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Coolant Leak


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Chief;

I reassembled my bike after 6 months of winter storage and took it out for a shake down ride to determine how much detailed work is necessary to make it road worthy for this season. Well I found my rear tire sliding and it wasn't from poor throttle control. Safely at home I found the right side of my rear tire coated in antifreeze but I cannot find the leak. Do you (or anyone else) have ideas on tracing a coolant leak in a Ducati 996?

 

Rainman

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Have you tried just letting it sit at idle until it gets warm enough it drips? Make sure it has enough coolant while doing this of course as you've already lost some. ;)

 

Brian;

I like your idea with one twist; since it is spring I decided I am NOT replacing the coolant fluid with 50/50 anti-freeze. The rear tire is still coated and quite slippery so I will use plain tap water for this experiment and then once i find the leak and repair it I will use water wetter until the end of the season. I have always understood that many track organizations prohibit anti-freeze but I didn't appreciate the reason like I do now. I also need to find a good cleaning agent to scrub the rear tire before I ride on it again.

 

Thanks;

 

Rain

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Brian;

I like your idea with one twist; since it is spring I decided I am NOT replacing the coolant fluid with 50/50 anti-freeze. The rear tire is still coated and quite slippery so I will use plain tap water for this experiment and then once i find the leak and repair it I will use water wetter until the end of the season. I have always understood that many track organizations prohibit anti-freeze but I didn't appreciate the reason like I do now. I also need to find a good cleaning agent to scrub the rear tire before I ride on it again.

 

Actually I was going to suggest you just drain the coolant and replace it with water to preserve making any more of a mess. I know exactly where you're coming from and is why my track bike has nothing but straight water in it. Nothing wrong with it, only catches are it does have a lower boiling point (not likely reached) and it must be drained for those gawd aweful NY winters. :D I kept mine garaged and kept the temp above freezing in the garage and came out okay.

 

For cleaning the tire, nothing more than soap and water man! A scrub brush could come in handy. Many things will break down the rubber and oils contained within and even with some tire companies the use of ANYTHING but soap and water voids the warranty.

 

FWIW. :)

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