Stuff coming out of radiator hose

[McLovin]

So..... did this fix the problem?!?!?!

So, I've been away and busy for a while..

.. but fixing the hose was the first thing I did. I cleaned the hose and pulled it closer and tightened the clamp. Everything has been fine since then. I'm eyeing it every time I ride and nothing is coming out so far.

 

[Motogiro]

So, I've been away and busy for a while..

.. but fixing the hose was the first thing I did. I cleaned the hose and pulled it closer and tightened the clamp. Everything has been fine since then. I'm eyeing it every time I ride and nothing is coming out so far.

Those bees might come back! Hahaha!:rof:

 

[McLovin]

Um, you need some form of coolant in the cooling system. You are experiencing galvanic corrosion from the dissimilar metals in the cooling system. Coolant protects against corrosion, hence why it needs to be changed every two years. If you are running plain water, it should be changed weekly. I know some racers that only use water, but it is because their engines are constantly being pulled out of the car.

Also, coolant raises your boiling point. Plain water at 15 PSI boils around 230-240F. Add 50/50 water and coolant and that goes to 265F.

The water jackets in the head are very thin. (I had a porous head casting, and trust me, there is not much metal around the jackets). You may well be on your way to eating though the cooling jackets in the head. This acidic water could also eat though your head gasket.

I would go to an auto parts store and by a radiator/ cooling system flush. Flush the cooling system multiple times. I would then pull the radiator and make sure it is clean inside. If in doubt by a new one. Replace all the hoses since they have been exposed to improper chemical reactions. Re fill the system with the proper coolant (Prestone all makes, all models works just fine) and run the bike for a few hundred miles. Then drain the radiator and refill will 50/50 mix. Do this several times through out the summer and you should be able to stop the reaction. The drain and refill the coolant every two years.

The lesson here is never, ever just run plain water in a closed loop cooling system. Coolant does more than just offer freezing protection, do not neglect it!

EDIT: Also, always, always used DISTILLED WATER! Normal tap or bottled water contains minerals, which can coat and stick to metal surfaces, reducing heat transfer. So a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water is the only way to go.

Hey thanks for all the info!! i managed to stop the leak from that spot and im gonna put some coolant in soon. hope its not too bad in there!

 

[Norbert]

By drinking water I meant bottled water only. A very experienced friend advised me this when I first got my bike so I dont doubt his advice.

yes, you said your friend said to run bottled water. if by bottled water you mean bottled spring water like deer park, well youve got minerals in your coolant. the minerals in the bottled spring water are what makes it delicious to drink!

if by bottled water you mean distilled water then youre ok

 

[McLovin]

Flushed the system today and didnt find anything nasty/rusty in there..There was actually coolant in the system, it was green but also mixed with drinking water..which was my mistake. Took it all out, put a bottle of engine ice in there...Everything runs great so far.


Thanks :thumbup:

 

[wolfc70]

Flushed the system today and didnt find anything nasty/rusty in there..There was actually coolant in the system, it was green but also mixed with drinking water..which was my mistake. Took it all out, put a bottle of engine ice in there...Everything runs great so far.


Thanks :thumbup:

Oh!!! I thought you were running straight water!

And bottled water is ok in a pinch for road side emergencies, just flush again when you have the chance. I have done this when I have had cooling issues on the road.

Glad you got it fixed, nothing can be more irritating than slow cooling system leaks.

Even in your mild climate, I would run a 50/50 mix of coolant and water, just as extra protection from boiling.

 

[ice]

*******************************

 

[ice]

Do simple first.
Tighten hose clamp, then watch water and oil level carefully.
Might be a simple hose leak.
Antifreeze gives off a funky sweet smell when hot.
Antifreeze feels kinda slick like oil.

 

[McLovin]

NEWS! (crappy one)

So just when I thought this issue went away..my bike started leaking coolant again...at this point i am sure that it is the coolant leaking and cooking on the hot parts..thats what the smell is. Bike shop confirmed. And the main leak is actually not from the spot that I thought initially and posted in the pictures. Main leak is from the thermostat cap(correct me if im wrong) which is that little cap right near where the radiator hose connects to the engine.

Anyway I went to my local bike shop today, they said it could be the radiator hose itself, leaking thru the plastic since it is multiple compound hose and there are layers in it. And it needed to be replaced (according to the manual) at 15000 miles and checked at every 4000 miles. Which i never did. Bike is at 30k. So I we ordered the hose..its costing me like 45 bucks..no biggie but I have a feeling that its not even the hose..im saying this because, well.. look at the pictures..it seems to me that most of the coolant is coming out the of that little cap. I dont know if this even makes sense and this of course doesnt explain the rest of the leak that i posted in my 1st post on this thread. It is possibly hose failure and something else.

here are the new pics...

oh and I forgot to mention..when I went back to the shop today, they let the bike run for a while to get it warm..then attached this pump directly to the radiator cap and pumped the system to create pressure... Pressure that builds up in there when the engine is running I think its about 17bars...so they put 17bars and even more almost close to 20 to see if anything would come out of those spots..but nothing leaked..they said its the hose..and i trust the guys..very experienced and cool people that OSO2K introduced me to a while ago..but they can be wrong..and I am worried that my ****s gonna blow up on the freewar..help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[McLovin]

Re: NEWS! (crappy one)

here they are

 

[Cali rider]

Mike, they are correct, the hoses are leaking. I would replace them all. In fact, I DID replace all of mine about 2 years ago. They will get hard and fail eventually.

Attached is a pdf of what I replaced.

 

[McLovin]

Mike, they are correct, the hoses are leaking. I would replace them all. In fact, I DID replace all of mine about 2 years ago. They will get hard and fail eventually.

Attached is a pdf of what I replaced.

John, thanks a lot!! I will e mail this to the shop and have them order the other ones you highlighted too. Today we only ordered hose 4 and 6 from the last 2 pages on the pdf :thumbup: