2006 gsxr600 overheating

So I've got a track day lined up for this weekend and the bike is having overheating issues. Went to get some dyno tuning last saturday and got the bike on the dyno. Was about to go through the gears when the tuner noticed the temps were up to 250f. Shut it it down and tuner was saying thermostat might be bad. Said the hose coming from thermostat was cold. Rocked the bike back and fourth in case of air bubbles but no luck.
Went home tested thermostat in pan of water and it opened just before a rapid boil. Checked water pump, pulled cover and started bike and it spins. Really not sure what to do. Temps keep climbing above 220f. I went ahead and ordered another thermostat at the local dealer on monday. But if thats not the problem then what else should I look at? Thanks

 

Replace the cap.....

 

Cut the center chunk out of the tstat and run the outer ring only.
Tstats don't control heat, they control cold, so unless you ride in near or sub freezing temps all you need is the restriction provided by the outer ring to create a pressure differential in the head and block..

 

Is there something blocking a hose? (paper towel, etc?) For whatever reason it was definitely not flowing any coolant.

 

taking the t-stat out is bad advice in my opinion. The t-stat doesn't sound like your problem if it opened in a pan of hot water. running one without can have your engine not heat as fast as it should, and on some days not get to operating temp having the ecu richen the bike thinking it is still cold. not a great thing. do you have ENOUGH coolant? not sure if the same on a gsxr600, but when you add coolant to a 1k you have to burp the system with the screw at the top of the t-stat, or raise the front of the bike WAY high to get enough coolant into the bike.

 

Removing the stat in it's entirety is a mistake for sure but cutting out the center chunk is a no-brainer UNLESS the machine is operated in cold weather.
Yes, you have to warm it up before you drop the hammer but the improvement in cooling is well worth the trouble.
Here in Texas when it's over 100 the improvement is distinct.
Again the outer ring MUST be re-used to create a restriction.

 

OP is in Ohio.. and even here in FL on an R6 we have to tape the radiator 1-3 tape widths to keep em from running like ass on some cool mornings. Obvously you can't take it out entirely and I understood that you meant to leave the ring, otherwise it would piss coolant out around the housing.. but it is my opinion it isn't a good idea to even cut the center out on a perfectly good thermostat (and he tested his). BIkes run better AT temp.

 

Do you have a fan? Is it coming on at 220F or whenever its suppose to?

If its coming on and you checked everything else AND you dont have air in the system you may have a bad headgasket pumping air into the system. The cooling systems in these bikes dont have a huge volume and any amount of air in the system isnt a good thing to help cool the bike down thats for sure.

 

I'm the tuner the OP mentioned. I don't think it is an air bubble or head gasket issue. I let the bike warm up on the dyno as I attached the various cables and stuff. After rolling for just a bit I see a blinking red light and the temp was showing something like 257 degrees. Yes, the engine was hot, very hot, so I think the gauge is reading right. Yes the coolant level was a little low so we topped it off, burped all the hoses, rocked the bike back and forth, etc. I'm pretty sure we got all the air out. Even if there was a little bit of air in the system, you would expect the radiator to still get hot. It was stone cold, except at the very bottom where the oil cooler must've been flowing a bit due to convection. I popped off the cap with the engine running, and no evidence of coolant flow. Usually you can see coolant burbling around in there with the engine running, nada. Something is preventing coolant flow IMO. I quit at that point because I've been sprayed with scalding coolant before... not looking for a repeat!

 

I cut my thermostat centers outs. One less thing that can fail.

 

1. is the fan turning on? on that bike i think it's around 220. if the fan is not turning on that's a pretty clear indication that there is a blockage somewhere.

2. do not replace the thermostat that you have tested as good. you'll only be wasting time and money. however, just because the thermostat tests ok does not mean that it is opening in the bike - i.e. - hot coolant is not reaching thermostat.

if your pump is good and your thermostat is good you need to check for a blocked line. there ain't that much to the cooling system. folks tend to neglect it but most manufacturer's recommend flushing the system every two years and it really does help prevent this kind of thing.

and melk is right. the thermostat's job is to keep the coolant from flowing until a certain temp in order to expedite the engine getting up to operating temp.

- jim

 

.. and i forget that WERA doesn't allow coolant, it is possible this bike has had nothin but water for years (just an assumption that no water-weter was used or other corrosion inhibiter..). THAT is not good.. Rust/corrosion should be pretty evident in areas you can look at (water pump, rad cap, top of the fins inside the rad, etc.). If you can see it THERE, it's likely pretty shitty in other important spots. If things look good, well, i have no idea.

TO THE OP: did you JUST change the coolant for some reason, or drain it for some reason then put it back? or did this problem just pop up? An R6 you can just pour the coolant in, no problem, it fills ALL the way. Not so on a gsxr, at least 1000cc.. not sure about 600.

 

I've had problems with the 600 and air bubbles. The rad seems full but it's not, there's a bubble. tilt the bike far to the left, far to the right, several times. I mean stand on one side and lower it as far as you can. Refill the rad. Also, I had a map that was just tooo lean and the bike ran hot no matter what until I richened up the top 3000 rpm a bit.

 

fan kicks on at 220. I did have the radiator removed from the bike and sitting on a bench for some time while installing a full exhaust system. So yeah, I had just recently filled it back up with coolant. I'll be damned if some rodent shoved an acorn or some shit in the radiator. I have checked both lines coming from the water pump and from the thermostat. All clear. Gonna take the whole system apart tomorrow and check flow through the radiator. There is a slight dent on the radiator from it contacting the CDI in a crash, but I dont see how it could create such a blockage. I have a spare water pump that I can try. Could a bad water pump seal keep the system from building enough pressure to flow right?

As far as not getting enough coolant in the bike, could one fill up the block with coolant at the thermostat opening before installing the thermostat and buttoning up the rest of the cooling system?

 

As far as the headgasket issue. I pressure tested the cooling system at 10psi and it held that pressure with coolant in it. Also started it up without any pressure on the gauge to see if a leak from headgasket would build pressure, nothing. However I did notice quite a bit of moisture coming from the exhaust. Wasn't sure if it was just condensation build up or not.

 

Don't these have an air bleed screw on the water pump that MUST be bled to get water flow? Seem to recall getting caught once before.

 

Yup they do. I've never had to bleed the pump that way though. Just the extreme tip to the left side is all it takes.

I didn't find out about the bleeder on the water pump until the high banks of Daytona 2010. :wow:

 

input shaft sheared off the water pump? Pull off the water pump and inspect that it rotates freely.

 

Remove the top left radiator hose. take a garden hose with a spay nozzle on it and blow through the hose and see if there is an obstruction. Then proceed to the next hose until you've done the same to every hose. if you have an obstruction you'll have found it, or pushed it out.

 

This ever get resolved? Interested in the results b/c I'm having the same issue with my 06 750.

Pulled radiator and made sure it wasn't clogged, checked thermostat, checked water pump. Everything seems to be working correctly. Getting a bit of smoke from the exhaust when the bike first starts, but that clears quickly so I assume it's just condensation. Radiator is hot once the bike is warm and the fan kicks on at 220* but the temps don't drop.

Could there be something going on internally that would cause the overheating?