[jon lewis]

98 vt1100c 100,000 miles

I've got what is currently a minor leak (3-4 drops every now and then) of coolant that appears to be dripping off the bottom of my shift lever. I think I remember seeing this problem in other posts, but my search didn't turn anything up. Do I recall correctly that there is some sort of gasket where a shift lever shaft enters the engine that can be replaced? How much of a DIY job is that? Can a guy who's prone to making mechanical issues worse before he makes them better handle this fix? Thanks, Jon

 

[TylerLew89]

There is no coolant in the area of the shift lever. All that is behind that is oil.

Coolant can be coming from your water pipe (which should run above your left crankcase cover) or even dripping from your crossover tubes which are up by the heads. I guess there is a hose from the radiator to the water pump which runs UNDER your shift peg. You sure coolant isn't leaking from somewhere around the water pump and somehow working its way sideways to your shift lever?

Can you take pictures?

 

[jon lewis]

There is no coolant in the area of the shift lever. All that is behind that is oil.

Coolant can be coming from your water pipe (which should run above your left crankcase cover) or even dripping from your crossover tubes which are up by the heads. I guess there is a hose from the radiator to the water pump which runs UNDER your shift peg. You sure coolant isn't leaking from somewhere around the water pump and somehow working its way sideways to your shift lever?

Can you take pictures?

Tyler: There is really nothing to take a picture of; even the drop of coolant that was hanging from the shift lever has dried up. You asked, "You sure coolant isn't leaking from somewhere around the water pump and somehow working its way sideways to your shift lever?" Ya know, at this point I'm not sure of anything.

 

[jtascone]

I would bet it's the crossover tube. When mine started leaking, it would show up down by the shift lever. It would drip down between the cylinders, and then when you put your bike on the kickstand, it will cause it to run down that side and drip right by the shifter.

 

[TenDollarBill]

I suggest you clean the engine thoroughly so you can see where the leak is originating. Then, run the bike up to temp, leave the engine running and take a flashlight and look at the crossover tube area to see if you can spot the leak.

 

[jon lewis]

Ya know, I'm thinking you're probably right. The dealer told me one time that the engine needed to be pulled to repair that; however, I think I recall a post or two on here where people described being able to replace the o-rings with long needle nosed pliers w/o pulling the engine. They may be mechanically gifted; I'm not. Now, it's true that I've been able to fix all the little stuff that's gone wrong in it's 100,000 miles, but is the crossover tube repair something that's very doable by a schmuck of a backyard mechanic?

 

[jon lewis]

I suggest you clean the engine thoroughly so you can see where the leak is originating. Then, run the bike up to temp, leave the engine running and take a flashlight and look at the crossover tube area to see if you can spot the leak.

Thank you for this; I'll do exactly that.

 

[Empire2000]

98 vt1100c 100,000 miles

I've got what is currently a minor leak (3-4 drops every now and then) of coolant that appears to be dripping off the bottom of my shift lever. I think I remember seeing this problem in other posts, but my search didn't turn anything up. Do I recall correctly that there is some sort of gasket where a shift lever shaft enters the engine that can be replaced? How much of a DIY job is that? Can a guy who's prone to making mechanical issues worse before he makes them better handle this fix? Thanks, Jon

Did u ever find out where it was coming from im having same issue

 

[blue flames]

Pretty sure I have the water pipe leak. It doesn't leak all the time just a few drops here and there. But going out for a ride I did notice the residue line from the bottom of the stator cover right up to the middle of the cylinders. Only place it could be from is that pipe. Video looks like a fairly easy job. I'm gonna remove the faux fins to gain a little more room to work.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

[CoreyP]

On my 99 the coolant hose was simply not tighten down enough. All of a sudden I saw some drops of coolant, followed it up to the coolant hose, turned it back and forth, coolant came out. Simple enough fix I just tightneed up the clamp and it's hasn't leaked since.

Always look for the simple fix first.

 

[swifty2014]

Good to hear of an easy fix.