superhawk996

I've found that Permatex aviation sealer works wonders on hoses. It stays soft so future hose removal is no issue. I use it on marine stuff to keep corrosion issues down and it seems to work well. A cast iron hose nipple and sea water don't play well and leads to leaks and/or severely stuck hoses that sometimes have to be cut off....expensive hoses. I've used it on a few cars & boats where a nipple was already pitted badly and it kept the connection from leaking, handy when replacing one would be $$$.

Cold hose connection leaks are actually pretty common.

Yup, and grease will hold the chips making them harder to blow free. I only use grease when chasing spark plug threads or something else where having them fall free could be a problem.

I had to fix the test connector on my 01. Mine triggered the FI light like most do and it did have fault codes, a bunch of them. It would be natural to be thinking about the Audiovox that was supposedly causing the issue. All I can suggest it to ignore that, other than triple checking anything it was connected to, and start from scratch on diagnosing. When my test connector was going bad it wasn't obvious to me. I wiggled it several times with the engine running and it didn't seem to be the problem. I know you've looked at yours, but check it again. I've read of similar issues stemming from the handlebar kill switch and have read of other bikes having issues caused by a charging system problem.

Or better yet a thread chaser. If the threads are buggered up and you're unsure about them use a stud instead of a bolt to get deeper in where there's good threads. If it's real bad you could try tapping it to 1/4" since it's just a little bigger, if that fails you'll have to go with a helicoil type repair or epoxy a stud in. Getting the bolt out was the critical part, it's downhill from here.

I got curious so I looked at CL. My guess is that the left side has damage since it's the only blurry pic. If not, just letting you know that's what some people will assume and you should take some better photos. If it's never been down you should state that too, it helps.

Yea, like the pics I see in craigslist that I make fun of, other than the lighting and resolution are better than the norm for a CL seller hiding defects. If the bike is nice you should show it off. Two sideways pics taken at different times and showing little of it, I'd assume there was damage being hidden and wouldn't even ring your phone.

FTFY

It can't leak vapor unless there's vapor in it, if it's full this can't happen. If nothing leaked onto it before start-up then you have a leak. I've never seen or heard of a radiator that passed a pressure test but still leaked, until you. It's also not common for these to develop leaks and you now have two 'leaking' radiators....you're unlucky or smokin crack. Keep running it and see if the steam stops after a while, might just be something that got on the radiator. And/or rent a pressure tester from an auto parts store; generally free, you just leave a deposit on it. If you find no leakage and are still in doubt, drain the coolant, pressurize, and spray the area with soapy water. The chances that it passes an air pressure test but leaks fluid in use is so damn slim.

Seems ludicrous. You can ship it to SoCal where it'll enjoy a warm family room 'till the riding weather comes back.

The current concern is valid, but haven't seen it happen. You could attach the ground clamp to the nut and eliminate the potential issue. Torch welding will transfer more heat to the surrounding area, something to consider. So now that you mentioned Samba, I have a bunch of VW stuff to sell so let me know if there's anything you're looking for. I got way into it then got out entirely leaving a ton of stuff in the wake from basic parts to race parts and machining tools.

JEEZUS. Radiator leaked and lead to a boil-over and you don't know why....The radiator leaked, which just happens with age and luck, and caused an overheat...no mystery there. Without testing temperatures you're making guesses based on needle position. If you think the thermostat has been altered or removed simply check the temp of the hot side of the radiator after a cold start. It should stay fairly cool 'till thermostat temp is hit and it'll suddenly heat up. At that point the needle will probably drop a bit or at the least stop rising for a little while. Overheating only at low speed indicates a fan problem, not a thermostat problem. General basic rule of any engine with a liquid to air radiator; low speed overheat is a lack of airflow, overheat at high speed is a lack of fluid flow. There are exceptions of course, but this applies to the vast majority of overheats. If your manually activated fan shuts off while you're feeding power to it it's obviously fucked up and probably the reason it's overheating at low speed. The motor likely wore out due to being overused. If it was a short in your wiring I'm guessing that the smoke & melted wires would have shown where the short is and it would not work again after the first time it shut off. Dismissing the importance of a working pressure cap is dumb with standard coolants or water. Evans coolant works without pressure AFAIKBZITE. As for the straight coolant thing it depends on whether you bought concentrate or "ready to run" coolant, follow the directions. If it's Honda coolant I believe it's ready to run and not supposed to be diluted. I did dilute it for my SuperHawk and it stopped the water pump from leaking and cooled just fine. Automotive coolants are either concentrate and need water, or 50/50 pre-diluted and ready to run. Regardless, having more water than coolant makes it more efficient at transferring heat. A weak coolant concentration can lead to corrosion, freezing, and water pump seal wear, but water cools better than coolant does. It does have a lower boiling temp than coolant, but at mild engine load with a good pressure cap it generally won't be an issue. Lastly, a needle above the mid point does not indicate an overheat. Many vehicles with electric fans will go over the mid point, some to 3/4, before the fan turns on and brings the temp down. "Fixing" an overheat issue by rigging the fan to a manual control is not a fix at all.

Absolutely. Those options are the least likely to lead to a problem. In fact, I think the welding of a nut is less likely to be a problem than drilling unless you have a way of drilling it perfectly. Even if welding failed you can still drill, but not the other way around. Please report once you have success and what it took.

What's the current one doing?

The left hand bits are great for removing screws that sheared in use or sometimes ones that broke from being over tightened, one that broke due to corrosion sticking it is extrememely unlikely to spin it's way out. If it was gonna come out that easily a pair of pliers could pull it out instead of drilling. If you're gonna drill it make sure it's drilled dead center and straight.

Heat or the freeze stuff does about the same thing, you can alternate or try both together, hot on the case cold on the screw. It would take quite a bit of heat to be any problem and since it's a small protruding part a flame right on it will heat it quickly, then the heat will soak into the surrounding area, but you don't need to heat the whole block just that little piece. Getting it super hot could burn the penetrating oil and make it sticky so don't go crazy.

If there's enough sticking out to get some vise-grips on it do that. I use small ones that have serrated tips, you don't wanna use smooth jaws on something that small. Clean up the release spray and any oil to avoid a fire, rarely happens but better to be safe, heat it with a torch and try. If there's not enough to grab, use a dremel and make a slot in it for a screwdriver to fit. If you cut into the aluminum a little don't sweat it, you'll probably only get one chance so make sure the slot is deep enough to get a good bite onto it. Heat it up and if you have an impact screwdriver try that, if not a regular screwdriver. Lightly tapping the sides with a light hammer while twisting with pliers or screwdriver can help greatly. Use a very light hammer, you want to shock it but not damage it and a light hammer swung faster will usually do a better job than a heavy one swung slower. If you aren't in a hurry, letting the release spray work at it, assuming it's something useful, can help. What is the release spray you're using? Warm it up, spray, tap the sides, let cool a couple hours, and repeat. The heating/cooling can help draw the spray in, tapping it helps break the bond and remove corrosion allowing the spray to penetrate better. I'm a big fan of Kroil if you have it available, or make a mixture of ATF and acetone, it shows promise of being better than most penetrants on the market. If you can slip a small piece of hose onto the piece sticking out you can make a reservoir for the oil to sit in and soak onto the bolt, but this won't replace heating and tapping to help get that oil in there. If it has to be drilled out; grind it flat, put the pump on, use a transfer punch to get a centered starting point. I'm just waking up so some better ideas may come along.

I've used the cheap HF "automatic battery float charger", they run a whopping $5 or $6 when they go on sale. The couple I tested held at or just below 13.2. I don't think they have any 'smarts' in them that would shut one down. Rated output is .4 amps, not gonna do much for recharging a low battery, but I've never had one go low while in storage. I've only used it on car size batteries in my boats, both starting and deep cycle wet cells and would occasionally plug it into the Optima starting batt. to keep it up. As with any charger/maintainer, especially a cheap one, don't trust it 'till you test it and check your battery voltage as often as reasonably possible while in storage.

In Ca. being 'totaled' results in a salvage branding no matter the extent of the damage or vehicle value and it can be re-titled and registered after a simple inspection. They only get branded if it's been paid off by an insurance co. You can wreck the shit out of something and as long as an insurance co. didn't pay it off it carries a clean title. Woulda never imagined an insurance co. would determine a vehicle as junk and render it unregisterable, that goes against it's value to them.

The thingy just acting as a voltmeter? If so the battery was being charged and either it needed more time to reach a full charge or the charger is bad and not detecting the state of charge.

Do you know what voltage it maintains on the battery? Over 13.2 and you risk cooking it and loosing the water, especially in hot weather. Below 13 and it may not effectively prevent sulphation.

Tested the load load and get 13.9; ? 13.9 battery volts, 13.9 charger volts, 13.9 amps charging current? If it's 13.9v on the battery side of the connector with the charger disconnected then it's obviously connected and charging. 13.9 while charging doesn't mean much, other than the battery was low or the charger is very low power.

Just took a glance and yes, you can register a salvage vehicle there too so you do have options.

I don't think the insurance co. can report it as junk, that happens when it's sold to a junk yard/dismantler. It'll likely be a salvage and in most or all states they can be re-titled pretty easily. I've had a few salvage title bikes and they're no problem, just a simple light & brake inspection and it's back on the road. If Oklahoma is different I don't know, but don't believe the word of the insurance guy on it. If you decide to part it out: I've been considering slip-ons so I might be in for them. It looks to have aftermarket rotors & levers, I might be interested, and maybe in any other farkles. Trying to sell a low mileage odometer....well that just sounds like you're inviting someone to falsify their mileage and if that's your selling point I don't want any parts. If I'm misunderstanding then all's good.

The description says dark grey & black, but the picture looks like white or light grey & black--? What's your inseam and how low do they go on your legs?