My bike is heating up in neutral

I went on a very short ride on my ex500 because is was a nice cool day, and I hadn't gotten to ride it for a long time, and the roads in Missouri are terrible, so I hit a lot of heavy bumps. On the way home, I noticed my bike was heating up really fast, but it didn't feel hot at all. I got it home, and the tube to my coolant tank had fallen off. I hooked it back up, and refilled the coolant tank. None of the coolant is being taken, and if I turn the bike on it's still heating up. I checked all the other wires,tubes, and looked at everything I could think of, but to no avail. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

 

It was right on the verge of pushing red when I shut it down. I let it cool off, checked the tubes etc, and then I started it up and checked for any abnormalities. There was no smoke, but it just heated up without being revved up or anything. I'm fairly certain that I am looking at the coolant tank because it has the >FULL, >Add, thing on it. I checked my radiator, and it has a small wet spot on the front of it, so maybe the radiator has a hole in it? Could that be the problem, and how would I fix that?

 

A good radiator shop can usually repair a leak in the radiator, if it is not very corroded inside. I would guess you have air in the radiator. When the bike gets hot, coolant is pushed out of the radiator, then pulls it back in as the engine cools off. With the hose off, it may have pulled air into the rad insted of coolant. Pull the rad cap off to see if it is full of coolant, if not, fill it up. Also, fill the overflow tank to the full line with the engine cool.

 

I may have air in the radiator like you said, but there is no cap on it for me to use for filling. All that it has are two holes where hoses connect, and a thermostat. I checked and couldn't find a cap on it anywhere. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing?

 

Topic says it gets hot in neutral, I am going to assume that is what you meant, like bike is not moving.
There is a fan on the rad, does it come on? Should come on before it overheats, if not, you need to find out why. Not sure you will get specific advice for your Kawasaki on a forum that is V4 Honda based though.

 

Bike runs and moves just fine, but it shouldn't heat up when it isn't moving. The fan does come on as well. My problem is with the coolant I believe, but I wasn't quite sure how to fix the problem. I'll keep trying and eventually figure it out though.

 

Looks like you should invest 20 bucks in a book for this bike. It must have a radiator cap somewhere. All my bikes get hottest when not moving. When sitting, you have no air moving through the radiator until the fan kicks on, which will cause it to heat up faster. Keep us posted.

 

I have the manual, but I'm waiting for my dad to mail it to me. I accidentally left it in California. Anyway... I just worked on it again, in a closed garage. I started it up, and I don't know if it's just the exhaust or what, it smelled funny, and I was wondering if something could be wrong. Also...For some reason, it didn't heat up this time. Just a smell that burned my nose. I realized what I was doing, and quickly opened the doors and turned off the bike to let it air out, but I think my problem might have solved itself, but I highly doubt that. As soon as I get the chance, I'll actually take it for a drive and see if it has the same problems.

 

Well... I think my thermostat is messed up, or maybe a wire became unhooked because the temperature gauge on my display doesn't change at all. When I used to turn it on, it would move from the resting position, but it didn't this time.

 

Oooow ooow that smell.

Jenkins... don't run your bike in an garage with the door closed for more than two seconds. Even in a cold winter, move the bike's exhaust to the door and open the door when it's running.

Otherwise your engine will win the oxygen battle by taking the oxygen you are trying to breath and turning it into carbon monoxide which your body doesn't like. :faint: You will eventually pass-out and if you aren't removed from the garage by a friend you will not be posting anymore.

 

this is the helpful reply...

If your cooling system - radiator, water pump, hoses, overflow etc...has lost most of its water, the water pump can't pump the water from the overflow into the system since it is trying to pump air. There needs to be a vacuum to suck the coolant (50/50 mix of water and antifreeze - 100% antifreeze don't work... 100% h2o don't work either as it boils off) out of the overflow tank.

So even if the overflow tank has the right level of fluid, if the rest of the coolant system isn't full of liquid coolant, your engine won't get cooled.

To fill up the system with coolant, you'll need to put it in at the highest point in the system... that is usually the radiator cap on the top of the radiator. On your bike it could be somewhere else, but there will be a place to add coolant.

Remember after you find the high point, you'll need to fill it with the 50/50 mix. Then with the cap off, run the engine (in a well ventilate area ) and some trapped air bubbles might percolate through the cooling system after the thermostat opens up... so you'll need to run the engine long enough for it to warm up (with the garage door open or outside :wink: ). As the air escapes, the coolant level will drop, and then you'll need to add more coolant until it runs for, say, two minutes without burping more air.

professional mechanic lurker types: If you've read this and I've got something wrong , please correct my boo-boo/misrepresentation.

 

Your temp gauge will only measure coolant temp. not air temp. The sending unit must be in coolant before it can work. Like Nozzle said, make sure it is full of coolant.
Hey, this is my 400th post!! :attention: You'd think I could come up with a better post than this for number 400.:rockon: