Sudden leak... coolant?

[cogsman]

Hi All,

I noticed a small puddle of moisture on the ground under the left side of the timing belt cover. Upon closer inspection, I noticed this:

As you can see, this liquid is seeping right by the exhaust on Cylinder 2:



Here is a closer look at the area:



What is happening here, and how do I remedy the situation? The colour of the liquid seems to be green so I'm assuming it's coolant. There is not a lot of it, but it got onto my frame member (giggity). Luckily it didn't get onto my exhaust yet. I've placed a shop towel there for now.

I guess I was surprised to see it leaking from the seam in the picture.

Here is some context:

- Bike has been on a jack since September
- While the bike is relatively level, it does lean to this side slightly
- Oil is still full
- I haven't done any work to this area of the engine, other than in mid summer when I removed and replaced the crash guard to install the exhausts
- I have had problems with the head gasket on this side of the bike, but it has (supposedly) been repaired
- It appears to be leaking from the seam between the cylinder head (if I'm calling it the right thing) and the engine block
- I have never personally changed my coolant
- There don't appear to be any leaks on the radiator, nor any other signs of this liquid leaking elsewhere
- My garage is unheated
- The last week has seen temperature fluctuations from 0C (32F), to -25C (-13F), to 13C (55F), to 7C (45F) today
- I am 80% sure this wasn't there yesterday, and 100% sure this wasn't there on Wednesday
- The only thing I have done even remotely close to this area was yesterday when I loosened the bolts on the air intake for cylinder 2, and I pulled the spark plugs on 2 4 and 6 to inspect them; I replaced and retightened everything yesterday

Advice would be appreciated!

[Bighead]

Top radiator hose is leaking as will happen in cold temps when bike just sits.
Tighten the hose clamp. Many write ups on this here on the board.

[gordonv]

+1 my thought also from what I've read.

Also, you did have the plugs out. Did you insure that the drain holes in those plug recesses are clear? I couldn't make out the drain hole, but am thinking it may be draining throw the head to the underside.

[Skinhead]

Replace the thin honda clamps with full size hose clamps.  Gives you more sealing surface and clamp load on the hose.

[cogsman]

Just to clarify that the pictures are of the underside of the engine.

I checked the hose that comes out of the top of the rad and then goes down to the pump. It is a braided hose. It seems tight. There is no trace of any coolant on the hose at all. The only place I can see it is on the engine/cylinder head on the bottom of the bike. As I mentioned it seems to be seeping through the joint between cylinder head and engine block.

I tightened the house clamp as suggested and will see what happens.

One thing's for sure: if it is my head gasket again I'm keeping the $1600 that Honda charged me last time and changing it myself!!!

[Bighead]

I understand where the pictures are but a coolant leak the first place to look is the top hose clamp.
If you have had a blown head gasket before and it turns out to be this again I would have the head checked to make sure the mating surface is true.

[Steel cowboy]

Have you tried a pressure test? The same way you test a radiator and its hoses, it's a pump action device that screws onto the radiator fill cap.
On another note I had a Sable wagon that leaked coolant for years when cold but would stop as soon the engine warmed up. Had the car for years and I would check the coolant every week and top it off if needed.

[Paladin528]

Fire it up and run it until the fan comes on.  That will show you any issues.

[Chrisj CMA]

Just to clarify that the pictures are of the underside of the engine.

I checked the hose that comes out of the top of the rad and then goes down to the pump. It is a braided hose. It seems tight. There is no trace of any coolant on the hose at all. The only place I can see it is on the engine/cylinder head on the bottom of the bike. As I mentioned it seems to be seeping through the joint between cylinder head and engine block.

I tightened the house clamp as suggested and will see what happens.

One thing's for sure: if it is my head gasket again I'm keeping the $1600 that Honda charged me last time and changing it myself!!!

it's the hose that goes to the thermostat

[cogsman]

Ok, what is the best way to check that connection? Do I have to disassemble the radiator to look?

Also, I was going to mention: I pulled the carb tops on 2, 4, and 6 to adjust the carb needle. I noticed that when I pulled 1, 3, and 5, the carb intakes were "dry" after I pulled out the vacuum fitting; no moisture.

When I pulled 2, 4, and 6 though, there was liquid present. I assumed it was gasoline, though I did find it unusual that gas might get in there... I should probably have looked more closely at it, but I wiped it away and took no further notice. Now I'm thinking, was it coolant? By the same token, how could coolant get that far up?

Just wondering what the best order is for troubleshooting this problem... maybe:

Check thermostat hose
Check compression on cylinders
Check engine oil

or some other order/step maybe? I'd prefer to not have the mechanic diagnose if I can save myself a few bucks and then if needed just show up and say "here's the problem, fix it" without the need for any expensive diagnostic.

[Chrisj CMA]

Shine a flashlight from the left side of the bike, just got ard of the carbs.  Once you can see the thermostat housing the light will show you if it's wet or dry