ZN1300 overheating

Hi
I am new to this site I have a 1984 ZN1300 with 80,675 mile the bike runs good but in hot weather tends to run hot especial on steep hills.I have tried a new thermostat with a nut holding it open like the old form said to do Ice radiator coolant water wetter but nothing seem to work.Does any one know of a car or motorcycle radiator that will fit the bike ? I would like to sale the bike I have had it for eighteen year and last year I bought a Suzuki adventure 650 great bike.I think it worth 1,500.I would appreciate any input
thank Keith.

If its overheating as much as that it maybe a more involved problem.

Check the water pump impeller is spinning. They can move off the tags that hold them in place on the end of the shaft. You need to move the rad & the outer water pump cover to see this.

Alternatively it maybe the nylon drive gear has worn out or have failed. You need to remove the cam cover to see this

Assuming you have no water leaks then it really can only be one or the other.

Pete F
UK

Hello Keith:

Could you tell us some of the basics first?

For example:
1: Is the coolant level full at the engine and in the reservoir?
2: Does the reservoir hold a prime? I.E. does it flow back and forth between the engine and overflow tank? The best way to tell is by removing the radiator cap, if coolant is touching the cap, then it's holding a prime within the overflow hose.
3: Perform a pressure test on the coolant system and radiator cap. Many a overheat problem stem from old radiator caps.
4: Is there any air in the system? Similar to item 1 above.
5: Your temperature gage is probably indicating correctly but if not, you may want to make sure it is reading correctly. The factory shop manual is a pretty good source for these and other items.
6: Have you troubleshot your cooling fan and relay? These have been known to fail, plus the fan blade is fairly wimpy when moving air. There are better fans out there to move more CFM (Air) past the radiator.

After you check the simple items, you may need to tear into the water pump, or thermostat to check to see if they are operating correctly.

With the miles you have on your bike, you may need to delve into the harder mechanical items like Pete suggests above.

As a side note, all of the additives you mention work by breaking down the surface tension of water. They are fine to use but are of no use if you have an air leak, or mechanical problem in your engine.

I use a product called Hyper Lube Super Coolant (Purchased at Wal Mart here in the states)

The KZ's cooling system is capable of handling the BTU load created by the engine on it's own, however, there is not much margin once something goes haywire.

My A-4 has its cooling system in tact and is not modified. In the summertime it handles the heat-load just fine. It happens to live in the Northwest were our climate is very mild, so fortunately it doesn't encounter 100deg temps very often.

Keep us posted.

Todd.

Howdy folks.Joined the site today,should have done it yonks ago.Better late than never I suppose.Regarding the over heating with the KZ1300.Taking into consideration all the possible reasons for the problem,and eliminating them one at a time,it may be an idea to replace the water based coolant with a waterless coolant.The waterless coolant has a much higher boiling point.I had thought of replacing the radiator with a larger unit if available,then wacking on a Muzzy fan to improve the flow of air.Got stuffed about with that purchase,so that idea was binned.
Am not using the waterless coolant myself at the moment,but when my VZR1800 is due for its next service,the coolant will be replaced with the waterless type.The same will apply before the Z1300 (A4 Luminous Passion Red)it put back on the road.
Hope the over heating thing is sorted soon.OI OI OI KEZZ.

Where are you living kieth

beertad wrote:

Where are you living kieth
 

I wouldn't expect a reply anytime soon. He hasn't logged in in 8years 2 months.