Hobicus Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Usually, when I'm out riding, the combination of the trip through town and the time it takes to open the garage door is usually enough to make the fan kick on. Ok, so a couple weeks ago, As usual, I'm pulling the bike into the garage and get the smell of coolant. Don't think TOO much about it, fans are on, park the bike, go inside. Next day, there's a tiny puddle (size of a silver dollar) underneath. Don't think too much about it, I'll "monitor it" over the next day or so. Well, it gets really cold, so the bike never really warmed up all that much, even when running through town. But once in a while, when the fan kicks on, I get the smell. And I occasionally see a bit of coolant under the bike. The other day, the puddle was big enough to worry. So.. I'm thinking I've got a pinhole leak somewhere, and when it gets really hot, that's when it leaks. Yesterday I started it up, let it idle until it got warm and the fan kicked on, and I thought maybe I saw a small leak in the center of the front. I even PM'd Joe to see if he has a spare radiator. I parked it in a different spot just to be sure, and this morning, it had a small puddle underneath, too. Today I go out and decide that IF I'm going to have to pull the radiator, anyways, I might as well go ahead, remove the fairings, drain the coolant, etc, and I'll bring it to the local radiator repair shop on Monday. Once the coolant's drained, I get the epihany to look over the fairing to see if I can tell where the coolant hitting it. It's hitting it on the right side, up by the cap. The trail of coolant is painfully obvious. I decided to just for giggles (since I had 2 bottles of coolant anyways) I'd re-fill it, start it up, warm it up, and see if I could see any leaks. Did that, and it won't leak. Anywhere. Let it idle for almost 20 minutes. Nothing. I'm thinking it's the radiator cap. Maybe I didn't seat it properly after the last coolan change. Anyone??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 This is kinda relevant, though mine leaked at the overflow. The feed for the overflow is obviously right by the cap, so perhaps a difference in the phases of the moon accounts for yours coming out where it did......did the cap seem tight when you removed it? http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forum/viewtopic.p...ghlight=coolant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted December 5, 2004 Author Share Posted December 5, 2004 I didn't try to tighten the cap, only loosen it, so I don't know if it wasn't fully tight. The only things I did, though, was remove the cap (it was FULL) drain the coolan, and refill. I DID move the clamp on the overflow, though, because it looked like it wasn't in it's HOME place, but it wasn't OFF of the overflow, either. I guess I'll know for sure after I get a chance to take it for a spin. Since my Jeep's leaking coolant too, either way I'm going to be heading to radiator repair shop... :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB4XX Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Since my Jeep's leaking coolant too, either way I'm going to be heading to radiator repair shop... HAving owned to Grand Cherokees, I had one that would occasionally leak fluid from around the lower radiator hose/water pump. It would do it and then quit for weeks. I learned that it is a "seep" hole... :?: SUpposed to give you a heads up to an impending water pump failure. We had the water pump replaced for $130 installed and leak never showed up again. As far as the XX goes, I would check the cap gasket, and the hose going to the overflow. It's amazing how much trouble it can cause leaving a gas cap or coolant cap loose. JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted December 6, 2004 Author Share Posted December 6, 2004 HAving owned to Grand Cherokees, I had one that would occasionally leak fluid from around the lower radiator hose/water pump. It would do it and then quit for weeks. I learned that it is a "seep" hole... Â SUpposed to give you a heads up to an impending water pump failure. We had the water pump replaced for $130 installed and leak never showed up again I can see where this one leaks, though, and it's along the seal at the top. I'll pull it and see if it can be repaired, eventually. I put stopl-leak in it, and it's made it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechnoGecko Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I actually had the same thing happen on my car. Turns out the overflow hose that connects right where the cap does had a small split in it. Couldnt even see it unless you ran water though it. So when it got hot and the radiator moved a little water over to the overflow, it would seep out through the small hole and leave a small puddle w/ a coolant smell. Perhaps the same on the bird? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northman Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 First things first, Rich. Tighten the hose clamps. Coolant tends to leak more when it gets cold out, as hoses and metal bits compress. Your leak is most likely overnight, not when it's hot. I had a slight leak a couple of years ago, and it ws just loose clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.