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Help ZR250 - Oil and Coolant

Discussion in 'Maintenance' started by Seapop, May 15, 2015.

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  1. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    G'day Team

    Picked up a second hand ZR250 (my first bike) the other day and now that I'm waiting on some gear to actually be able to ride it, I thought Id read plenty of forums on here and have a nosy at some basic maintenance stuff on my bike.

    A couple of questions.

    1) Underneath the engine there is a bolt of some sort (it is the lowest part of the engine I can see underneath the bike) and it seems to have a slight oil leak/oil build up on it leaving a couple of drips underneath the bike after it has run. I might be wrong but does tightening this bolt help or is this normal? Is this a major problem?

    2) The oil level is at a minimum at the moment (seems like the first question would go hand in hand with this one =(.....so was wondering if I could top the oil up without knowing what went in the bike before hand? Best would be to get in touch with the person I bought it off but they are clueless about maintenance and always took the bike to a shop to do anything on it. I have no 1994 Balius manual so am clueless about what oil to put in it and whether it would be a problem to put a different oil to top it up than the one currently in there.

    3) Took off the fairings and took out the cooler tank which had basically only a couple of milimeters of coolant left....Seems like everything is leaking on this thing?. Anyway I took off the tubes and gave it a clean as there was significant residue and build up of s*** inside there. The question is any advice on what coolant goes in there?

    Sorry if any of this stuff seems ridiculous and basic but Im a complete rookie here and would rather listen to what you guys have to say than take it to a mechanic who says Id need a grands worth of maintenance done on the bike.....

    Thanks team.
     
    Seapop, May 15, 2015
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  2. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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    The bolt will be the sump plug for draining the oil ..... it needs a new crush washer if its leaking

    Dont bother topping it up as u wont know how much to put in anyway

    New oil and a new filter ..... @Grasshopper will help u with the filter

    Oil has to be motorcycle oil 10W 40 and NOT car oil

    Flush out the whole coolant system and fill up with red Nulon

    Use the ZXR manuals for reference


    Crush washer

    crush.jpg

    Coolant

    RLLTU5-large (Small).jpg
     
    GreyImport, May 15, 2015
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  3. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Awesome thanks for this.

    So I should take it to a shop to change oil filter and get new oil in it? Have a mate that said he could do it.
    Your saying to drain the whole oil out and replace it? Or dont bother and mix it in with whatever is there?

    Cheers will go out and get riding gear plus some tools, coolant, brake fluid etc.
    Fairly broad question here but the bike did not come with a tool kit when I bought it....
    Any essentials that I should get to build a nice little tool kit to go under the seat?

    Thanks Team
     
    Seapop, May 15, 2015
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  4. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Oil and filter is dead simple to do mate, if you take it to a shop they will charge like a wounded bull, or "find" (invent) a serious issue with the bike that needs to be fixed.

    All you need is a rear stand, and oil pan, and a spanner/socket set, plus new oil and a filter. It's dead simple
     
    Linkin, May 15, 2015
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  5. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Thanks Linkin

    Sounds dead right to me, have had plenty of experiences like that with car mechanics. Will definitely do the oil myself.

    Was still wondering if I need to drain the whole lot out and replenish it completely or If I can top it up (there is some oil but its below the minimum line and not sure what type or grade is in there) Im assuming motorcycle oils cannot be mixed?

    cheers
     
    Seapop, May 15, 2015
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  6. risky

    risky risky

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    where are yopu at-if in newcastle will give you a hand.
     
    risky, May 15, 2015
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  7. risky

    risky risky

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    give it new oil and filter.
     
    risky, May 15, 2015
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  8. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Drain the lot, don't bother topping up, no good. It's history is unknown.

    You can mix motorcycle oils, but don't use car oil as it has friction modifiers, no good for your wet clutch. Cars run a dry clutch mostly...

    You can bottle up the old fluids and take them to a mechanic to dispose of them.
     
    Linkin, May 15, 2015
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  9. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Alrightie thanks for that

    So will find somewhere to get a crush washer for the sump plug that seems to be slightly leaking

    Will replace oil and filter completely myself and will look into flushing out the coolant system (no idea what so ever how to do this, Ive cleaned out the plastic tank but there obviously needs to be some that comes out from inside the tubes and whatever is left in the engine so will need to read up on this) or would it be okay just to replenish the coolant without doing a full flush?
     
    Seapop, May 15, 2015
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  10. risky

    risky risky

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    take off the thermostat housing and wash through with a garden hose. any crap should wash out.
     
    risky, May 15, 2015
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  11. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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    Im assuming the system is the same as the ZXR ...... dont just add , drain it all and flush it with the hose

    http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?resources/kawasaki-zxr250-service-manual-part-4.36/

    Oil change
    Go to supercheap or similar and get a basic set of metric sockets/spanners and an oil tray

    Put the tray under the bike ..undo the sump plug ...let it all drain out ..... then undo the filter and screw it off ..... should come off using your hands ... filter will have oil in it so be prepared for it to spill out.
    Leave it for a short period so it all dribbles out

    Clean at the plug hole and the sump plug .... clean where the filter goes ..... put on the new filter after smearing a little new oil on the rubber ring of the filter ..... tighten it with your hands as much as u can.
    Replace your sump plug with the new washer and tighten it with your socket ..... but dont over tighten !

    Then find the oil filler cap on the opposite side of the bike
    Owners manual will tell u how much oil is needed
    Page 49-52

    http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?resources/kawasaki-zr250-balius-owners-manual.233/




    IMGP1531 (Small).JPG
     
    GreyImport, May 15, 2015
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  12. boostjuice

    boostjuice Active Member

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    hey my bike takes 10 40 although the bike shop guy sold me 15 50 i think it is and said not a problem its cause ive done over 10 thousand ks will help being abit thicker. its a single cyl 4 stroke

    should he quit his day job or am i paranoid
     
    boostjuice, May 16, 2015
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  13. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Cool thanks will sort it out when i get home tonight
     
    Seapop, May 16, 2015
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  14. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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    You should be using wat the manufacturer recommends ... not wat some wankker in a bike shop tells you.

    Go to supercheap or wateva and look for the correct stuff ... like Penrite ..... especially if its on special .... and make sure its specifically for motorcycles and not jumbo jets
     
    GreyImport, May 16, 2015
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  15. Murdo

    Murdo The Good Doctor Staff Member Contributing Member Ride and Events Crew

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    Look for the JASO MA2 rating on the oil bottles. You may not be able to get the same stuff in New Zealand, but there are a whole range of oils that would be suitable for your bike, look for the rating. I like the Castrol 4T as it is sold in Repco/Supercheap/Autobarn type motor shops and is only A$35.00 for 4litre here.
    Take off the lowest hose on the radiator or engine and flush out the old stuff. Fill with new coolant as per the manual.
    Enjoy riding your bike (mandatory). :)
     
    Murdo, May 16, 2015
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  16. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Yep plenty of JASO MA2 rating oils lying around in NZ. Just got some the other day for NZ$65 for 5litres.
     
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    Seapop, May 17, 2015
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  17. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Well damn.....Turns out I cant even complete an oil change without screwing something up.
    I went in horns down trying to get the oil change done as soon as possible and like a complete idiot managed to undo the drain plug in the wrong direction.....(aluminium oil pan vs a hefty wrench and my eagerness to complete the task not a good combination).

    Feel like a complete tool and just adds extra unnecessary work.. Will have to re-thread with the next size up and find a bigger drain plug to fit the thread! What a way to create extra work for myself.
     
    Seapop, May 18, 2015
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  18. Phil

    Phil Senior Member Contributing Member

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    Mate, you aren't alone.....people tend to forget that aluminium pan and a solid steel drain plug are not the best "bed fellows".
    I tell everyone not to over tighten as it can go pear shaped so easily. Bet you won't do that again.
     
    Phil, May 18, 2015
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  19. Seapop

    Seapop Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Your dead right there Phil.

    Overly cautious from now on when tightening or loosening any sort of bolt or screw on my bike.

    A mate of mine suggested I take out the whole oil pan and re-thread it when its off the engine as this will prevent all the aluminium shavings from staying in the oil pan and it will allow me to see how much "meat" there is left to thread in to because he reckons that the drain plug had been upsized several times as the drain plug itself is a M12 however he reckons it should be a M10. Anyone know what size the original drain plug should be for a ZR250? probably the same as other 250s with the same specifications that everyone else rides on here.

    What are your thoughts on taking the whole oil pan off? is this laborious and not for a rookie?.
    Have looked into helicoil and timesert but I dont see the difference to just rethreading to a bigger size and putting a bigger drain plug in there.

    Cheers team
     
    Seapop, May 19, 2015
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  20. Phil

    Phil Senior Member Contributing Member

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    Think your mate might be on the money, it certainly would be easier once off the bike to drill out. However you will probably need to replace the sump gasket.....unless your lucky enough that it comes off in one piece (don't like your chances)
    The sump on the Honda MC22 that I am currently working on has 10 bolts securing the sump to the block.
    Helicoils as you can probably imagine are used often for this task......keep us posted on your progress, good luck
     
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    Phil, May 19, 2015
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