KX Riders

Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: gwcrim on June 06, 2009, 02:18:07 AM

Title: coolant leak
Post by: gwcrim on June 06, 2009, 02:18:07 AM

When I put the top end back on my old 500 I (shame on me) didn't use a torque wrench.  Now coolant appears to be seeping around some of the head nuts.  Could it be anything else?  Or most likely the torque?

Title: Re: coolant leak
Post by: iambigd on June 06, 2009, 03:01:36 AM

When I rebuilt my topend several months back I tried to reuse a 2 week used head gasket and had this same issue. I know a lot of people don't do it but using a torque ratchet to tighten the head gasket is best practice. I spreads the pressure load on the gasket evenly.

Good luck

Peace
BigD

Title: Re: coolant leak
Post by: Hillclimb#42 on June 08, 2009, 02:45:25 AM

The torque and heat can cause the head to have raised spots in it. You need a straight edge to check for flatness. When you take it apart, most of the time you can see where the coolant was passing and tell what the issue was. It's  easy to fix, so don't put it off. Water in the cylinder will chow the top of the piston.