yellow stuff in my funnel and dipstick, but they didn't find any water/coolant in my oil at the shop (they drained it out) bike does not overheat, it does not smoke, doesn't have a visible external coolant leak, and it doesn't smell like burnt coolant, the coolant just seems to dissappear. I know it's going somewhere, just don't know where. Any ideas? Already did a compression test on the radiator and it's fine, I ordered water pump seals, I just hope it's not the head gaskets since there's no loss of power or overheating.

 

[smith528]

Same problem with my 2012 RC8,any resolution?