Coolant loss - where ? Why ?

[Darron1117]

Hello Rocketeers,

Roadster pisssed in the wind today.
Noticed coolant down the side and on the exhaust.
It only leaks when I take off and ride.
It never drips it onto floor.
Flushed and filled radiator a month ago.
Followed directions to the T.
Overflow bottle stayed full for weeks and now, it is empty.
When I ride, the bike leaks out coolant but only after it's warmed up and I
take off. Nothing drips while bike is sitting. No trace of coolant around overflow cap.
None near radiator cap and pictures shows the trail it takes when it leaks.
Should the overflow be full of coolant when bike is cold?
Why is it empty now? When I refilled radiator, it took 1 full jug (half gallon) of coolant and almost
half of another equaling about 3 quarters of a gallon to fill radiator and overflow which seems not near enough for radiator and overflow correct?
How much coolant should be in my bike?

 

[warp9.9]

Hose clamps loose or the bleeder wheeping. Also check the overflow bottle. Make sure tye cap is on snug. I also had a hole in the overflow hose going to the overflow bottle.

 

[Navigator]

It surely must have coolant somewhere on the radiator or around the hose connectors. Or possibly you have a small split in one of the hoses. And yes, the first thing to do is to check and tighten all of the hose clamps.

 

[John Miller]

Have you checked the radiator level by removing the rad cap and make sure the bike is upright or laying slightly over the other way not on the side stand.

The rad should be full to the cap - if not you have a leak you need to find.

Checking the over flow won't necessarily tell you if you have a rad leak or a cap that's lost its ability to pressurise the system as it should.

Personally I think your radiator cap is screwed.

 

[Joesmoe]

And if you've forgotten, there is a tiny 6mm retention bolt on the side of the radiator cap.

 

[jake shaw]

The overflow bottle should only be filled to the lower level when cold. It will expand to the max level when warm. Any coolant above minimum will puke out when the bike warms up.

 

[Jvheli]

Hello Rocketeers,

Roadster pisssed in the wind today.
Noticed coolant down the side and on the exhaust.
It only leaks when I take off and ride.
It never drips it onto floor.
Flushed and filled radiator a month ago.
Followed directions to the T.
Overflow bottle stayed full for weeks and now, it is empty.
When I ride, the bike leaks out coolant but only after it's warmed up and I
take off. Nothing drips while bike is sitting. No trace of coolant around overflow cap.
None near radiator cap and pictures shows the trail it takes when it leaks.
Should the overflow be full of coolant when bike is cold?
Why is it empty now? When I refilled radiator, it took 1 full jug (half gallon) of coolant and almost
half of another equaling about 3 quarters of a gallon to fill radiator and overflow which seems not near enough for radiator and overflow correct?
How much coolant should be in my bike?

FWIW, when I had my motor apart, the total quantity that I added was slightly more than a US gallon.

Also, after I rode it for a bit, there must have been an air pocket cause mine burped on the ground a bit too.

What us aircraft mechanics do is bag the drain line (or anything we suspect is seeping/leaking). That will show you if that is where the coolant is coming from.

 

[Jay]

What us aircraft mechanics do is bag the drain line (or anything we suspect is seeping/leaking). That will show you if that is where the coolant is coming from.

How do you bag the drain line? With the heat of the engine, don’t you risk melting/burning the bag? Sounds like a great tip that will find pin-hole leaks faster than inspection of all the hoses.

 

[Jvheli]

How do you bag the drain line? With the heat of the engine, don’t you risk melting/burning the bag? Sounds like a great tip that will find pin-hole leaks faster than inspection of all the hoses.

Bag the end of the line. This will at least tell you that’s where (or not) where the coolant is coming from.

You are correct, you always need to take into account the conditions and environment where this will or won’t work.

 

[Navigator]

I almost don't want to go here but closely check your radiator. I had my coolant changed by the dealership and was getting some of that. Thinking it was one of the hoses, I sold the bike to a good friend, a forum member, and together we installed the Samco hose kit that I gave him with the bike. The spotting persisted and we discovered that the dealership had broken one of the small radiator inlet pipes. We figured that the mechanic had grabbed it with a wrench to pull the hose and cracked it at the weld.

I recommend you check all of those by wiping around them with a paper towel to see if you get any moisture. I hope not.