srx wont start leaking coolant

panthers06232

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Dec 19, 2010
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Location
jackson michigan
i have a 1998 yamaha srx 700 i was riding across the lake today and it just died on me wouldnt start. I looked underneatht he hood it was leaking coolant right at the coolant tank it doesnt seem to have spark but pulls over just like it always did never dont think it is blown up can anybody help
 

if its sucking air then yes. have you checked the plugs by pulling them and cranking the sled over to see if they spark on top of the head?
 
yes i just commpression tested it today the middle and the far right cylinders are very low how hard is it to rebuild one of these motors two pistons i have never rebuilt one before is it something i could take on
 
With all the help from everybody on here, it's pretty simple! As long as you have the mechanical ability, they have the knowledge! I'm in the middle of putting mine back together now and waiting for answers. P.S. check the for sale forum for parts.
 
I had a similiar problem. Mine started very hard last time out, and then after many hours of riding that same day, the temperature light came on. The coolant bottle was way low and when I took the cover off, what fluid was left in there quickly disappeared.

Tonight, I filled it back up with antifreeze and started it up. After it warmed up, I checked the compression and had (left to right) 120, 120, 90. I put the plugs back in, started it up and while it was running I checked it over. That is when I noticed a very slight leak coming from under the head gasket on the cylinder at 90psi. I could wipe it off with a cloth and then it would reappear again, and very slowly. Every time I would wipe it dry, it would get wet there again.

So you might want to start it up and look all around the cylinder heads for just a little bit of wetness, right where the head meets the jug. I couldn't see it with a flashlight at night on the trail, but it just barely showed up in daylight today.

Not a big deal to pull the heads off. 6 bolts per head and disconnect the coolant rail - another 6 bolts and a couple hoses.
 
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I am a carpenter/cabinetmaker and I re-built both my 600 and 700 motors last November.If I can do it ..anyone can...have all your info with you..the manual helps,torque specs..etc...My SRX had a leaking gasket last year..I removed the head and the o-ring was pinched/deformed.Replaced it and all good again.
 
panthers06232 said:
would a head gasket cause it to not run at all and have 0 compression in two cylinders and the third one is 120

Possibly but I think you have bigger issues. Take the heads off and inspect. If nothing is out of the ordinary, take the jugs off and look for scoring, etc.
 
If the head gaskets were totally blown out on the two cylinders with no compression, then yes, that could be the reason. In any event, you will need to take the heads off of those two.
 
yea i am going to have to get in the garage because when it happened it was overheating had low coolant i was shutting it off letting it cool down i was on my way to a gas station to get coolant for it but it just died on me i will have to tear it apart
 
ok will do it will be a while before i get it in the garage i a, going riding this weekend going to ride my 500 vmax instead but will put them on when i get it apart thanks fro your help
 
hey guys i have the heads off the two cylinders with no commpresion there is no scoring or groves in either of the cylinder walls. The head gasket on a 1998 srx 700 is it just two rings that look like seals one is orange one is black or is there a normal paper gasket the center cylinder the orange little ring is stretched out and off do you think i should tear it down the rest the way or change the head gaskets and put it back together
 
Everything looking normal from the heads down, I would just replace the gaskets and put it back together. Take a compression test after it is back together and see where you are at.
 
i am not understanding what happened because this thing wont star at all there is 0 commpression in these two cylinders the headgasket on one side was off when i took the head off i put it back on i am not sure how to tell if the headgasket is junk and to have 0 commpression at all and not run at all it wouldnt score the cylinder wall some wouldnt i am just trying to figure out what happened and nothing is matching up
 
TAKE SOME PICS WITH THE HEADS OFF SO WE CAN HELP TROUBLESHOOT. Did you torque correctly? Did you take PV's out and look down slots to check for piston scoring?
 
i am working on the srx again i have the heads off trying to get the jug off i have all the jug bolts off the exhaust off what else holds this thing on i cannot seem to get it off it is very loose but will not come off i will try to post pics later today
 


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