[benSV]

Wondering if anyone can help me out with some ideas here...

2 Years ago I lowsided at the track, my bike did drip some coolant out of the overflow lines after being righted and pushed back to the garages.

I pulled all the bodywork off at the time and ended up replacing most of the right side controls & the right side plastic & front/upper cowl.

I did not see any damage to the radiators or hoses at the time...

However ever since then when the thermostat opens around 175F I will get a faint hint of coolant smell until the bike cools off and closes thermostat. (Obviously you can't smell this while riding)

It has been 2 years and I have not seen any appreciable drop in coolant level since then, I've never had to add coolant.

But the smell still drives me crazy. Call me anal but it gives me this odd feeling something is still wrong and someday the bike will let me down
because I didn't track this down.

I'm curious what I could try. I was thinking of getting a dealer to pressure test it, but I'm guessing that might cost a pretty penny.

Otherwise what could I do that is simple and wouldn't involve draining all the coolant or spending big money?

Only thing I saw in the search was maybe try replacing the radiator cap. (The bike fell on the right side, same side that has a cap)

Thanks,
Ben

[Veefer800Canuck]

Tighten each and every hose clamp in the entire cooling system, including the ones inside the Vee of the cylinders, at the thermostat housing.


Cured me up, I had the same prob.


If not, check the weep hole on the waterpump, then the O-ring on the thermostat housing. Also, the coolant hoses flowing to the wax unit for the fast idle.

[Luvmyvfr]

Ben, do you ever see drops of coolant on the ground/concrete/driveway or kitchen floor??

Or do you only get the smell?

I had a little leak in between the cylinders, after a thermostat change(which was not needed), I tightened it up and problem solved.

Did you have water in the system, or coolant at the track?

[kostritzer]

found a small leak at the water pump drain bolt and the oring for the water pump cover on my bike recently. may be worth a look!

[rad]

benSV, on May 11 2009, 02:50 PM, said:

However ever since then when the thermostat opens around 175F I will get a faint hint of coolant smell until the bike cools off and closes thermostat. (Obviously you can't smell this while riding)

It has been 2 years and I have not seen any appreciable drop in coolant level since then, I've never had to add coolant.

That is what mine did; it was a loose hose clamp under my throttle bodies. It seeped just enough, then evaporated, to create the smell, but not enough to drop my coolant level or show a leak anywhere on the bike or under it.

There are a number of possibilities for the small leak; here is a pic of mine, with the hoses off. You can see the dried coolant on the fitting. I just posted this pic on another leak thread here.

[benSV]

My memory seems to be hazy but I think I had the thermostat replaced a few years ago as well. I'll check the hoses & clamps next time I work on the bike.

I would be surprised if it was something inside the V of the engine, but who knows, my nose has really tried to convince me it's something up near the front of the bike. Could be wrong though. (I did look for it with all the plastic off once before)

Thanks for the advice!

[Veefer800Canuck]

benSV, on May 11 2009, 02:46 PM, said:

My memory seems to be hazy but I think I had the thermostat replaced a few years ago as well. I'll check the hoses & clamps next time I work on the bike.

I would be surprised if it was something inside the V of the engine, but who knows, my nose has really tried to convince me it's something up near the front of the bike. Could be wrong though. (I did look for it with all the plastic off once before)

Thanks for the advice!

The heat from the engine rising wafts the smell up and to the front of the fuel tank and into the rider envelope behind the fairing.

I would smell the coolant on mine when I was slowing alsmost to a dead stop.

Turned out, just about every hose clamp on the bike needed snugging up.

Some of the ones in the center of the V were hard to reach, but I was able to get them with patience, did not have to remove the throttle bodies.

[kostritzer]

Best thing to do would be to buy or rent a cooling system pressure tester to find your leak. The adapter for the radiator cap should be the same or similar to a Honda car adapter. Pump it up to about 12-15 psi and let it sit there for a while, you may have to dig a little to find the leak, but you'll find it eventually!

[Ryanme17]

benSV, on May 11 2009, 02:50 PM, said:

Only thing I saw in the search was maybe try replacing the radiator cap. (The bike fell on the right side, same side that has a cap)

Thanks,
Ben

So replace the radiator cap and get back to us. Should be plenty of auto radiator caps that will work, though I couldn't tell you which ones.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Ryanme17, on May 11 2009, 11:20 PM, said:

benSV, on May 11 2009, 02:50 PM, said:

Only thing I saw in the search was maybe try replacing the radiator cap. (The bike fell on the right side, same side that has a cap)

Thanks,
Ben

So replace the radiator cap and get back to us. Should be plenty of auto radiator caps that will work, though I couldn't tell you which ones.

Bring your bike's rad cap to the auto store and look for ones that fit Isuzus and Toyotas with the same pressure rating.

That's what I did. 5 years later, it's all good.

[benSV]

Bumping my own thread..

I lived with this for the last year.. (didn't get to ride much)

I am starting to work on this again. (Got the plastics off, etc..)

I am curious since Veefer800Canuck mentions it.. what was involved in getting to the hose clamps in the Vee without taking the throttle bodies off?

Should I take the gas tank + airbox off and then try to reach through the spaces in the throttle body?

I'm 99% convinced it's something in the Vee now.

Borrowing from ChiAlex's thread, I have some coolant here:



Also, should I be draining the coolant before starting any of this?

I did have to add about 1 cup of coolant last week.

[LoVel]

I have been able to smell coolant on mine under the same circunstances since new. I guess I should check my hoses. I have had no measurable loss so I haven't worried about it.