Went for a short 3-4 hr ride on Saturday on the WRR and noticed the smell of coolant after about an hour or so. Couldn't see anything leaking though. After I got home, I removed some plastic and found a very small leak in my radiator, just barely dripping. Must have got tweaked during my big crash. The mounting bracket on the right side is kind of smashed in, and the rad itself is slightly bent. Also, the fan is pushed into the rad and has worn a groove in the metal. :o
Obviously, I'm gonna have to straighten the fan mount. But, what are my options as to fixing the radiator? A new one is almost $190...can I do anything to repair the old one?? Pour in some Stop Leak?? Or, should I just bite the bullet and order a new one?
talk to "plumber" mike. he knows all about how to get leaks in radiators stopped.
If its a pin or small hole, local radiator shop can likely braze it.
I pinched the radiator tube right at the spot where the pinhole was and stopped the leak. I used a soldering iron and electrical solder just to make it feel like a permanent repair ;D I've put a few thousand on it since then. It's all good. Get some real SS Clamps if you've got those crimp type.
I did pull the rad off the bike and use compressed air to make sure I fixed it before I put antifreeze to it. BMW antifreeze is blue, but it's priced like it's gold >:(
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