Viper losing coolant.

A

averagesleder

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Aug 6, 2009
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Niagara,Ontario,Canada
On Saturday/Sunday I put on 713km(443miles) on my viper. I was checking my levels before I rode on Monday and noticed my coolant was below the cold fill line. It was right on the line before the start of the trip. I topped up the coolant and rode another 124km(77miles). I checked my level today and noticed it was down again. My coolant was replaced at the start of the season. The sled just turned 5000 miles on Monday.

Now my problem is I can't find a leak. I checked for stains(crusties) around the hoses, coolers, water pump weep hole etc. I ran it on a stand for a 10 minutes checked for leaks couldn't see any. It never over heated on me this weekend, and I never saw any drips or puddles.
I've marked the level on the reservoir to see if it drops overnight.

Are there any common leak areas on the vipers?
If for some reason the coolant is going into the crankcase how can I tell?

Thanks Matt
 

only other thing would be coolant dropping into cylinders.Check your plus for color and piston wash.Coolant would leave top of piston more shiny..plugs would be greyish color...I had this happen on both my sleds once.Now I have a leak from the pump..coolant bottle hasn't really dropped yet..so thinking a slow leak.I rebuilt motor last year and installed new mechanical seal and gaskets.As long it is slow..I will ride and check..can fix during the summer..but if coolant dropping down cylinders..not good for crank bearing...check the plugs first.
 
I would monitor it a few more times. Reason being, I'm wondering if you got it bled well enough after you changed out the coolant you mentioned changing. I believe vipers will self-bleed a little if the coolant is circulating. On a viper it calls for bleeding the rear heat exchanger and the engine. It's been my experience that if you bleed the rear exchanger the engine will bleed the front by it's self. Nobody seems to be really successful bleeding the engine.
 
Yes it does have a thermostat. I tried to bleed my viper's engine and I even tried pressurizing the coolant reservoir but it didn't work. I presurized while almost removing the head on / off valve and it still didn't work. But I didn't remove it but got to a point that I was uncomfortable about pulling it out any further.

So not sure if I messed up the technique or not but all I did was run it after bleeding the rear exchanger with the cap off. Put it on at some point. Then refilled it later after it cooled. It's been at the same level ever since. And heat exchangers are always warm when running.

Does the SRX have a thermostat?
 
SRX does.I also just remove the rad cap from bottle and let it idle that way and all the air gets out..never had an issue.My 600 is a little harder to do.
 
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I've hear of some people removing their thermostat but I'm not going to. The reference I'm talking about was a doo head! I have to believe that an engineer has put more thought into it then the weekend warrior!
 
Do you have the facory head gasket in or have you removed some layers?? My Viper did the same thing. Found out that the head gasket was leaking. Also found out that the previous owner removed two layers from the gasket, thus the leak.
 
I just checked my plugs and they are all dark with carbon present. The tops of the pistons are not shiny, so that means the cylinders have not been steamed cleaned,which is a good thing. The level has also not dropped from last night, so it only leaks when it is running or its really small.
I think I'm going to put it outside and let it run for awhile and see if the level drops any.
Matt
 
All i can say is if you checked all the hoses for leaks with the coolant then on the engine there is a nob that says on and off its for the gas flow or coolant flow if its on try turning it off mine has always been off and have no problems.

:letitsnow :letitsnow :letitsnow :letitsnow
 
I had a very small leak on my Viper a couple of seasons ago. At first I didn't notice from where it was from, then found that it was my side heat exchanger leaking. Leaking from where the rear bolt goes through the tunnel and the steel plate that reinforces the tunnel rubs against the side exchanger. When dirt/sand gets in there it wears the metal thin and makes it porous. It eventually got big enough to the point that it woud eventually drip and run down the length of the exchanger to the front of the sled. I never noticed the drip, as it was small enough and mixing w/ snowmelt from the skid.
 
I would pull the pipes off and pull the power valves out and see if there's any coolant in the manifolds/pipes/exhaust ports. Just my 2 cents.
 
averagesleder said:
I just checked my plugs and they are all dark with carbon present. The tops of the pistons are not shiny, so that means the cylinders have not been steamed cleaned,which is a good thing. The level has also not dropped from last night, so it only leaks when it is running or its really small.
I think I'm going to put it outside and let it run for awhile and see if the level drops any.
Matt
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your best bet is to pressure test the system. just went thru this with srx. if not practical then keep looking. might want 2 look when dark with good flashlight.
 
My coolant goes below the cold level and stays there. If I add some it goes down to the same level and stays there again. Never drops below maybe an inch and a half from the bottom. Havent found any leaks. It doesnt seem to hurt anything. Just went over 8800 miles on it. Not sure what thats about.
 
On Wednesday I decided to take it outside and let it run for awhile. I had it idling for a bit then I would drive it around and let it idle again. After running it for 25 minutes the level never dropped. Once again I didn't find any drips of coolant stains. My plan now is to keep an eye on it, since I can never find any leaks.

Matt
 
yamabrute said:
My coolant goes below the cold level and stays there. If I add some it goes down to the same level and stays there again. Never drops below maybe an inch and a half from the bottom. Havent found any leaks. It doesnt seem to hurt anything. Just went over 8800 miles on it. Not sure what thats about.
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Exact same with my Viper. Usually always sits a bit below that, and corrects to that level again if I top it up. I think the line should have been designed lower on that tank. No problems then! :)
 
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