Any ideas?
I plan some major work this weekend - filters (all of them) oil, new tires, plugs, etc. Is there anything special I should look for which might explain the boiling coolant?
Thanks.
Joseph
Hill Country Rider
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Hill Country Rider |
Boiling Overflow Bottle |
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Why is my overflow bottle boiling? This is NOT during a long period of stop-and-go traffic, but just regular riding. I don't seem to be losing coolant - no
large, green pools under the bike in the morning. The fan works, because I can hear it start and stop.
Any ideas? I plan some major work this weekend - filters (all of them) oil, new tires, plugs, etc. Is there anything special I should look for which might explain the boiling coolant? Thanks. Joseph Hill Country Rider |
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bamaTrider |
#1 | |||
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Is the coolant actually boiling from heat, or just bubbling in the reservoir. If your engine was hot enough to boil the coolant, then you should be seeing the
temp idiot light come on. But if you are just seeing bubbling within the collection tank, then you may have a blown head gasket and the pressure from
compression is back feeding (blowing) into your coolant tank.
Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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Hill Country Rider |
#2 | |||
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I don't think it is the head gasket, as it keeps doing it after the engine is shut down.
I'll check the temp sensor this weekend to see if it is working, as the idiot light doesn't illuminate except when the key is on. Joseph |
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Chicago |
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I'd pull the thermostat and throw it in a pot of boiling water and see if it's opening. Then make sure your block is full of coolant, not just the recovery tank.
You meet the nicest people on a Honda (forum).
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bamaTrider |
#4 | |||
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The fact that you are loosing coolant when it does this just does not seem right. My '86 VT1100C had a fan that would stick on occasion. Every time it
would boil the coolant, there would be a puddle underneath the overflow tube. You could be running low of coolant on the engine side. There are many reasons
that can cause the engine to over heat.
(Stuck thermostat.) (Blockage in the radiator.) Remove the radiator cover and warm the engine until fan comes on. Feel along the front radiator fins to find any cool spots. A cool spot indicates blockage within that area of the radiator. (Faulty heat sending unit). If the fan is cycling on and off, it's not likely the sending unit. (Weak water pump). Using auto coolant in the bike can cause pre-mature wear of the water pump components because auto coolant contains silicate. Silicate can build up and clog tiny radiator passages, and abrade the water pump impeller and bushings. Finally, you can have a hose breaking down that can cause the internal liner of that hose to breakdown and separate on the inside. This can allow a section of the hose wall to flip down and partially block the flow of coolant. (I actually had this happen to me once on a '72 Buick with a 455 engine). Stan
"We are different - yet we are the
same"
2004 GL1800 Goldwing (Titanium) 1999 Ace Tourer (Silver over Black) |
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alepel |
#5 | |||
bamaTrider wrote:Here Stan.....what you described is exactly what happen to me. In a human it is called a "Dissection". I had two Carotid Dissections, one in each Carotid artery and it damn near killed me. They are extremely rare and most doctors lose their patients not knowing what is going on. alepel |
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dukey33 |
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Some other things to check for:
-Air trapped in the cooling system. Normally this should work its way out but on some engine designs, there may be a high point the bubble gets trapped in and can't flush itself out towards the cap. Check the manual for bleed points and proper fill procedure. -Water pump failure. If the impeller isn't moving water, the system will get hot and bubble no matter how much coolant you have. Let the bike warm up and feel for flow thru the hoses with the engine at a fast idle. -Clogged radiator. Since the rad is a vertical flow, it's easy for sediment to collect and block all flow or at least restrict it enough to cause problems. Remove and flush.
duke
loud horns save lives |
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