Coolant and bottom end oil consumption.

[Steven12191]

Hey folks, I got my 2005 kdx220 a couple months back and noticed it seems to have started loosing some bottom end oil. I filled the bike up to the top of the sight glass probably 2 or 3 rides ago and I have to lean the bike over a fair bit to get it in the sight glass. The whole motor was done very recently by the last owner and I haven’t had issues with the bottom end oil until recently. As for coolant I think it’s been burning some coolant since I got it. I recently switched to evens coolant 3 or 4 rides ago and it’s gone from just over the top marker in the reservoir tank to just over the low marker. I’ve looked the motor over and can’t seem to find any leaks for the oil or coolant. Maybe this is a known issue or something. I was gonna buy that uv dye to put in but figured I’d ask.

[G22inSC]

For the coolant, it is a sealed system and you shouldn't be losing any without an issue. I recently spent a great deal of time tracking down a coolant loss as I couldn't find a leak anywhere. I finally tracked it to a faulty cap that was no longer holding pressure and allowing the coolant to heat up and evaporate through the cap. If it's boiling over then it should be exiting the vent hose. If you have a blown head gasket or other internal issue you will consume the coolant and should have some white smoke. I say should cause you would with regular coolant but I'm not sure on the Evan's as I've never had any first hand experience with it. See this post for my coolant loss saga... viewtopic.php?f=77&t=24251

As far as the oil goes, you need to drain it first. Then measure out a certain amount and pour that in. Run it for a while and then drain it back out and measure what you get. This will give you an idea if you're losing it or not. Just keep an eye on the vent hose and make sure you aren't pushing any out. You're only other option is the oil getting passed a main crank seal. If that's the case, the bike will be smoking more and if it's bad enough or the seal finally really lets go, you're rear fender will be covered in oil. See pic for when the seal went out on my old KX250 while on a brief ride behind the house years ago.

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[KDXGarage]

Oil level readings should be done with the bike horizontal. Is that what you are doing?

Also, eengine cold.

[bufftester]

Really should do a leakdown test for the oil loss, and a coolant system pressure check for the coolant loss. Keep in mind that many times the soolant level in the overflow tank will change. If the level was not at the top of the radiator when you filled it, it will pull extra coolant out of the overflow tank. Otherwise check your oil for a milky color (indicating water pump seal) or your exhaust for white smoke or the smell of coolant

[G22inSC]

Really should do a leakdown test for the oil loss, and a coolant system pressure check for the coolant loss.

Don't forget to pressure test the radiator cap as well. That was how I located my issue.

[Steven12191]

Thanks for all the info guys, as for the oil, I drained out all my oil and poured in exactly 0.7 liters on the dot. I have an hour meter and I’ll run it around a bit and then drain it out and measure everything. As for the coolant, I don’t think I’ve topped off my coolant reservoir after my first big ride after switching to Evans so I’ll top it off again and watch it.

[KDXGarage]

Go with the sight window instead of a measured quantity. One never gets every drop out during a change.

[Steven12191]

Howdy y’all. I topped off my coolant reservoir and radiator again and also drained out my bottom end oil after 2.5 hours. The coolant did not drop in the reservoir at all since topping it off and the oil seemed to have dropped a lot in the window but measuring what came out it only went down my maybe 10ml but that could easily be oil that just didn’t drain out of the case and such. Also there was a decent amount of metal in my oil after only 2.5 hours. I hope that’s normal

[G22inSC]

Hopefully your coolant is good to go. The key with measuring oil is to be consistent and look for the same results. You will not get out as much as you put in but if you repeatedly put in the same amount and get out the same amount, that is good. I would do it again and keep an eye on the level in the glass and see what your results are. Worse case scenario your right hand crank seal is starting to go which will cause it to run rich and possibly foul a plug (pain to replace by splitting cases though). At least you know it's not losing coolant and going to destroy itself from overheating.

[bufftester]

Are you sure it was metal in your oil, cuz that would be bad. The clutch wears and the result is what looks kind of like glitter, that is normal. run a magnet through the drained oil to see if anything sticks.

[G22inSC]

Are you sure it was metal in your oil, cuz that would be bad. The clutch wears and the result is what looks kind of like glitter, that is normal. run a magnet through the drained oil to see if anything sticks.

Good point. I somehow missed that when I read his post. I'm like you, I bet it's clutch material he's seeing.

[KDXGarage]

Yes, check to see if it is clutch material, as they do shed a little.

[Steven12191]

Two things I want to kinda go over, one is the metal in the oil. I’m almost certain it’s not clutch material as it’s lots and lot of shiny flakes of metal, I don’t know exactly what clutch material looks like but my last bike (96 yz80) never had anything that looked even remotely like the flakes from my kdx. Another thing is my trans locked in gear. I was riding yesterday in 6th down big open gravel road just topped out for miles and I had a ton of trouble shifting after that. I got stuck in fifth for a while, couldn’t shift back up into 6th, couldn’t go fourth to third. I limped the bike back to the truck which was fun not being able to shift easily. After eating lunch and resting it seemed to have fixed itself. Maybe the transmission just got too hot running in 6th topped out for that long especially cuz I’m running 10-40 not heavy gear oil which would probably be better for that stuff. It seems to be better now but I’ll drain my oil out later today and see how bad it is

[KDXGarage]

If it is not going into gear or getting stuck in gear, you have a severe problem, requiring the cases to be split and all transmission parts to be inspected. Stay safe and good luck.

[bufftester]

Well, if it was metal in your oil (you did check it with a magnet didn't you?) then likely you have been slowly eating your transmission. It will not over heat running flat out in 6th. If it had trouble shifting that badly, it didn't fix itself. More likely it just ground enough of the gears down to shift again. As KDXG said, you really should split that motor before you do something catastrophic.

[doakley]

+1 on time to split the cases. It really isn't as hard as people make it sound. Use a good manual and purchase a few special tools.

[Steven12191]

I drained the oil out of it finally and there was a ton of metal in it. I ran a magnet through it and surprisingly nothing stuck so it must be aluminum not steel. Anyone know what parts in the transmission other then the cases are made from aluminum?

[doakley]

None except the clutch basket

[doakley]

None except the clutch basket.

[doakley]

Test
KDXG, please delete. Obviously having an iPad problem. Sorry!