Air in coolant line after flush/fill?

[Gpa_Joe]

ok. I have read everything regarding these things running hot/ overheating, but cannot find an easier way to get air out of the line. per the manual, I pull the fan fuse, run the bike til it 'reads' hot on the gauge (full bars and warning light flashing) but all the air doesn't bubble up in overflow. I have done the procedure 3 times, have even tried leaning the bike from side to side. I have gotten quite a bit of air out, but I still think it is stuck in there somewhere. bike reads hot on gauge often, but has never overheated (dripped) onto the ground.

by any chance does someone know a 'trick' to get the air out of the line?

[Lucasind]

Hello Joe, Glad to see someone, break the "dryspell" of posts on the 1300 beast page Heat.... on the 6cylinder has been an issue since the "git go" I hired in to a Kawasaki shop as a tech ( fresh out of AMI )back in "79",. and even when brand new, it was about the ONLY reason a guy with a brand new bike ,ever brought one back to the dealership. as already mentioned here.... and there is alot of knowledge ,and experiences here to choose from, to base your thoughts towards only "air" or a bleeding air issue, since as stated ,you followed the book thru 3 times of air in system elimination. Many variables can cause what you are experiencing, go slow, re-read all the posts, and do some diggin .I enjoy reading 6 cly. posts !.... please report back...............................tony

[Me Again]

you probably had all the air out long ago
If you are overheating while riding I would suggest checking the water pump.
There is a s circlip on the impeller that has been known to pop off,and they don't stay cool very long that way.

[Gpa_Joe]

so. if it is reading hot, but not boiling out onto ground, is it crazy to continue riding and put off tearing into it until fall/winter project? I am by no means an expert, and appreciate all the knowledge on this board. many years of combined experience! :)

[Gpa_Joe]

wow... I am sure this is known to all, but parts are sure hard to get ahold of...

[Me Again]

Try this site.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/1300Voyager/info
There are a couple guys parting out their parts bikes.
Or this site.
http://www.kz1300.com/
Not as much info on the Voyager but plenty of help.

[Gpa_Joe]

I am trying to find the circlip and oring that holds the impeller. Has anyone found a supplier for thos by any chance?

[Me Again]

found this on KZ1300.com
contact Oz here they have them in stock ..
http://www.zed-parts.com/Z1300_parts_shop.html
OOPS ,just noticed it was you looking.

[Gpa_Joe]

waiting for all the parts, then this weekend gonna tear into the beast.
wish me luck. I will post after the project. I assume it is the impeller clip, or sure sounds like that, but since I am that far into it, time to replace thermostat too. 42k miles on the bike.

[Me Again]

[onegunguitar]

When I owned my 1300,the water pump gear went bad and caused it to overheat pretty quick. Bad part of that is those gears are hard to find and usually are pricey and you gotta tear the cylinders off to replace it.

[Gpa_Joe]

great. I hope it is just the clip... :/

[Scott in IL]

Let us know how things turn out.
Too bad you are on the other side of the state. I would come and try to help.
You might want to check the radiator cap also. It may not be letting you burp the system properly.

Another source for parts is always Ebay. It is where I got a lot of mine.

[Gpa_Joe]

I wish I was closer to you too Scott. the radiator cap looks to be in good shape, newer for sure. it does not have a release valve on the top tho. is one like that recommended/required?

thanks much for any input

[Gpa_Joe]

the clip holding the impeller was still there, but wider then the new one I got. replaced.
thermostat seemed ok, opened in boiling water, but replaced anyway since I had it open.
just got back from short test. no change... :/

must be the water pump gear deal, but tearing into the engine is beyond me.

anyone know of a dealer that would do this, in Eastern Iowa, Western Ilinois, and any guess on a price?

[Gpa_Joe]

replaced radiator cap just for good measure, and nothing...

so... if I take the radiator cap off, with the bike started, fluid comes out of radiator (basically defying gravity), so I am thinking the water pump is the force that drives the fluid out? would this be correct? I mean it gushes out, not a trickle.

so the water pump is still moving coolant?

as I mentioned previously, the temp gauge on the dash does blink hot. at what point will the coolant boil over unto the ground? This has never happened. a boil over...

any input on the above would be most appreciated.

[onegunguitar]

I wouldn't be surprised if a dealer won't want to tackle the job if it is the water pump gear and the motor being torn apart. You'll probably have better luck finding a motorcycle repair shop that'll do it. Most dealers don't like messing with older machines,at least in my experience. When I had my 1300,I did it myself,wasn't bad,just time consuming and tedious. As far as finding that gear-good luck. They are pretty hard to come by and aren't usually cheap.Here is a picture of the gear that goes bad...it's the yellow/tan looking one.

[Gpa_Joe]

so if the coolant comes out of radiator, with cap off and running, it can still be a bad gear???

please excuse my ignorance... :/

[onegunguitar]

It's hard to tell,but my guess is the water pump/water pump gear is probably ok since it is gushing out with the cap off. There's a good chance you still have an air pocket in the coolant system and it's causing the coolant not to flow through its passages. When you first start a cool engine,you can remove the cap and you should see the coolant flowing(somewhat) through the radiator,the only time it should gush out with the cap off is if the coolant is hot.
I haven't messed with the 1300 in a few years(mine got side swiped by an F150 on our way to Fl. in 2009),but if I remember correctly,isn't there an air bleeder bolt on the cylinder? I could be wrong,maybe I'm thinking of something else.

[Gpa_Joe]

I wish there was a air bleed bolt, but has a procedure in the manual for bleeding air out of coolant line. basically pull fan fuse and let it over heat. I did replace with the lever type radiator cap, so I should be able to get more out of the system.

if it truly was overheating, it would be all over the garage/driveway, correct? it would boil over out of the reserve tank and be on the ground somewhere?

I think the gauge is just reading funky, but I would like to have it read correctly so if it truly is overheating, I would know...

I don't know, just frustrating. I picked the bike up pretty cheap, and it rides like a dream (upgraded from a gl100 Goldwing, same year). I am just not a mechanic. I can take things apart to an extent and get them back together, it is the diagnosis that eludes me... :/

a complete engine teardown is way outside of my realm.

I was just hoping someone on here had a real easy 'o it is just this thingy, 5 bucks and 10 minutes'... I know, very fool hardy, but I guess I am a dreamer.