Leak down tests are an absolute must in my opinion. I haven't had a kit until last year and both my bikes and 3 or 4 of my dads were ALL leaking air! My TZR 1kt was leaking at the manifold, my RZ350 F2 was leaking at the power valves and my dads was valves and base gasket. Every bike ran better after re-sealing. A MUST!!
Completely agree! The dangers of running air leaks, even with a small leak, the bike can run lean and nip up! Glad you got yours fixed. Really solid preventative maintenance- nice work!
Good video. 👍 Wouldn't an air leak affect the engine performance, i.e. you'd normally do such testing as part of a fault diagnosis, as opposed to a regular maintenance check? 🤔
Thanks Derek! Every time you take the engine apart you should do this to check the base gaskets & inlet stubs are sealed. It's also a good idea to do this check if you suspect a leaking crank seal, which is easy to spot on the gearbox side (horrid exhaust smell), but less obvious on the alternator side. A big air leak will be noticeable by the inability to hold a low and steady ticker, or poor starting. A smaller leak may make the engine actually seem more powerful as it'll lean the mixture at high rpms at the cost of cooling and lubrication!
I suppose it’s a bit irrelevant doing a leak down test if the motors running well and the engines not been stripped ? (ie the cases haven’t been split or barrels taken off) is this pre or post moto liner frame straightening ?,.
I think you’re right, it’s not necessarily worth doing if the engine is running well. Like a compression test really. This is post Motoliner, just got it back Tuesday 😊 I’ll be reviewing all the videos I’ve made on the strip down so I can reverse the operations and get to rebuilding it next week! Can’t wait!!
Hi, I've been doing leak down tests for years on Suzuki T500 etc. I've always done 1 cylinder at a time and a vacuum test is just as important, seals work both ways. @GT500Andy
Leak down tests are an absolute must in my opinion. I haven't had a kit until last year and both my bikes and 3 or 4 of my dads were ALL leaking air! My TZR 1kt was leaking at the manifold, my RZ350 F2 was leaking at the power valves and my dads was valves and base gasket. Every bike ran better after re-sealing. A MUST!!
Completely agree! The dangers of running air leaks, even with a small leak, the bike can run lean and nip up! Glad you got yours fixed. Really solid preventative maintenance- nice work!
Vacuum test same set up as pressure. I use a brake bleeder to pull Vacuum. Andy
That's a fair point. I intend to rebore the remaining 2 cyls on my Kawasaki at some point, so makes sense to do it then. Thanks! 👍
You’re welcome. Hope the rebuild goes well 👍
I have a kit just like that to do my 350 and others😎👍
Takes the worry out for sure to know it's all tight! 😁👍
Good video. 👍 Wouldn't an air leak affect the engine performance, i.e. you'd normally do such testing as part of a fault diagnosis, as opposed to a regular maintenance check? 🤔
Thanks Derek! Every time you take the engine apart you should do this to check the base gaskets & inlet stubs are sealed. It's also a good idea to do this check if you suspect a leaking crank seal, which is easy to spot on the gearbox side (horrid exhaust smell), but less obvious on the alternator side. A big air leak will be noticeable by the inability to hold a low and steady ticker, or poor starting. A smaller leak may make the engine actually seem more powerful as it'll lean the mixture at high rpms at the cost of cooling and lubrication!
I suppose it’s a bit irrelevant doing a leak down test if the motors running well and the engines not been stripped ? (ie the cases haven’t been split or barrels taken off) is this pre or post moto liner frame straightening ?,.
I think you’re right, it’s not necessarily worth doing if the engine is running well. Like a compression test really.
This is post Motoliner, just got it back Tuesday 😊 I’ll be reviewing all the videos I’ve made on the strip down so I can reverse the operations and get to rebuilding it next week! Can’t wait!!
Hi, I've been doing leak down tests for years on Suzuki T500 etc. I've always done 1 cylinder at a time and a vacuum test is just as important, seals work both ways. @GT500Andy
@@GT500Andy Thanks for the technique, it’s a great point it can be done a pot at a time! I’ve not done a vacuum test, what’s involved?