Another problem

[MrGrumpy]

I see that this year looks like being a repeat of last year for Tmax problems!
I was going into my local workshop on my mk3 Tmax as the brakes are full of crud and salt, but stopped off in the town to do some errands, and was rather concerned to notice coollant dripping out from the radiator! It stopped after a while, but started again when I continued to the workshop.
To cut to the chase - the radiator is kaput - its corroded away on the LHS where one of the pipes joins it. What is it with me and Tmax radiators? This is the 3rd time I've had a problem - my original mk3 had problems twice (with a slightly different failure), and my mk4 had exactly the same problem as this! Yet no-one else seems to have any problems!
Fortunately replacement radiators can be obtained from China at a fraction of Yamaha prices! Though will take rather longer to arrive than the official part...

[Capt. R Swipe]

That's a right PITA Mr Grumpy; I've been reading all of your TMax calamities and others here. So what are you going to do about it? I am guessing that the bike is out of warranty and that the Chinese rad is going to be your fix?

[MrGrumpy]

Its my mk3's turn to go wrong - the mk6 is working fine at moment!
The mk3 is 11 years old so rather out of warranty now.
The Chinese rad for £65 has to be worth a go, compared to £380 for a Yamaha one! Its cheap enough to throw away if rubbish. As I mentioned, I've been this way before with the mk4 - bought a Chinese radiator then, which was (according to the mechanics) of good quality, though some 'fettling' was needed to make it fit.

[Data]

Grumpy, this begs the question about what coolant the bike has in it and importantly, what type (OAT, NOAT, HOAT or one of the myriad of other types)? Have you always used the same coolant? Is it changed regularly? Normally, when this type of thing happens it's due to the wrong coolant being used at some point in the bikes life, not necessarily by you. The effects of doing so can be long lasting as some types of coolant cannot be fully flushed out from the engine, its hoses etc so it corrodes stuff inside the system. Or, if the coolant isn't changed on time it will become very acidic, again eating away at stuff in the engine. You probably know all this but just checking. Sorry to hear this and hope you get it sorted.

[MrGrumpy]

You'll have to ask FunkyCowie what coollant he put in it before I bought it! I haven't had it for that long, and haven't changed the coollant myself.

[Data]

If it's been owned by Funky, it'll be ok. It'll be down to just bad luck, a rad that was maybe not quite as good as it should have been when it left the factory.

[Deleted User 7077]

Is that the one he brought off Lyn .I know Lyn stripped panels off checked it all if it's that one .

[Funkycowie]

Is that the one he brought off Lyn .I know Lyn stripped panels off checked it all if it's that one .

No that one got trashed in an accident 4 years after I bought it, this one was from SMC motorcycles in Sheffield and I used it all year round for about 3 years. The rad was fine when sold, I couldn't see signs of corrosion when I stripped the wrap off before sale. I know I did replace the coolant at some point... I have the bottle in my garage so I'll double check it, all I remember is that it was a 5 year one and done with the right mix.

EDIT: I know I bought it at halfords and they haven't changed the bottle, it was OAT 5 year premixed and pink.

[Jordz_92]

Mr grumpy.. I have had several failures with my TMAX 530 2019 with bad issues with the front pulley squeeling underload when on the throttle have you had this issue

[MrGrumpy]

Mr grumpy.. I have had several failures with my TMAX 530 2019 with bad issues with the front pulley squeeling underload when on the throttle have you had this issue

Right..lets separate these out. I had quite a few seemingly random component failures with my 2012 mk4, including speedo sensor failure, coil failure and radiator failure. I also had an ongoing issues with final drive belt noise., mostly noticeable when trundling through villages at around 30mph. Was kind of a squeal but slightly deeper than that. This was never fully diagnosed but I've read that there was a problem with the front pinion of the final drive belt on that model (basically they didn't use the right grease in manufacturing, causing the bearings to wear, or something like that).

On my 2017 mk6, I have been to back to the workshop several times, but mostly to have things replaced under a service recall - ie a new final drive belt and a new CVT. I didn't have any problems with the final drive belt, but I was having issues with the CVT with it refusing to let the engine rev past 5,500. I've only had one actual failure when a bearing between the CVT and final drive failed, locking the entire transmission. This failure is apparently almost unprecedented - thankfully, as its potentially highly dangerous. Oddly I now have an irritating squeak from the final drive belt, but I only hear it when pushing the bike around, I can't hear it in motion.

So....your problem with the squealing sound on your mk6 does sound like something similar to that I had on my mk4 BUT the design is quite different - its half the width on the mk6, so its hard to know if they are connected, though I guess there could be a similar sort of problem.

Hope this helps