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Coolant getting onto the engine somehow


pmacb

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9 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

 You do not have to disconnect the hoses to do a valve check or adjust

just undo the 2 upper bolts and remove the bracket at the bottom undo the overflow hose, cap the Nipple,  Disconnect the fan plug and pull down and forward the radiator put a towel on the Fender and access is easy.

True.  I approached it from that way, not wanting to deal with draining the coolant.  I pulled the valve cover out from the top, with the rad tilted as you suggest.  BTW, I feel like the valve cover is a lot easier to get back in from the front than the top, especially so with the new gasket stuck to it and not wanting to knock it off anywhere.  

Checked all my valves, found an adjustment "necessary" and then decided I didn't want to fuss with it ONLY from the top.  This my first valve service on this bike, so I wanted every space advantage available.  Even though reluctant to remove the rad, I went ahead and did so.

Now having done it with the rad pulled out, I would not do it otherwise.  It isn't enough trouble or mess pulling the rad to make it undesireable.  Drain the coolant into clean jars for re-use.  Cover the hoses.  Put the rad away in a safe place until the rest of the work done.  With full access from the front, the entire process of working on the top end is greatly easy-fied.  I wanted to remove all the lifters to note what value of shim is under them, for reference the next adjustment.  Save a step, so to speak.  Pulling lifters out and retrieving shims is a LOT easier from the front than from the top.  Also, I feel like working with the cam chain to restore the timing is made easier/safer with more access from the front, not having that rad in the way.  

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I've done 3 FJ valve lash checks / adjustments and never removed the rad and always removed and reinstalled it from the front.  Same on a couple dozen similar configuration bikes.  On Honda VTR and older VFR the rads are on each side.

I zip tie the cam chain to both sprockets of course but to provide more chain slack and allow actually hanging a cam up out of the way AND make indexing the cams on reassembly MUCH easier, I remove the right cam drive cover and CCT slider shoe and its pivot "pin".  I first though  jamb a clean rag under the cam chain and crank drive sprocket.  It's a bit tricky to get the shoe out and back in at first, it just takes a little patience; a memory also helps considerably, something I lack.

BTW, I first drain the coolant through the drain port, then vacuum evacuate and refill the system with a special tool.  Very fast and clean!  It gets every drop out almost completely, and refills with no air pockets.  I've compaired refill volume after doing it the conventional method versus by vacuum, and there is always about a 15% difference; which is a lot.  Also no hoses need to be removed. On systems that are yucky (never my bikes), I add an acedic acid (vinegar) flush and rinse cycle; and if I'm not using premix, use deionized H2O.

Just my 2 cents...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update: I ultimately decided to replace only hoses # 29 and #32 on the parts diagram above.  Surprisingly I was able to do this with a minimum of fuss and no thrown tools.  Even the coolant overflow reservoir cooperated.  It's a bit too chilly today for a shakedown ride, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Below is the "wet" end of hose #29 where it was attached to "Joint 1", and to me it looks like it just got old and leaky rather than suffering any damage, etc.

Final update:  The shakedown ride today went fine with no leaks and the engine temps in the expected range.  I'm declaring victory and returning to lurking. 

Thanks all.

 

20221008_153724.jpg

Edited by pmacb
Final update
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  • 8 months later...

Update to the last update:

I was apparently premature in declaring victory.  The issue reared its ugly head this spring.  The rest of my life has been keeping me off the bike and when I finally got out for a ride there it was again.  At my mechanic's suggestion, I've changed spring clamp #30 to a stainless screw-type clamp.  I also found that clamp #34 on the upper radiator hose was loose (that's on me since that's one of the hoses I replaced last fall).  Doing all that has cut the problem from a leak to a weep.  I randomly snugged up the fasteners (#25) on "joint 1" and got about 1/8 turn on each which surprised me.  Looking at the schematic there's an o-ring behind "joint 1".  I'm going to replace that ($5.76) and the "joint 1" bolts ($1.11 ea) on the theory that a rubber O ring on a 2015 with nearly 46,500 miles is probably overdue for replacement.

Does anyone know the torque specs for those two bolts?  

 

Thanks

 

 

 

waterpump schematic.jpg

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