[Lord Erik]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum, and perhaps not suprisingly I've got an issue with my Ducati.

A month ago I noticed that my 996 is leaking coolant when it's hot. At first I thought it was a bust radiatior as the coolant was dripping down, but on closer inspection it appears that it's leaking somewhere above the radiator. As there's still snow outside, I haven't had the chance to ride it yet, but when I let it run in the garage until it heats up there's a lot of steam emitting from the bike.
When I rock it back and forth on the mount it makes hissing and bubling sounds, which makes me think I might have a leakage in the coolant tank itself.

Is this a common problem? From the reciets I've got from the previous owner I can see that he has changed the tank on an earlier occasion.
If it is indeed the tank, will it be sufficient to simply drain it for coolant, take it out, glue it with epoxy, and put it back in?

Thank you in advance,

Lord Erik

[Lord Erik]

I might add that this appears to be the expansion tank, the one directly below the handlebars.

[brettc63]

Howdy Lord Erik, Welcome.
Yep - fairly common. See Here & here

Seeing as yours appears to be more frequent, Slower than You's advice on the rubber may be very relevant to you.

You could try the epoxy but I don't like your chances of a timely and effective solution.

[Lord Erik]

Ah, I see. I just placed an order at the local Ducati shop (local meaning a three hour drive from here), so I guess I might as well order a new tank instead of attempting to glue the old back together. I'll make sure to sand down the rubber as well, thank you!

[Lord Erik]

Sure thing. Found a minute crack (0.5x1.0 mm) in the seam of the tank.

[Lord Erik]

After gluing the tank with epoxy, which seems to work just fine, I noticed that there is still a leak somewhere. Although it's not dripping wet like it used to, there's still a good amount of steam rising from the bike when it gets hot.

I tried to locate the source with the engine running, taking off the air intakes on so on. And it appears to be coming from the right side of the main radiator. I cannot hear nor see any definite signs of a leak however, so I'm unsure of what to do. The steam is just slowly and steadily rising, apparently without end. No jet, sound, or anything else.

[brettc63]

Cracked hose maybe? You either have 2 problem locations or you have slowed down the tank leak with the epoxy. I could not find any crack in mine and dicked around replacing caps etc but in the end a new expansion tank fixed it. Hairline cracks are all it takes and are near impossible to see imo.
Good luck.

[NephronRacing]

You could try one of these kits: http://www.summitracing.com/parts.as...rt=trl-tp-1121 I used one on an Audi to locate a small leak. Works great!

[ian22]

I have a leak too, on my 1995 916 it seems to be coming from the lower left side of the Rad, I had it pressure tested and the guy told me it has no leaks??? It seems to only be leaking when I have it on the rear stand and it sits overnight. I don't get it. Is it possible that it wasn't tested at a high enough pressure? That doesn't make sense either cuz it leaks when sitting.

[junior]

I am now after 11 years I am now up for my second coolant tank....a crack in the tank....took a bit of time to track it down and removal of the tank air box and other stuff.....to find it.

now waiting for one to come in to replace it......bugger