I'v had 2 coolant leaks on mine, the 1st was a loose hose clamp. I'd start by tighting all those before getting to concerned. The second was a crack in the over flow tank. Most people would have replaced it, I just took it off and cleaned it up with some soap and water and put some opoxy resin on it , no problems since in over a year.

 

I just had the same problem with my 2003 s. I took off plastic cylinder covers and started the bike from dead cold and waited. Finally the top hose in back left side of front cylinder started leaking after about 5 mins. Just tighten clamps. It seems these bikes do this time to time. Good luck

 

Same problem here only no stains anywhere. Can smell that sweet antifreeze smell on shutdown and uses about 8 ounces every 3000 miles. I don't worry about it too much.

 

Mine also had a small leak and I traced to one of the hoses that heats the carb. Pin hole behind the clamp, cut off hose behind the leak and reclamped.

 

Somebody on this board or the General board says there are 14 or 17 H2O hose clamps on this machine. Seems like a lot to me, but anyway, do this at night, start the bike and let it idle until the engine heats up, then remove the pop off covers around the sparkplugs, ets. Get a good flashlite and start shinning it all around the engine, top, front, rear, sides and bottom. The leak will show up like a sparkling diamond when the beam from the flashlite hits it. Bet its a loose clamp.

Good Luck

 

Time to resurrect an ancient thread.

I've been having the same problem as the original poster stated, ie-coolant leak from the rear cylinder/head, from between the fins. I dropped it off last week to my favorite dealer. News from the dealer today is that it's either a blown head gasket or a warped head. Great. They say they believe that Honda will cover it based upon my extended warranty purchase, as the bike is an 04. Won't know for sure until Monday though. *fingers crossed*

 

Good Luck!! Hopefully Honda will do the right thing!!

 

If you have a mechanic friend ask him/her to let you borrow there pressure tester and you can work on it cold just don't put more pressure than the factory cap rating it can cause problems!

 

Mine had a leak, I could see antifreeze on the engine fins. It took the Honda mechanic most of the day to figure it out. They pressure tested it, and it held pressure. It ended up being a leak in the thermostat housing. It would only leak after the bike had been run at cruising speeds. It was covered under warranty.

 

Mine had a leak, I could see antifreeze on the engine fins. It took the Honda mechanic most of the day to figure it out. They pressure tested it, and it held pressure. It ended up being a leak in the thermostat housing. It would only leak after the bike had been run at cruising speeds. It was covered under warranty.

It's not that. It's very obviously coming from where the cylinder meets the head. Nothing else around it.

 

I could always smell a whiff of coolant and see spots on the RH side of the engine. Just kept it topped off,as I could never find the leak. checked all the clamps and hoses. It finally leaked a littlepuddle out one day. Always noted some slight moisture on the radiator core. Got a rainy spell, so I pulled off the fan and radiator. Turned out the fan blade had just nicked two of the core tubes near the top of the arc in the fan swing path. I tried a homemade pressure test and soap bubbles to confirm the leak.

New radiator core is very expensive from Honda. Took it to a local radiator
shop, they noted the leak in a tank test. Thought I was screwed for a new radiator as it's aluminum. They ended up fixing it with some epoxy repair material they have been using on import cars. They apply a vacum the core and it pulls the epoxy into the hole. It expands slightly,and seals the hole from the backside also. Reassembled all and refilled with low silicate. I shimmed the fan motor and blade back with a few single flat washers to gain .020 or so spacing from the core.

$50 and I was riding that evening.

 

OK! Finally good news! Turns out I was wrong, and so was the mechanic who initially looked at the bike. The hose that carries coolant between the cylinders had sprung a tiny leak. Just enough that the escaping coolant moved seemingly invisibly along the seam between cylinder and head, finally flinging off at the left rear of the rear cylinder. It appeared initially to all involved to be at least a blown head gasket. Quick fix, $250.00 in labor, covered by extended warranty (they acted like they were doing me a favor..awful sweet of them). I've only got $550.00 more to be covered before it pays for itself!