thermostat/waterpump trouble?? - Page 2 - Honda Shadow Forums : Shadow Motorcycle Forum

gdb069 · 04-21-2012, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinxd12

and there was NOTHING in the coolant tank. refilled took it for another ride and checked it again...NOTHING in the coolant tank...what is going on here? no cracks in the bottle since the water/coolant is in there and not leaking when just parked

I notice when I fill the rad it seems full but is not. It takes quite a while to fill it; check and the keep topping up. Then I fill the coolant resevoir to the correct mark. Coolant will flow from the rad to the resevoir and vice versa depending on what is required. If your rad was not completely full the rad will suck all coolant from the resevoir. On the other hand you may not notice any leak from the bike just sitting so run it for a while(parked) and check for leaks

G

jinxd12 · 04-21-2012, 10:26 PM

ya thats what i have done, i will check again and top off again in the morning...same concept as the civics i have built but this bike seems odd for some reason.

John Hopkins · 04-22-2012, 06:14 AM

Your service manual should list the coolant type and capacity and you could measure it with a kitchen measure jug, that's what I do with all the fluids in my bike..the coolant has to be going somewhere so you need to know where..

after filling the cooling system with the correct amount for your bike in the way described in the manual, move the bike over some sheets of newspaper and let it run while you go inside for a cup of coffee, when you come back check to see if the coolant has gone again and then check the newspaper to see where the leak is..

A loose hose connector or a faulty water pump combined with the heat and pressure of a running bike can cause the coolant to squirt out very quickly and very soon empty the system...

I wouldn't use the bike again until you detect this leak..

John.

jinxd12 · 04-27-2012, 10:49 PM

ok so played with the bike a little, all the hose connectors are tight no leaking. everything seems to be working but everytime i go for a ride and park it there is NO coolant in there. even measure out about 2 quarts of coolant like john hopkins said and still same results. tomorrow i am going to pull the thermostat out and see where that gets me i guess??? for the time being what are peoples opinions of running the bike with out a thermostat for a week?? ive done it in my truck and few cars before didnt know if its more crucial on a motorcycle? last thing i want to do is chang a waterpump..praying it isnt the problem for some reason?

natetclark · 04-27-2012, 10:59 PM

its gotta be the thermo-stat unless that is it was over filled. take it apart and put a thermostat in the coolant and see if the thermostat opens, i mean ther- mom-a-tor in the coolant

jinxd12 · 04-27-2012, 11:03 PM

no i dont think it was overfilled this time, maybe a lil before but regardless of that, if it was overfilled wouldnt the coolant just drain out until it reached a normal level of coolant? not become bone dry in the coolant bottle?

John Hopkins · 04-28-2012, 06:48 AM

When you filled the tank from the radiator, and got two litres in, that was enough to fill the system, as you run the engine with the radiator cap off the level drops a little bit and you keep topping it up so that you can see the coolant at the neck of the filler, you rock the bike a bit until no more bubbles appear and the level stays at the top and then you replace the radiator cap..you should have used about 1.75 litres at this point and the coolant should be visible at the bottom of the reserve tank if you use a flashlight to light up the tank, at this point there will only be about 1/2 inch in the bottom of the tank..that is when you put the other .25 litre in to top it up to the top mark..That is with the system running properly...

It is not easy to remove the thermostat and they don't cost very much, if you are going to remove it you might as well fit a new one..it is one less thing to worry about..test the new and old ones in boiling water in a saucepan, from memory they should open at about 198 degrees..fit the new one even if the old one still works...

John.

jinxd12 · 05-15-2012, 10:58 PM

ok well after trying what everyone was saying and it not working. i pulled the tank off and got to the thermostat housing, pulled out the thermostat and it was complete JUNK. corroded so bad it was in 2 pieces and top was seperated like the wax just wasnt there holding the temp thiing in there. replaced the thermostat and since then i have 450 miles on her and she is running beautiful!! thanks everyone for the help!

gdb069 · 05-16-2012, 02:59 AM

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear its fixed.

04-22-2012, 06:14 AM	#13 (permalink)
John Hopkins Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Tredegar,South Wales, near England, not far from Scotland. Posts: 3,389	Your service manual should list the coolant type and capacity and you could measure it with a kitchen measure jug, that's what I do with all the fluids in my bike..the coolant has to be going somewhere so you need to know where.. after filling the cooling system with the correct amount for your bike in the way described in the manual, move the bike over some sheets of newspaper and let it run while you go inside for a cup of coffee, when you come back check to see if the coolant has gone again and then check the newspaper to see where the leak is.. A loose hose connector or a faulty water pump combined with the heat and pressure of a running bike can cause the coolant to squirt out very quickly and very soon empty the system... I wouldn't use the bike again until you detect this leak.. John. __________________ Beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes right to the bone.

04-27-2012, 10:59 PM	#15 (permalink)
natetclark Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: West MI Posts: 79	its gotta be the thermo-stat unless that is it was over filled. take it apart and put a thermostat in the coolant and see if the thermostat opens, i mean ther- mom-a-tor in the coolant __________________ 98 shadow spirit 1100 83 shadow ace 750 Last edited by natetclark; 04-27-2012 at 11:00 PM. Reason: aomjdof

04-28-2012, 06:48 AM	#17 (permalink)
John Hopkins Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Tredegar,South Wales, near England, not far from Scotland. Posts: 3,389	When you filled the tank from the radiator, and got two litres in, that was enough to fill the system, as you run the engine with the radiator cap off the level drops a little bit and you keep topping it up so that you can see the coolant at the neck of the filler, you rock the bike a bit until no more bubbles appear and the level stays at the top and then you replace the radiator cap..you should have used about 1.75 litres at this point and the coolant should be visible at the bottom of the reserve tank if you use a flashlight to light up the tank, at this point there will only be about 1/2 inch in the bottom of the tank..that is when you put the other .25 litre in to top it up to the top mark..That is with the system running properly... It is not easy to remove the thermostat and they don't cost very much, if you are going to remove it you might as well fit a new one..it is one less thing to worry about..test the new and old ones in boiling water in a saucepan, from memory they should open at about 198 degrees..fit the new one even if the old one still works... John. __________________ Beauty is only skin deep but ugly goes right to the bone.

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