View Full Version : coolant help


colleenhixx
05-18-2009, 07:51 PM
while i was riding my cbrf2 i hit the throttle and coolant blew out of the hose going from water pump to the oil cooler.when i stopped the res. tank was empty and coolant was leaking from around hose. i tightened the clamp filled it up with more coolant rode it and the same thing happened. seems to be under too much pressure. i have had many issues with this bike,like oil in coolant (this is the worst) bike has new head gasket, water pump, and hoses. after those fixes i found out about the oil cooler o-rings being bad. there were 2 o-ring to replace, so i thought! there are actually 5 o-rings that need replaceing. and my fan stoped comming on because its not registering temp, i think. my gage stops rising when it gets to the top of white line. i can do the work myself i just need the diagnosis.
COULD IT BE AIR IN RADIATOR CAUSING PRESSURE?
COULD IT BE THE THERMOSTAT?
COULD IT BE BENT FINS IN TE RADIATOR CAUSING POOR CIRCULATION AND PRESSURE?
HELP PLEASE!

Juliet
05-19-2009, 09:22 AM
hey Colleen ..sorry to hear of all your woes with the bike ... how does the radiator actually look, you know ..condition of the fins and cooling matrix, is it jam packed full of bugs or flies, debris etc ... I use a small soft tooth brush to gently coax out debris and bugs every now and then ... it could also be blocked inside, some say reverse flushing will work, other times you need to remove it and clean it out properly with something ... good luck and let us know, maybe some more info too like mileage of bike etc..

Jules

MartiniRossy
05-19-2009, 09:46 AM
I would definately look into the cooling fan problem as well. Over pressure in the cooling system system is always caused by overheating. As the previous post stated, I would start with cleaning the radiator fins, flush the cooling system as best you can, replace the radiator cap and look into why the cooling fan is not starting. It is a relatively simple ciruit. The fan motor switch completes the ground circuit for the motor. With the key on check for +12v between the black wire and ground. If it's not there then you either have a bad connection or a blown fuse. If the +12v is there, with the key on, try shorting the terminals on the fan motor switch together, if the motor starts, most likely the switch is bad, if not then the motor. This is all true granted that the temp on your bike is reaching a high enough temp to switch, but it sure sounds like it is.

colleenhixx
05-19-2009, 11:46 AM
fan motor is fine. i had fan hard wired to ground on bike. but no switch it started to act like it was draining the battery. the radiator is filthy so i will be cleaning it. i have herd seafoam is good for flushing system. i used hot water when it was full of oil but it took me 6 or more flushes. there has been no leakage from the cap. bike has over 300,000 miles

Juliet
05-19-2009, 12:09 PM
fan motor is fine. i had fan hard wired to ground on bike. but no switch it started to act like it was draining the battery. the radiator is filthy so i will be cleaning it. i have herd seafoam is good for flushing system. i used hot water when it was full of oil but it took me 6 or more flushes. there has been no leakage from the cap. bike has over 300,000 miles


300,000 miles!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:


Ok I will assume you meant 30,000 miles?? ..lol

If so engine should still be fine ... flush and clean that radiator up and see how it is from there :-)

Jules

colleenhixx
05-19-2009, 05:11 PM
341785 miles

Juliet
05-20-2009, 02:05 AM
Ok, no wonder she has one or two "issues" ..lol

So, it's actually nearer 350,000 miles!!

I have said myself these bikes if the oil is changed regular and they are treated with respect can go well over 100,000 miles, in fact despatchers in London have CBR6s with 150K+ on them and still going strong but I have never heard of one with those miles before ...like WOW!!

So, at that age with those miles we can assume the radiator may be well and truly blocked, I would disconnect the hoses and run a garden hose through one to see if it comes out the other end and make sure there are no blockages around the engine water passage ways themselves ... I would also be running a compression test on the engine too.

You see the trouble is we don't know the history of these miles, do we??
If the bike had always been run on 50% solution of antifreeze and distilled water it might be fine but the reason we have the antifreeze is not only protection against freezing but corrosion too ..if someone has run this bike for many miles with just tap water then all the engine passage ways could be furred up too ..just like our arteries fur up if we eat too much crap ..lol

You need to check the flow of coolant around this engine and find something that might dissolve furring and crap.

Gosh, can we see some pics of this bike, can you post one of the odometer too!! :-)

Jules

SpiritRR
05-20-2009, 02:28 AM
Fifty miles a day, every day, for eighteen years...someone needs to stay home and have sex or watch TV more often. : ) I require photographic evidence to believe that mileage claim, sorry. Well, even then, you could never prove it...the analogue gauge only counts up to five figures.

When my coolant started acting up...boiling and spitting and generally acting unhappily...all it needed was a better seal at the cap. I used a new, snug O-ring around the inside of the radiator cap and it hasn't peeped since.

Juliet
05-20-2009, 02:46 AM
Colleen, also with those miles the thermostat could be well and truly goosed ..sometimes they stick open making your bike take longer to warm up but they can stick closed and indeed they can completely fur up with time and become a blockage themselves ... check it :-)

Jules

dragginazz
05-20-2009, 06:51 AM
341785 miles :eek:!!!! Good Lord time to Retire that thing! It's having all kinds of problems because it belongs in a Nursing Home!
Are you sure it's not 34,178.5? That 5 has to be the tenth mile counter. Sorry to doubt you, really, but I've seen many People counting the tenth counter as miles so I have to ask. I've actually done it a couple times over the years. 3 HUNDRED and forty one THOUSAND...Holy sh-t!

Juliet
05-20-2009, 07:06 AM
Colleen, my F3 has a full six figure odometer but if I recall correctly the F2 did indeed have tenths so is the last digit in red or black on white background, like my lower trip meter, different to the rest ..this would mean the bike had 34,000 odd miles which sounds more realistic and typical :-)


http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh50/julietjameson/cbrmileage.jpg

Northernfirepower
05-20-2009, 08:01 AM
Nice fingernail polish Jules ;P

As for the miles, pics or it didn't happen! If you really have that many miles, you should get in contact with Honda or a dealer and see if they are suprised with it. They may reward you or something

colleenhixx
05-21-2009, 07:23 PM
yes
34,178.5 miles

Juliet
05-22-2009, 02:08 AM
I am disappointed now ... I mean, I know these bikes can do starship miles but I would really like to see it for real one day or hear of a genuine case ..lol .. still Colleen, with only 34K if that engine hasn't been abused then it's got tons of life left :-)


Jules