Coolant drip from the valve cover gasket?

[Mless5]

My coolant froze solid a few weeks back (no antifreeze in the coolant - thanks Red Line ) ... Imagine that?! I opened the radiator cap and there was solid snow inside! All hoses were rock hard as well. Anyway, the largest victim was the radiator. I swapped it out and there bike fired ok, runs ok, but there is coolant seeping from the gasket I suppose? Is the gasket all I need or am I royally f***ed?

Thanks.

[mgentz]

depending on where you see the leak, you could be ok. If it is in the rear, it is more than likely from the 90 degree hose coming out of the head.

[dcj13]

If you're lucky,

Try replacing that o-ring (less than a buck for a suitable generic one from the local auto parts store) and snugging up that hose clamp. Also say a prayer to the engine gods.

Worst case, the block or head is cracked, in which case you are in trouble.

No need at this point for an antifreeze tutorial...

[Mless5]

It's from the front left corner, looks to be from the gasket.

[Motofool]

Does the oil look milky?

[mgentz]

Originally Posted by Mless5

It's from the front left corner, looks to be from the gasket.

still COULD be ok, since leaking coolant from the rear may follow the gasket around and gravity would pull it to the front....but just like when I try pilates....I'm stretching here.

pull the cover and take a look. best thing to do at this time.

[Mless5]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Does the oil look milky?

Tough to tell, while it doesn't appear to be I suppose I should drain the oil into clean container to be able to tell accurately.

Originally Posted by mgentz

still COULD be ok, since leaking coolant from the rear may follow the gasket around and gravity would pull it to the front....but just like when I try pilates....I'm stretching here.

pull the cover and take a look. best thing to do at this time.

I've never worked on motorcycle engines, what would I be looking for besides damaged gasket? Though my gut feeling tell me that's as bad as it could get in this situation?

[Triple Jim]

You'd be able to tell if the oil is milky without putting it in another container. It's really obvious when it happens.

When you take the cover off, you should look for anything unusual, like a crack, or other evidence of where the coolant is coming from.

[dcj13]

How does the oil look in the sight glass?

[Mless5]

Originally Posted by dcj13

How does the oil look in the sight glass?

It doesn't look abnormal to my un-trained eye. Coolant does NOT have oily look. I guess I'll take the cover off and see what's up.

[dcj13]

Good if the oil appears normal. Coolant infused oil looks similar to a chocolate milkshake.

[Mless5]

Seems like we have some good news here. I pulled the cover last night and there is absolutely no sign of coolant in the oil. There was coolant on the back of the cover (towards the battery), but I am 99% sure that it was coming from the coolant pipe that is in the back of the cover and it was making its way forward due to block being tilted. When I wiggle the pipe, I could clearly see a wet spot there. Too bad Partzilla takes forever to ship! Oh well, I may as well do a valve adjustment while I am there, sitting at 13xxx miles now, I am not sure if it ever was done.

Thanks to all who chimed in - I greatly appreciate it!

[taz]

oh gosh, partszillla you might be waiting tell next year there normally slower at shipping than motomummy (which clearly does have a mummy working in the shipping department).

[Triple Jim]

Partzilla lists a lot of stuff they don't stock, so when you order it, they have to place an order with their wholesaler, see if it's available, then maybe ship it if it is. Sometimes you get lucky with them though. It may be best to verify stock with their customer service department before actually placing an order.

[Mless5]

Good: tackled the O ring (was totally flat), did the valve adjustment while there (gaps were too tight), replacing valve cover gasket & spark plugs. Decided to change oil and filter while there and this is where BAD starts: oil looked funny, few milky/mayo spots . Might be some dropping from the time I was working on the O ring, but could be head gasket time? Oil window went white-ish. Any 100% way to diagnose it before I commit?

Thanks.

[Triple Jim]

Changing the oil and running it for a while would tell if coolant is still getting in. I'm not familiar enough with the particular leak you had to know if it could have released coolant into the oil. If so, and you fixed that leak, you could be OK now.

[steiny]

don't worry about that green fluid ..... it's just Kawasaki blood

[Mless5]

^ I kind of wish it was green.

Things aren't looking good. Oil level window filled up with milky stuff after a few laps around the block. Head gasket time? Any good DIYs out there?

Thanks.

[Triple Jim]

Did you get the engine good and hot? If there is some residual moisture in the oil, it won't be gone until you get the engine fully hot for a while.

I'm not trying to get you to run the engine excessively if you really think coolant is still getting in the oil!

[Mless5]

Actually I did not. It is impossible to get it hot now: it went over the first mark from cold while sitting, but dropped back closer to C once I got rolling - just too cold to ride for prolonged periods. It runs fine though, so I am still hopeful I guess?

[dcj13]

Change the oil.
Say a prayer.
Start it up, take it for a ride, get it nice and warmed up.
Check the oil for chocolate milk.

If the oil is clean, you're ok.

If chocolate milk, best outcome is a bad head gasket.
Otherwise, it's a cracked head or cracked block.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Mless5

Actually I did not. It is impossible to get it hot now: it went over the first mark from cold while sitting, but dropped back closer to C once I got rolling - just too cold to ride for prolonged periods. It runs fine though, so I am still hopeful I guess?

Water is the only substance that increases its volume when gets solidified.
The damage due to expansion, in form of a crack, could be anywhere in the cooling system where metal is in contact with coolant/ice.

Soft parts like hoses, gaskets and seals can support that expansion with less damage.
Hence, the leak is not necessarily in the gasket between cylinders and head.

Detecting the possible area of leak in order to decide what to do is going to be difficult.
There are ways to pressurize the system without risking damaging the main bearings due to oil contamination.
Have you noticed any leak coming from the body of the coolant pump?

[Mless5]

Thanks.

No, I don't recall seeing any leaks other than that run from the O ring of the pipe where it enters the head in the back.

Originally Posted by Motofool

Water is the only substance that increases its volume when gets solidified.
The damage due to expansion, in form of a crack, could be anywhere in the cooling system where metal is in contact with coolant/ice.

Soft parts like hoses, gaskets and seals can support that expansion with less damage.
Hence, the leak is not necessarily in the gasket between cylinders and head.

Detecting the possible area of leak in order to decide what to do is going to be difficult.
There are ways to pressurize the system without risking damaging the main bearings due to oil contamination.
Have you noticed any leak coming from the body of the coolant pump?

[Mless5]

Update: took the bike out for a good 1/2 ride, let the bike sit and idle for ~5 minutes after I came back, temp started to rise, but didn't get past 12 o'clock. Shut it off, and drained oil + took filter out into a clean pan: no signs of coolant . Decided to pour old oil into a plastic bottle and let it sit overnight to see if there is any separation going on. Filled with clean oil and filter, took the bike for a few circles around our block. Things look promising thus far, keeping my fingers crossed!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Mless5

.........Shut it off, and drained oil + took filter out into a clean pan: no signs of coolant ........

[dcj13]

Sounds like your lucky day!

[Mless5]

Keeping my fingers crossed! Big thanks for the support of this community