Thermostat replacement HELP

[alf04st]

Started replacing thermostat but I missed the part about the cylinder drain bolt sealing washers. My question is do these bolts have to be removed and if so what is the reason? The problem is no dealers have these in stock and it will take at least 5 days to get them in. Can I get by without removing cylinder drain bolts or could I reuse the old sealing washers?

 

[hojo in sc]

I've never done the replacement, but just found this the other day, not sure if it helps answer your question;

http://koczarski.com/Motorcycles/ST1300/Thermostat/Thermostat.htm

 

[Blrfl]

You're talking about a few ounces on each side, so you could probably get away without pulling the drain bolts. Do not re-use the old sealing washers. Your bike will spite you.

I have a fistful of extras that I bought in case I had to pull the camshafts during the valve inspection. (They take the same washers.) If you can live until Tuesday, I can FedEx you a couple on Monday. PM and we'll arrange it.

--Mark

 

[alf04st]

Mark thanks for the offer. The only reason to pull the bolts is to drain the heads correct? If so then I don't think that I need to pull them. My dealer said that I only need 3 quarts of antifreeze so if I don't have to remove them it will save me from having to make another trip to dealer for 1 more quart.

 

[nm6r]

Pulling the drain bolt will possibly save you down the road. They are just copper washers. I wouldn't suggest reusing the old one(s) but you might be able to find them at your local auto parts store. They are commonly used on disk brake caliper lines.

Ray

 

[alan]

I have flushed my cooling system twice in 52,000 miles on my 2003. I removed the head/block drain bolts both times (what a pain to get to) and have yet to replace the washers and have not experienced any leakage. I didn't pay attention to the washers when I had them out, but if they are copper crush washers, you can probably find replacements at AutoZone, they carry copper crush washers. Copper crush washers, if not deformed, can also be resoftened by heating them with a propane torch and then quenching them in water, this will resoften heat and age hardened copper.

 

[Byron]

I have just had my second thermostat failure; first was OEM second was Turbo City unit. I pulled the drain bolt when I did mine but I didn't pressure flush the block but I did the radiator. The only thing I can think is that there were particles that either settled in the block and weren't removed or there were still some in the radiator.

Like the feelings about which oil to use so goes the crush washer opinions. I've reused all of mine by flipping them over without a single leak. If you feel the need, order replacements but flip the old ones for now and finish the job to put the bike back on the road. You can pull it down at a later date when the parts arrive.

 

[alf04st]

Thanks everyone, I pulled the plugs and seen that the other side of the washer wasn't marked so I flipped the washers over and reused them and no leaks after warmup. As I should have known the dealer was wrong on the three quarts to refill system after flushing. I should have looked it up in the manual but I figured the service dept. would know how much antifreeze it would need, : wrong again. Looks like I will never learn to quit trusting a dealer. Oh well everything is back together and temp is like it should be. Thanks again for everyones help.

 

[Blrfl]

As I should have known the dealer was wrong on the three quarts to refill system after flushing.

Next time just stop by your nearest Honda (Car) or Acura dealer and pick up a couple of gallons of Type II pre-mix. $12.50 each.

--Mark

 

[Scaredy Cat]

Thought this would never happen to me for some reason, but 15k and yesterday the 'stat failed with the same symptoms as everyone else.
The dealer's going to replace it under warranty (no questions asked), although I told them I'd fit it myself which probably makes life easier for them as well as giving me some peace of mind.....
From what I've read (lots since yesterday!), it's either rubber particles from the hose manufacturing process, or paint flakes from inside the rad, so I'll be giving the system a good flush through with the garden hose before refilling, I'll try to catch any debris to see what it is. I'd like to think this could be prevented in future rather than accepting it as a design weakness. I'll also be respraying the radiator body which is looking really flaky after a couple of UK winters.
Unfortunately the dealer says the stat will take a week to arrive, I wonder if they'll reimburse the cost of the extra fuel she uses in the meantime???

 

[Scaredy Cat]

I'd highly recommend using a 50/50 mix of vinegar and distilled water to flush the system out. Just to assure that you are not putting anything else in that should not be there. Our water out of the tap, is pretty hard and I wouldn't want those minerals and whatnot all up in the cooling system.

I had thought about the vinegar thing, I might put some in there to start with, but where I live the water is very soft, almost no minerals, so hopefully it'll do the trick. If the particles of whatever are swimming around in there, I'd like to give them a high-velocity wake-up call.....

 

[hgerrick]

I am convinced my T-stat is stuck on my ST1300. Anyone have a quick list of parts I need to do the job? Brake lining also needs replaced front and rear, any info here would be helpful too. I was figuring on ordering on the net as the local dealer won't have the parts anyway. Thanks.

 

[Scaredy Cat]

Well, that's that done, pics at:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sandybuchan
There were quite a lot of black particulates in the coolant, noticeable as soon as I dropped the stat, then when I drained out the rad, and also in the bottom of the plastic expansion tank. The bits that were big enough to examine looked like tiny bits of rubber.
But I have a theory..... yes, another thermostat failure theory... Have a look at the picture of my old stat (pic labelled 2138)versus a new one, the old one looks like it is scaled up. Could it be the dealer is saving a few pennies on first coolant fill of the bike by using tapwater? I haven't changed or even topped-up the coolant in the last 15,000 miles (i.e. from new). My stat was stuck solid, and I changed it out after a very few miles of it failing. I can't imagine a speck of rubber/paint/whatever welding the thing so hard. Boiling/cold water cycling didn't budge it, neither did my fingers. I don't want to try anything mechanical cos Honda wants it sent to them so they can analyse the fault. I'll send them the pics I took on removal as well.
The rad and system was flushed through with water during the stat replacement but I reckon I had about 200ml which I didn't get to which leaves me with 9% tapwater, I may drain and refill again to take the total remaining tapwater to less than 1%. Just my theory but the pictures look convincing to me....