I have been following this site a lot while I have been in Afghanistan and now that I am home I have a question on my wife's 1500 about an antifreeze leak. It seems to be coming from up top some where. I took the bottom cowling off but couldn't see anything from there. I started it today and tried to see were it was coming from but couldn't get it to leak. It started when she just had it running outside the garage while she was putting up some X-Mas decorations outside. I moved it around a few times in the garage organizing things since getting home and it would run out of the bottom. If it is the top radiator hoses how much do I need to take off to get to them? I turn wrenches for a living so not worried about taking things apart. Any help would be appreciated.
Mike
1500 Antifreeze Leak
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slingshotm
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silverado6x6
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Re: 1500 Antifreeze Leak
Well Mike i also have a 1500, you need to pretty much remove a lot of plastic first, best to search the website for the plastic tutorial or you may break something, everything is knda interlocked and in sequence, its a Goldwing. I had a coolant leak, turned out to be just the lower coolant hose clamp behind the left side exhaust, I suggest to check the radiator cap, the overflow hose and the coolant bottle. Hope its just something simple before tearing most of the body off.
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ct1500
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Re: 1500 Antifreeze Leak
First check the radiators and lower radiator hoses and water pump behind the front cowling.
When finding the source of any kind of leak the best advice is to always start at the top and work your way down.
Coolant bottle and radiator cap then remove air cleaner checking heat riser connections, then continue further down removing cooling fans to get an eyeball on internal hidden hoses under carbs. If you do not have a pressure tester engine can be warmed up enough to pressurize system with fans out to aid in leak location.
Coolant will often puddle towards the top and back of cylinder heads near the #5 and #6 spark plugs and can give an idea what side of motor to check for leak.
When finding the source of any kind of leak the best advice is to always start at the top and work your way down.
Coolant bottle and radiator cap then remove air cleaner checking heat riser connections, then continue further down removing cooling fans to get an eyeball on internal hidden hoses under carbs. If you do not have a pressure tester engine can be warmed up enough to pressurize system with fans out to aid in leak location.
Coolant will often puddle towards the top and back of cylinder heads near the #5 and #6 spark plugs and can give an idea what side of motor to check for leak.
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Re: 1500 Antifreeze Leak
A lot of times the old clamps just don't hold enough pressure on the fitting, and if they are disturbed at all, they start to leak. They can also do that when it is very cold out, and once they warm up, they expand and tighten up, and the leak vanishes. I replaced a couple screw clamps this winter that had a tiny coolant leak, and couldn't be tightened any further.