Is running down the top of the fin from the pipe the coolant hose is attached to? There is an o-ring on that pipe, part number 22 in this pic.

 

Thanks. I'll ask my son to have a look. (Due to my brand-new hip getting low to the ground is difficult, painful and at risk of dislocation ). I'd love for it to just be a dried-out o-ring.

 

Snug the hose clamp close to the leak. Leaks have appeared when cold weather arrived.

 

Thanks Hans! Will do. Wipe the spot dry and see what happens.

This all may just be a case of karma and punishment.
I did only 2548 miles in 2022, worst year ever, compared to 12,395 in 2021.
Bike is pi..ed off at me.
😇

 

New photo. Crossover tube leaking? Note the discoloration on the fin on the right side.
Agreed?

I looked around on Google for a bit and found the following video. Not that I would consider doing this myself, but just to get some idea on what would be involved getting this repaired. This is not a VTX, but it looks similar enough in the eyes of this a-technical moron (me) to understand what needs to be done.

Thoughts?

 

New photo. Crossover tube leaking? Note the discoloration on the fin on the right side.
Agreed?

View attachment 210832


I looked around on Google for a bit and found the following video. Not that I would consider doing this myself, but just to get some idea on what would be involved getting this repaired. This is not a VTX, but it looks similar enough in the eyes of this a-technical moron (me) to understand what needs to be done.

Thoughts?

You could do this. Get the angled picks or some bent stiff wire, and a few spare O-rings

There's no coolant tracking above this point, like where there rad cap sits?

 

Pull the clips, push the pipe to one side, pull off the o-ring, install new o-ring.
Push it over to the other side and do the same.
I would maybe put a light film of silicone on the o-ring.
I have never done it, but others have.

 

Thank you Hans!
Before I saw this video my thinking was that in order to fix this, one cylinder would have to be removed.
But this 'left to right' shifting stuff absolutely makes it much easier. Those Honda guys know what they're doing!

Thanks for your help. I now know what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it.
Depending on how my body/hip feels next April I may even try to do the repair myself.

Damnit, I am starting to look forward to riding again........ It's going to be a long winter.

 

Leaking cross tube between cylinders.

Today I repaired a bothersome leak in the cooling system. It was the cross tube o-rings between the cylinders. Had to remove the seat, gas tank, clutch/water pump cover, air intake and cover. Drained coolant from system at the water pump drain bolt. Removed both clips, slid tube to one side...

www.vtxoa.com

 

View attachment 210815

• 2003 1800s, 118k miles
• Found a small coolant puddle under the bike today.
• August 1: 392 miles, my last ride. No signs of trouble. (End of season for me, hip replacement.)
• September 18: My son took it out for maybe 80 miles. No signs of trouble.
• September 26: Worked briefly on bike, looking into replacing bolts on side-cover to stop rattle. No signs of trouble. If there was a puddle back then we would have clearly noticed it.
• Today, November 1: Small puddle under bike. Took picture above. Must have leaked during the five weeks since September 26, even though bike has not been used since September 18.

Temperatures in the garage probably went down to maybe 40-50 degrees last week, so could shrinking of the engine have allowed a small existing leak to start dripping? I have had coolant leaks before, too many, three water pumps replaced. Last replacement 30k miles ago, but I never had any leaks ABOVE the water pump. Thoughts?

 

Hi, Please type this in YouTube and watch video for this. It save you lots of time to install o-rings. I replaced mine on 2005 VTX 1800R somewhere 2020.It is long video but helped me lot. ( Honda Shadow VT750 ACE Motorcycle - Coolant leak from Crossover Tube repair)

 

Thank you.
This will be a spring project since I won't be riding until at best April.