Member Contributer y2kvfr Posted March 12, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 12, 2012 I found my coolant leak/weep. The hose clamp from the t-stat to the rear bank was a smidge loose. I put a wrench to every clamp I could find, seemed to clear everything up. While I had my throttle bodies pushed out of the way I took a gander down the intake for every cylinder. I found that the front valves were a bit cruddy, the rears were nice and clean. What I saw next was a bit disturbing... here is a picture of the #4 intake: If you zoom in you'll see a bit of coolant. No other valves showed this. Am I doomed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer y2kvfr Posted March 12, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 12, 2012 As a note, this bike has sat garaged since November, hadn't been started when this picture was taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 new gaskets lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted March 17, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hmmm this seems odd. Blown head gaskets mean leaking coolant inside the cylinder, not on top of the valves. Looks to me more like it got splashed there somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapMaster Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hmmm this seems odd. Blown head gaskets mean leaking coolant inside the cylinder, not on top of the valves. Looks to me more like it got splashed there somehow. I concur. I can't imagine any scenario involving a head gasket failure that would put coolant on top of the intake valves. Additionally, though I'm not sure exactly how I did it, I managed to splash a few drops of coolant on top of #2 intakes during a wrenching session years ago. Check for signs of coolant in the oil and vice/versa and if none - don't sweat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RickF Posted March 18, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2012 Agreed...This is a unlikely place to find coolant from an internal engine leak. In my experience, when a coolant leak into a cumbustion chamber is suspected (e.g.: head gasket failure), one can carefully remove spark plugs and "read" evidence from the relative condition of each of the plugs. Combustion chambers that have been subject to running with small amounts of coolant will often look oddly clean and relatively free of normal carbon deposits. Therefore, the plug electrodes from the cylinder with coolant will often look unusually free of carbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer huntinggunns Posted March 18, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2012 Agree with the above posts. There is no place that coolant can enter on top of the valve. I can only imagine that it got dripped or splashed in there when you were moving around the throttle bodies. Since you state you found the coolant leak and fixed it, put it back together and ride it. I can bet that when you get the system burped of air and ride it for a couple of weeks, your coolant level will never drop again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer y2kvfr Posted March 19, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 19, 2012 My only guess, and this was from HS, is that the valve guide may be shot. Which, looking at the FSM, is a slight possibility. I drained the oil and found no milky-ness or water. I have an air filter and plugs on order. When I get them I'll check out the valves again and check the plugs for any unusual color. Thanks folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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