debs bongo is at mine now and a cold pressure test showed no leaks even on the temp repair pipe

.a proper full strip and repeated flush to follow. the rad was suspect as the flow was restricted. this was removed and weighed

. the old rad weighed nearly ten kilo's more than the new one

. so i think we are onto something here. some of this difference may just be in the manufacturing.
there was also a damaged gearbox oil pipe at the rad end and the gearbox oil is old and dark, so in theory the oil maybe overheating, this may be because the bottom of the rad is blocked so adding to the heat build up in the cooling system.
new pipe and rad to fit but it could be that its done the head, time will tell. (where's the fingers crossed smilie ).