Leaking radiator

jabbott

jabbott

Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
30
Location
NH
Hi all-
I've read all 16 pages of leak posts. Haven't seen exactly this issue. I rode my 2012 all year and just put it in the shed a couple weeks ago. We just had a week of low teens and single digit temps. Pulled off all the plastic last weekend. Today it is low 50s so I went out to get started on some winter maintenance. Noticed coolant on the floor below the radiator, and a quick check showed coolant in the fins on the front and back sides (see pics) and a slow drip. No leaks apparent near any hose connections. I think the rad took some damage, or something froze and expanded during the freeze. I lightly squeezed the top hose and got a flow of coolant. The third pic shows a frame from a vid I took while squeezing the hose. Not sure who in the NH area repairs these. I figure taking a chance on a used eBay radiator is my first move. I will stay away from the Chinese ones. Any advice will be gladly accepted.

1.jpg


2.jpg

3a.JPG
 
There was a thread about corrosion damage to a radiator. As I recall, the Chinese replacement was slightly different and presented problems. Looking for a used one from a crashed bike is probably the way to go.

Here are a couple of motorcycle recyclers you can try. Note that most of these places guarantee the part for 30 days, so test it soon after you get it to make sure it does not leak.

Greentown Motorcycle Salvage, 2365 State Street, Uniontown, OH 44685
330 499-9768
Pinwall Cycle Parts, 635 3rd Street NW, Massillon, OH 44647
330 879-9910
 
SMSW said:
Greentown Motorcycle Salvage, 2365 State Street, Uniontown, OH 44685
330 499-9768
Pinwall Cycle Parts, 635 3rd Street NW, Massillon, OH 44647
330 879-9910
Click to expand...
Thanks, I do follow Pinwall on eBay. No joy on either site today.
 
Be sure you keep the fan assemblies on the radiator, and what ever you do, don't damage them....
They are Obsolete now, and Honda no longer supports them ;)
 
If the rad was rotted or heavily damaged, I would look into replacing, but a small leak could possibly be fixed quite easy and cheap. I would look into getting it fixed. Check around your local rad shops. Be sure to mention that the core is aluminum. Your list of shops that can/will fix it will shrink when you tell them it's aluminum.
 
I used to own a radiator repair shop, back in the day when most rads were copper and brass. And occasionally an aluminum one would come in. If it had a stone chip, we used a product called Stick-tite. Heat the tube where it’s damaged with a torch, clean off the paint and crud, and this stuff would flow into and onto the area just like a well cleaned solder repair. Got it from our radiator repair supply place In Calgary called Coulter Radiator. Highly recommend this product. HOWEVER:

Your leak doesn’t look like a stone chip. If it’s coming from the junction of the tube and the header, then it’s either corrosion from exposure to a salty environment, or something there has burst when it got cold it you didn’t have adequate antifreeze protection. Always run premixed antifreeze, or a mix (usually 50%AF to 50% distilled water) that is good to -40. This also gives you protection from internal corrosion, and needs to be replaced when the ph gets out of whack. Doesn‘t protect from external corrosion which you may have. And I forget what the ph should be. Unfortunately, either of these scenarios require replacement.
 
surprised it cooled at all, those fins are filled with road grime dirt and rocks. Its a good idea to clean radiators.
 
There is nothing special about a motorcycle radiator even if it is aluminium. The shapes and sizes change, but they are all the same technology. I have had radiator shops repair motorcycle radiators in the past, no problem. Any decent radiator repair shop can fix it as easily as they repair automobile radiators. I would take it to a shop and have them look at it before considering replacement.
 
Art Franz said:
Your leak doesn’t look like a stone chip. If it’s coming from the junction of the tube and the header, then it’s either corrosion from exposure to a salty environment, or something there has burst when it got cold it you didn’t have adequate antifreeze protection. Always run premixed antifreeze, or a mix (usually 50%AF to 50% distilled water) that is good to -40. This also gives you protection from internal corrosion, and needs to be replaced when the ph gets out of whack. Doesn‘t protect from external corrosion which you may have. And I forget what the ph should be. Unfortunately, either of these scenarios require replacement.
Click to expand...
The bike doesn't see salty roads, and 50/50 is used. No rad shops in my area will do repairs, only replacements.Big ride coming up in June, so I'll just replace it for peace of mind.
 
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