Coolant leak: Hoses look fine. Is there an additive/sealant I can use?

[CZroe]

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[kkim]

have you tightened the clamps? If the clamps are not loose, I would replace the hose before I would add any type of coolant system sealant and see if that fixes the leak.

[00NissanNinja]

That definitively looks like the hoses have gotten lose.

[rockNroll]

With a cool engine, remove the clamps and hose. Clean the white buildup off the radiator and pipe where the ends of the hose were leaking. Clean that crap outta the ends of the hose too. If the hose isn't mushy or damaged then reinstall it with new clamps. When you tighten the new clamps, be sure that the "screw" section of the clamp is rotated to a spot different from where the "screw" section of the old clamp was. Fill with coolant.

Cooling system sealants are bad.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by kkim

have you tightened the clamps? If the clamps are not loose, I would replace the hose before I would add any type of coolant system sealant and see if that fixes the leak.

I can't really figure out what conditions cause them to leak, but they hold for the most part. I can go on a strenuous and lengthy ride and find it bone dry day after day and catch a tiny little drop forming on the next. It doesn't seem to be directly speed or temperature related but it seems that either riding in the rain coaxes a lot more out or it just suddenly got a lot worse.

Originally Posted by rockNroll

With a cool engine, remove the clamps and hose. Clean the white buildup off the radiator and pipe where the ends of the hose were leaking. Clean that crap outta the ends of the hose too. If the hose isn't mushy or damaged then reinstall it with new clamps. When you tighten the new clamps, be sure that the "screw" section of the clamp is rotated to a spot different from where the "screw" section of the old clamp was. Fill with coolant.

Cooling system sealants are bad.

I didn't catch the part where I drain it. At 17,500 miles, I'm probably due for a full flush, so I'll look the procedure up in the service manual. Thanks for the tips!

Oh! What's good for cleaning coolant? Every time I use water it looks clean until it dries and the white patches reappear. I assume it's water soluble, considering that you mix it with water, but I seem to have trouble once it has dried.

[rockNroll]

Originally Posted by CZroe

I can't really figure out what conditions cause them to leak, but they hold for the most part. I can go on a strenuous and lengthy ride and find it bone dry day after day and catch a tiny little drop forming on the next. It doesn't seem to be directly speed or temperature related but it seems that either riding in the rain coaxes a lot more out or it just suddenly got a lot worse.



I didn't catch the part where I drain it. At 17,500 miles, I'm probably due for a full flush, so I'll look the procedure up in the service manual. Thanks for the tips!

Oh! What's good for cleaning coolant? Every time I use water it looks clean until it dries and the white patches reappear. I assume it's water soluble, considering that you mix it with water, but I seem to have trouble once it has dried.

There's no need to drain it to make the repair. If you're due for a coolant change then this would be a good time to knock that outta the way too. Just use a rag to clean the surfaces... you're removing the build up left behind from the leaking coolant. Point I was trying to get across is that if your hose connection has been leaking for some time, you don't want to just tighten the clamps in effort to stop the leaks.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by rockNroll

There's no need to drain it to make the repair. If you're due for a coolant change then this would be a good time to knock that outta the way too. Just use a rag to clean the surfaces... you're removing the build up left behind from the leaking coolant. Point I was trying to get across is that if your hose connection has been leaking for some time, you don't want to just tighten the clamps in effort to stop the leaks.

Well, isn't it going to spill out as soon as I remove the hose from the radiator unless I somehow drain it first?

[rockNroll]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Well, isn't it going to spill out as soon as I remove the hose from the radiator unless I somehow drain it first?

Yep. Use a catch pan of some sort to keep the mess to a minimum. If your coolant is in good shape, you can pour it back in the bike but I usually just fill up with new.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by rockNroll

Yep. Use a catch pan of some sort to keep the mess to a minimum. If your coolant is in good shape, you can pour it back in the bike but I usually just fill up with new.

It was full of all sorts of floating gunk when I took a bit out 8,000 miles ago, so I'm going with new. That was when I was getting my valve service but the dealer said it was fine. *shrug*

Thanks!