Coolant leak

[ttassinari48]

Greetings, All.

My 2005 has developed a coolant leak. I first noticed it last week; it leaked a small amount on the ground at startup (34 degrees F) in the morning. I saw the puddle, about 2" across, while it was warming up. I inspected the engine area, but couldn't tell where it was coming from as it had stopped by then. Knowing my reservoir was full, I rode the 18 miles to work. No overheating, and no further evidence of leakage on the ground after arriving at work.

After further inspection a couple of days later, I noticed evidence of leakage from the top of the engine. It appears that the leak is coming from the coolant intake hose that enters the top of the engine from the radiator. I wiggled the hose to see if the clamp was loose, and the metal pipe from the engine seems a bit loose in its mount (about 1/8" movement side-to-side) when wiggled.

I never had any leaks when the weather was hot this summer; could this leak/looseness be due to the cold temps and the joint contracting because it's cold out?

That amount of contraction seems excessive to me, but I am not experienced with the Ninjette in cold weather. Is this a normal thing for our bikes, or is there a more serious problem here?

I thank my fellow Ninjette riders in advance for your experienced opinions on this.

[Motofool]

Tom,

The pipe to which you refer has an O-ring that seals against the head cast.

That O-ring is known for shrinking with age.

Fortunately, it is the size of the smallest O-ring provided with the oil filter.

[lgk]

Yep replace the o ring.
Inspect the hose and ride on

[ttassinari48]

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies, folks!

That is good news.

Now, to use the search engine to find out how to get the gas tank off of her.

Might as well check the valves too while I have her torn down.

Any other preventive maintenance ideas y'all can think of while I've got her stripped?

[Motofool]

Read the last portion of this article:

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Hints_%...lve_Adjustment