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Coolant Tank Residue: From Engine, Radiator, or Both?

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27K views 39 replies 16 participants last post by  JustAJ  
#1 ·
Is the white thingy (looks like aluminium residue or corrosion) at the bottom of the coolant reservoir
tank normal? If not, where is it coming from? Engine, radiator of both? Bike is just over a year old
with factory coolant. Should I replace the engine coolant? What coolant do you recommend?
 
#2 ·
I would change. That sediment looking crap could clog something up. Whatever brand you use, use one that is aluminum safe. Go buy a 99 cent bottle of distilled water too and do a good flush before replacing the coolant with your new coolant. Flushes are easy and only take a few minutes.
 
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#3 ·
Those reservoirs do get crud in them. I have no clue why, but I have to clean mine out when I change my coolant too. I swap mine out once a year, personally I just use silicate free automotive coolant (check the back of the bottle, most of them are silicate free). I do 20-25k miles per year. I've never done the distilled water flush thing.
 
#4 ·
Get that crud outta there. The fairings are already off so it won't take long. I, like Smash, also use automotive coolant (Prestone 50/50). The first time I changed mine I saw similar crud in the reservoir. Since using the Prestone it has not come back
 
#20 ·
The stuff sold at the stores, for cars, is REALLY strong. Maybe too strong? I never felt the need for soemthing that harsh. Even vinegar, 100%, is way strong.

What works well is the generic, blue "windex" window cleaner. Its cheap, and the color of it helps to let you know you have it all out. I've used it for years, and its never let me down. Just enough cleaning action to do the job, but not harsh enough to damage.

The house brands are cheap, and the 1/2 gallon size is plenty. I think the last one I bought was 3.00????
 
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#6 ·
I had the crud since the local dealer delivered my bike. I really thought it was normal. Do
a coolant system flush and replace with automotive engine coolant. Copy. Thanks guys!

p.s. I plan to replace the old factory coolant with new Toyota's Engine (Premix Pink)
Coolant sourced from a nearby Toyota car dealership. I hear pink is the new green.
 
#8 ·
You may need to flush if you are swapping coolant types. Some of them are not compatible.
 
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#12 ·
Probably just the seal, I had to change mine. Search for water pump seal ninja 650r via google and you'll get lots of good threads to read up on the process. I had issues changing mine, had to get the local dealership to press one of the old seals out and press the new one in for me. If you do that right the first time it's an easy fix!

Here's the google search, lets see if this link works: https://www.google.com/search?q=wat...derforums.com&client=firefox-a&hs=vOg&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb
 
#13 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 1 of 5

This post is inspired by Smash, as I feel for his frustration when, at the time, he couldn't find a solution to his water pump leak -- a known problem among 650 parallel twins (er6f, er6n, versys). A trip to the dealer has solved Smash's problem (I think). Curious, I wondered if I could do the water pump leak fix on my own. So, I decided to post this Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY, so folks can learn from my self challenge (and mistakes).

Disclaimer: I do not know everything there is to know about motorcycles, in general, or motorcycle cooling systems, in particular. What I post here is from actual personal experience, and it may or may not apply to you. Use below information at your own risk. Warning: long read, so moderators you may edit my post as you please. Or if there is a similar shorter post elsewhere in the forum, please delete. Thanks.

Legalities aside, so here goes:

Inspect the coolant reservoir tank. If there's significant amount of crud, you need to do a coolant system flush and replace with automotive engine coolant. If there's also a coolant leak under the water pump, you may need to replace the mechanical water seals or o-rings. Drain all fluids responsibly.

You don't need to buy new water seals or o-rings (my old water seals and o-rings were good for re-use), but if you're like me, order new ones and have the parts ready on hand. Buy a head gasket shellac or threebond sealant (I used a head gasket shellac). Buy distilled water. Ready hand wipes, tissue, and paper towels.

Tools & stuff needed:

8mm & 10mm sockets, wrenches, and hex/allen tool
torque wrench
hook or screwdriver
32mm socket, long bolt/nut, 1-inch diameter water pipe, and some
medium sized washers (to press out/in the mechanical water seals)
piece of wire

Disconnect the battery. Remove the fairings.

Put the bike on rear stands (not on kickstand). More old coolant will drain with the bike on rear stands.

Put a suitable container under the coolant drain plug. With the radiator cap still in place, remove the coolant drain plug (8mm socket). Don't worry, only a little coolant will drip. You may control the coolant drip by unscrewing and slowly lifting the radiator cap allowing air to flow in. Let all the old coolant drain for about 5 minutes. Remove the coolant reservoir tank and drain its contents.

Remove the rear stand. Put the bike on kickstand (engine oil will drip if you skip this step).

You are about to tinker the aluminum parts, so handle with extreme care as these delicate parts are soft and scratch very easily. Again, handle CAREFULLY.

Remove radiator hose, water pump cover bolts (8mm socket), and remove the water pump cover.

Shift the transmission into 1st gear, apply the rear bake, remove the impeller bolt (10mm socket) and washer, remove the impeller and water pump housing.

Remove all the o-rings from the water pump cover and housing. See, my old o-rings are fine.

Remove the impeller-side mechanical water seal from the impeller by hand.


Take the water pump oil seal out of the water pump housing with a hook or screwdriver. Unfortunately, it is difficult to take out the water pump oil seal without damaging it. Replace with new one.
 
#14 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 2 of 5

Carefully press out the housing-side mechanical water seal out of the water pump housing using the 32mm socket, long bolt/nut, and some medium sized washers. The housing-side mechanical water seal will fall into the 32mm socket.


Check both impeller-side and housing-side mechanical water seals for damage. If damaged, then replace with new ones. If not damaged and you still have a leak, then you won the mechanical water seal lotto, as the leak is likely due to the housing-side mechanical water seal housing seal (the teflon-like blue strip) failure; BUT you may still re-use the old housing-side mechanical water seal by applying head gasket shellac or threebond sealant around its housing.

Cover all open engine coolant/oil passages with clean plastic or cloth to prevent dirt/bugs entry.

With all the water pump parts disassembled, wash all the aluminum parts with mild detergent and distilled water. Wipe and dry.

This is a good time to remove and wash the radiator, radiator fan and radiator hoses as well. Wipe and dry. You may also want to remove the thermostat to wash the engine coolant passages. I didn't touch mine; I will just flush with distilled water later. If it ain't broke...
 
#15 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 3 of 5

Put a little head gasket shellac or threebond sealant on the water pump housing, on the outer portion of water pump housing oil seal, and on the housing-side mechanical water seal housing mating surfaces. Let it dry partly for about 15 minutes. Carefully press in the housing-side mechanical water seal into the water pump housing using a 1-inch diameter water pipe, long bolt/nut, and some medium sized washers. Wipe off excess head gasket shellac or threebond sealant. Make sure the water pump housing drain passage is kept open.

 
#16 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 4 of 5

Press in the water pump oil seal (part# 92049) using the 32mm socket, long bolt/nut, and some medium sized washers.


Allow the head gasket shellac or threebond sealant to dry for at least a day. When dry, cover the water pump oil seal with a finger and blow air into the housing-side mechanical water seal hole. Ensure the water pump housing drain passage is not blocked by excess head gasket shellac or threebond sealant. If it is blocked, insert a piece of wire to clear the passage.

Install the water pump coolant seal (part# 92055) and oil seal (part# 92055B) into the water pump housing and apply some grease.

Remove the plastic or cloth from the engine coolant/oil passages. Wipe clean the surrounding area. Be sure that the lone dowel pin is in position.
 
#17 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 5 of 5

Install the water pump housing.

Wet the impeller-side mechanical water seal with coolant and install it into the impeller by hand.


Wet the housing-side mechanical water seal with coolant. install the impeller bolt (10mm socket) and washer. Shift the transmission into 1st gear and apply rear brake. Tighten bolt to 9.8Nm.
 
#18 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 6 of 5 (oops)

Be sure that the two dowels on the water pump housing are in position. Install the o-ring (part# 92055A) into the water pump cover and apply grease. Install water pump cover and bolts (8mm socket - short bolts go into "yellow dot" slots, long bolts go into "red dot" slots). Tighten bolts to 9.8Nm.

Install radiator hose. If you removed other parts of the cooling system, install them.


Tighten the coolant drain plug (8mm socket) to 9.8Nm. Fill cooling system with distilled water. Install radiator cap. Run engine for a few minutes. Turn off and allow engine to cool. Drain the distilled water. Repeat. Then sigh.
 
#19 ·
Water Pump Leak Fix and Coolant System Flush DIY Part 7 of 5 (oops again)

Tighten the coolant drain plug (8mm socket) to 9.8Nm. Fill cooling system with automotive engine coolant. I used the Toyota "Premix Pink" Super Long Life Coolant. Pink is the new green.

Again, if your old mechanical water seals and o-rings look fine, you don't need to replace them with new ones (mine looks okay, but I replaced them anyway).

The cost if you will re-use perfectly good parts: (Total = usd21.89)

Head Gasket Shellac (usd5.55)
Distilled Water (usd2.00)
Toyota "Premix Pink" Super Long Life Coolant 2 liters (usd7.50)
92055B 92055-1155 O-Ring, 33.2MM (usd6.84)

The additional cost if you (like me) will replace with new parts (partzilla.com): (Total = usd22.11 plus the above items)

92049 92049-0115 Oil Seal, 12x28.55x5 (usd4.50)
92055 92055-0082 O-Ring, Case-Housing (usd1.61)
92055A 92055-0083 O-Ring, Housing Pump Cover (usd4.00)
49063 49063-1055 Mechanical Seal, Water (usd12.00)

The additional cost if you (again, like me) are overkill (partzilla.com): (Total = usd21.24 plus the above items)

13227 13227-0023 Housing (usd21.24)

Re-assemble fairings, reconnect the battery, and you're done. Enjoy ride. Be safe.
 
#24 ·
Great job on a very thorough write up! Pare I heard all the Ninjas in the Philippines are green. How disappointing is that? Everyone looks the same lol.
 
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#26 ·
I personally think the mechanical water seal is a good, practical, and cost-effective design (Ninja 300, 650, 1000, ZX6R, ZX10R, Mean Streak). When the coolant leaks, no need to replace the entire water pump assembly (unlike Ninja 250, ZX14R) -- just the mechanical water seal. But the impeller shares the vibey balancer shaft (Ninja 650), so it's just a matter of time before the teflon-like blue strip fails. The solution is simple: apply some shellac or threebond sealant.

Another lesson learned: DO NOT RACE the engine until it reaches reaches operating temperature. Let the engine warm up until the radiator fan kicks. The thermostat is closed when the engine is cool. As such, when raced, the coolant will not circulate and pressure will build up. And where will the blocked coolant go? Through the seals! lol
 
#27 ·
Just an update: After about a year, some (white) residue has accumulated in my coolant reservoir tank (see pic below). It looks like the (white) residue is simply crystalized dried-up engine coolant -- not aluminum corrosion as I first thought. So, I believe it is safe to say that the (white) residue in the coolant tank is normal. :)
 

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#28 ·
I think I'm about to tackle this project. Discovered a nasty oil leak on my 650 last night. Cleaned everything up and it appears that engine oil is seeping from the weep hole on the water pump. I'll check more after work tonight. Doesn't look like its leaking any coolant from the weep hole, just oil.

Just making sure, it is possible for an oil leak to occur but not any coolant.??? Or am I looking at a bigger problem here??
 
#29 · (Edited)
To illustrate (please refer to pic below): the crankshaft drives the balancer shaft (p/n 13234), the balancer shaft drives the water pump impeller (p/n 59256), and the water pump impeller circulates the engine coolant. The oil seal (p/n 92049) prevents engine oil leaks from the crankcase via the balancer shaft. The mechanical water seal (p/n 49063) prevents engine coolant leaks from the water pump via balancer shaft. Should engine oil or engine coolant leaks, the water pump inner housing (p/n 13227), via the weep hole, will prevent engine oil from contaminating the engine coolant and will prevent the engine coolant from contaminating the engine oil. Short story long, engine oil alone or engine coolant alone or both, can leak via the water pump inner housing weep hole. Makes sense?

In the three years of owning my Ninja 650, I find it normal to see droplets of oil or engine coolant around the weep hole. Just remember to regularly check your engine oil level and engine coolant reservoir level. AND regularly check the weep hole -- make sure it isn't blocked.

Enjoy and ride safe! :)

EDIT: Just a suggestion, while you're at it, when you replace the oil seal (p/n 92049), you might want to consider replacing the mechanical water seal (p/n 49063) as well. If you can afford it, replace the related/nearby gaskets too. It's cheap insurance. But that's just me...
 
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