...While my ST gently weeps...

[SainT 1300]

Last year on a trip I noticed my ST would drip some coolant if I started the bike first thing in the morning in a motel parking lot and shut the motor off because I forgot something. So, I would always make sure I was ready to go in the mornings. I never saw any drips during the day on the next morning, so I didn't worry about it.

The bike sat for a few months and mid winter, I noticed a small pool of coolant under the bike. I put some white paper under the bike and it was actively dripping a few drops a day. It had suddenly cut loose. I took off the Tupperware yesterday and cleaned as much as I could. After starting the bike, I saw a few drops spitting out of the small hole on the water pump cover. Rats.

I am going for a ride without the Tupperware and see where the leak is heading. Hopefully it was from the cold winter, but after a ride, I will be able to see how bad the leak is and watch the floor for any pooling. I may have to pull the front off to do the water pump seal...or have the dealer put it in. Looks like I don't have the experience or tools to press it all together.

Any advice while my ST gently weeps???

 

[SupraSabre]

Pull the cover, buy the parts, have your dealer press it together and make sure it is the proper spacing! (check the manual, the end of the output shaft should be 24mm from the case, I believe)

Then install it. Just watch when you remove the case and use a long flat blade screwdriver to hold the waterpump sprocket on when removing the case. You don't want the chain to drop down back behind the clutch.

Also, depending how many miles you have on your bike, you might want to replace the clutch plates while you're in there.

 

[dduelin]

Round hole or square hole weeping?

 

[SainT 1300]

It's the round hole. Very obvious when I started the bike and watched it pop out a few drops. Square hole looks OK.

Probably will take SupraSabre's advice and start taking things apart. Supra, thanks for the heads up on the chain and sprocket. I will gently separate the case, insert a screwdriver, and hopefully hold the sprocket in place.

 

[M1-Shooter]

As luck would have it, my 2006 with 36K miles on it developed this same weep...sometime in the last 3 years. Its very minor, and I'm debating whether or not to leave it be for now. Never a drop on the floor, and truthfully...I haven't seen the level change in the reservoir tank.

Fix it? Leave it? I don't know...

 

[SainT 1300]

My ST leak was very minor for about a year. This past winter, as the bike sat, there was a steady drip going on. I thought is was a hose until I got the Tupperware off and it was clearly weeping behind the water pump cover.

From what I have read, it is best to use the Honda coolant, so I will replace the Prestone coolant that was in the bike when I bought it late in 2013.

The water pump cover was not that hard of a job, just time consuming. I was careful not to let the sprocket and chain fall into the abyss. The front cover is now at the Honda dealer where they will replace the bearing, oil seal, and mechanical seal. I just don't have the tools to do the job.

The good news is that the valves are all within tolerance. They should go for another 15 to 20K before being at the bottom of tolerance.

The bike now has 23K on the odometer, half of that put on during the past year on 3 road adventures. I did not even consider doing anything to the clutch. The first 12K on this bike were mild manner miles. The original tires were on this bike when I bought it. Any type of monkey business would have prevented the rear tire from lasting that long and still have a few miles left...well...at least enough to get the bike home for fresh rubber!!!

Back to M1 Shooter, if it is very minor, don't worry about it too much. I think they all may weep a bit at times...especially some green coolant on St. Patrick's Day!!!

 

[SupraSabre]

Excellent, glad to hear you have it under control! With only 23K, I wouldn't worry about the clutch. I replaced my '05 when I was doing the waterpump, but it had 116K on it.

Take some pics and share...we like to see others working on their bikes!

 

[M1-Shooter]

Thank you for your advice, and sorry to jump in on your thread.

My bike has sat more than normal (even for AZ) this winter. I've been wrestling with doing it or not. Taking the fairings off, isn't all that complicated or time consuming as other bikes it seems. I can say, since Sunday I have run the bike three times to operating temps and let it cool, each time there has never been a dynamic leak...only a smear after a few hours sitting quiet and cooled off. If it streams out when running, that's when I'll pull it off.

 

[SainT 1300]

I thought about waiting to fix my leak, but it was apparent that it had been leaking for a while. I had a lot of evidence of coolant being sprayed about under the Tupperware while riding, so it was more than just a leak while parked. Then when it started the steady drips while parked, I knew it was time.