thermostat/waterpump trouble??

[jinxd12]

ok so my dad has been riding my bike to and from work to work out lil kinks since getting it going. he called and said he thinks my coolant isnt flowing since whem he turned it off afer work and heard some tinking noises like you hear on car/trucks when they are super hot. and some coolant drips out of the overflow.

this bike sat out side of a garage for a few months before i scooped it up. doing a little research i have seen that it looks like the water pumps on the shadows are pretty strong my bike has 35xxx. thinking it could be a stuck thermostat?? any other opinions?? also the fan does goes on when stopped at a red light and such..just wondering if anyone has some insight on this?

99 honda shadow ace 750

[gdb069]

This all sounds normal. Hot rad is more easily heard on a bike. Fan goes on when sensor says it should: often at red light or idling when there is no air flow to cool. Hot coolant may condense in overflow. What I would do is flush (bike has been sitting) and monitor the coolant level. If it really boils check thermostat. Water pumps usually leak when they fail. Fan is working OK unless on all the time or never on.

G.

[John Hopkins]

With the bike running and at operating temperature you should be able to feel the coolant circulating if you squeeze the top radiator hose.

John

[oconeedan]

Sounds normal to me. Your fan is working as it should, mainly only while stopped. Just keep an eye on the coolant level.

[Schattenreiter]

How much coolant comes out the overflow. It is possible this is from a bad radiator cap. What else makes you think you have a problem with the coolant?

[tcanthonyii]

Probably was over filled.

[jinxd12]

im just relaying what my old man has said. i knew i overfilled it a little the 1st ride i took it on since as soon as i gave it gas some came out of the overflow. but my dad had rode the bike for about 225 miles and coolant was still coming out the overflow....by then i would assume the coolant would have been at a correct level? starting to get very warm out here in az..the last thing i want is coolant/overheating problems 100 degrees this weekend already. i dont believe the cap is faulty since the coolant isnt exiting there? as for the coolant cycleing through the tubes its very hard to tell...will probably try to burp the system again tonight or tomorrow. or just even replace the thermostat unless anyone thinks its pointless? possibly its the original thermostat with 30k on the bike

[tcanthonyii]

If the light hasn't come on I wouldn't worry too much. You could purge the system of any air again.

There should be a line on the tank for how far to fill it. Take a look at it. My gut says its still over filled.

[Schattenreiter]

Originally Posted by jinxd12

im just relaying what my old man has said. i knew i overfilled it a little the 1st ride i took it on since as soon as i gave it gas some came out of the overflow. but my dad had rode the bike for about 225 miles and coolant was still coming out the overflow....by then i would assume the coolant would have been at a correct level? starting to get very warm out here in az..the last thing i want is coolant/overheating problems 100 degrees this weekend already. i dont believe the cap is faulty since the coolant isnt exiting there? as for the coolant cycleing through the tubes its very hard to tell...will probably try to burp the system again tonight or tomorrow. or just even replace the thermostat unless anyone thinks its pointless? possibly its the original thermostat with 30k on the bike

In order for the coolant to exit the radiator and go to the expansion tank (I assume your bike has one) and then out the over flow tube it first has to get by the radiator cap. The cap is designed to raise the pressure to a predetermined level and then open up to allow excess coolant to relief to the expansion tank and then open again to allow coolant to be returned to the radiator as it cools to keep it full. If the cap fails to hold the predetermined pressure it will prematurely allow coolant to go to the tank and out the overflow when enough has exited the radiator. If you had coolant coming out the overflow as soon as you gave it gas something is not right. Even overfull it would have to warmup some before any came out the overflow.

[jinxd12]

today i went and played with the bike a little. took the hoses off the radiator and the cap off the radiator. ran a hose to see if there was any blockages or anything, water flowed pretty smoothly through the system. reinstalled everything, filled it up and let the bike get to operating temp. fan kicked on coolant looked like it was flowing when i pulled the cap off. took it for a ride bout 30 min later checked coolant level 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?? changed oil today as well and oil was clean