quickest way to check the thermo is to drop it in some hot water(ie boil some water.)...
if she opens it's good. if not. you need a new one.

 

do you have a owners manual (small booklet) or repair manual. if it tells you to check thermostat, my guess is it is asking you to look at the guage on the instrument panel to see that it stays in the nominal area.

if you have a repair manual it will tell you how to check to see if the thermostat is working. you will need a meter for this.

the thermostat is located under the fill neck assembly. you would have to unscrew the fill neck to get to it. if you already knew this, then sorry to rehash. there is also the thermastat switch located on the left side of the radiator. then there is the water pump located just under the front sprocket cover.

you can get any of these parts at honda motorcycle dealer. hell, they may even have them at the car dealership knowing honda.

the thermostat switch is tied to the rad fan. if the rad fan kicks on then it is not your switch. part eliminated.

okay, you say temp guage jumps from c - h after x minutes. you need to see if guage is working properly and check thermostat. if you don't have repair manual, reply back and i will post procedure.

now you also smell antifreeze. could it be from overfill running down exhaust manifold? do you see wetspots anywhere along any of the hoses, left and right side of cylinder entry. any semi-dry or discolored spots anywhere on the engine. are they fuel from tank and carbs or rad fluid? sometimes, one looks just like the other. if not sure about a spot get brake cleaner and spray area clean, then check again. there are two chome elbows, one on each side behind the cylinder bank, bolted to the block using a captive plate. check to make sure those are not leaking. if they are, then the o-ring seals need to be replaced. if leaking could also cause air to leak into cooling system.

will guage jump if you let bike idle. or only when moving. if moving, maybe something is getting vibrated or bumped loose?

do all wire contacts look clean and fitting tightly. thermostat switch, connections to guage cluster? if not, maybe loose or corroded connector.

you saw pink fluid come out of radiator? that quite possibly is water wetter. it looks like watered down lavatory soap in a small bottle. i use it myself along with antifreeze. this should not cause what you are describing.

if after all fluid has been replaced and air has been purged from system, then my guess is thermostat is working. it would have to in order for remainder of rad fluid to enter system. let's for example say that the complete cooling system takes total 1 gallon of coolent. you fill till it can't take anymore, say 3/4 gal., then you start engine. engine runs, you see a few small bubbles, engine starts to rise above "c", then thermostat is supposed to open and maybe rad fan starts to kick in. now, you start to see the coolent burbling and then level sink. so you start to add remainder of gallon, watch it burble somemore and then it stops, fan is still on and no leaks. now, at this point, the rad fluid is supposed to be cycling because the thermostat is open. if this is the case then thermostat is most likely okay.

last option is the temp guage. i would have to look in repair manual on how to check.

this is about a logical and step by step process as i can provide, i hope it helps you out. as i said before, if you want to know how to check the items with a meter, reply back.

matt

 

There are no leaks, I don't smell anitfreeze anymore after I drained the coolant system... I am going to take off the thermostat and need some help on what do with it, I do have the manual and it says I need to get a meter, so I'm looking into buying one, any suggestions on where to buy one?

Appreciate your replies and advice,

Ollie

 

radio shack. or any place that sells electronic hobby stuff (ham radio, electronic parts, etc.)

 

Ok, I took off the thermostat and suspended it in boiling water, it didn't open at all, it's also rusted shut....As I was calling around for Thermostats most of the places said they would have to order it and would be delivered in a couple of days or so, and all the guys I spoke to said the bike can actually run without the Thermostat....

So I been riding it a couple of days without the Thermostat in the bike and it's actually been staying cooler. Just wanted to know how long I can do without the Thermostat? I do understand now the purpose of the Thermostat was to allow the coolant through the system, and now I just have coolant running through all the time. So is it safe to have the Thermostat out? and if not, how long can I ride without it?


Thanks

 

you know, i really don't know.

i suppose it could run just fine without it, however, engines are designed to run in a certain temp range. and so by removing the thermostat, you probably would change the efficiency of the engine.

in hot weather i would not think this to be an issue but if riding in cooler temps, the engine may not get up to it's optimal operating temp range. this may not be an issue if you do most of your riding on mild or warmer days.

and i also believe that so long as your fan works when there is no high speed air movement (ie sitting at red light) that you should be okay.

i personally would get a new thermostat and put it back in. i don't know if there are any long term issues of not having one, but i could do without the headache. it's there for a reason.

i akin this to having brakes. sure the bike comes with 3 rotors, but do you really need them all? if it's a show bike like many i have seen, they remove one off the front. but for maximum braking performance, i'd rather have all three.

anyhow, it looks as though your problem has been solved. if you do plan to run without a tstat, let us know how it works out for you. btw, how much did the dealer take you for the tstat?

matt

 

Not sure about bikes but I know when you run a car without a thermostat it runs cooler but it eats gas like there's no tomorrow. I used to have a 72 pontiac lemans that was getting about 7 mpg when I found out the guy who rebuilt it didn't have a thermostat in it. Put one in and my mpg more than doubled.

 

So far so good, I've been running w/o the Thermostat and haven't noticed any differences on burning any more fuel at a faster rate or anything, but I'm keeping my eye on it... As for the price for a new Thermostat from the Bike Dealer for my 1987 Honda CBR 600F Hurricane - $33.00. I'm going to order it anyway, just in case. But I live in Orlando, FL, and right now it doesn't go under 80 degrees out here, so it's always warm if not warmer.

My bike is definitely running cooler and better than when the Thermostat was in, because that Tstat was just rusted closed, so now w/o it I guess the coolant is just running constantly through the system now.

Anyways, thanks for all your advice and tips, reall much appreciated...

 

it wont run any differently in hot weather,
the only time it will have any effect on the engine at all is when
you are parked, at a stop light, etc etc,. the whole point of the thermostat
is to let the engine get warmed up, then keep it around a set temp.
if it starts to get hot, it opens up (hence the boiling water test) and lets
in coolant and filters it around.

this prevents damage to the engine by not letting it overheat.

it does however serve another purpose, keeping your motor warm when
it's cold outside, etc. if you drive it in cold weather, you might suffer some
small problems, but the alternative to overheating and ruining your engine
is a good one. i wouldn't recommend driving your bike forever like this,
it will eventually effect the pressure and could in the long run ruin minor
parts.. (nothing as big as if you ran it constantly overheating.)

so you are good for now, i'd have them order it and just put it in yourself
wait as long as you like, but if it were me i'd replace it as soon as i could.

 

Thanks for the helpful information, and I just ordered the Thermostat, and it'll be here in about 5-6 days, so I'll just keep running the bike in short distances and see how it goes...