Drip from radiator vent tube

[larryfleener]

Went outside to ride today and noticed a quarter sized spot of fluid under my 07 1600 Nomad. Upon further looking I found the source to be fluid leaking from the tube to the radiator. Has anyone had this happen and is it something serious? The bike has not been ridden for several days now but the temperatures here in Northern Ar. have been mild to cool all week. Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Cajunrider]

Larry, Check the tightness of your radiator drain plug. Nearly all are just hand tight. That's how I found mine. You may have a loose hose clamp also. Raising or removing your fuel tank allows access to the hose clamps which are usually loose.

[larryfleener]

Thanks for such a quick reply, I have check all clamps and the leak seems to be coming from the tube connected to the radiator. The fluid level in the overflow tank is where it should be for a cold motor. As for the drain plug on the radiator, it is tight.

[ringadingh]

I think my bike has done it once before, unless it happens regulary I wouldn't worry about it. Its just a couple drops from the overflow tube. You can check the rad cap under the fuel tank, sometimes crud builds up on the cap sealing surface and can cause this to happen, Just remove the cap and wipe it, and the filler neck clean with a rag.

[larryfleener]

I made a mistake on the location of the vent tube, it appears it's the tube coming from the water pump.

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by larryfleener

I made a mistake on the location of the vent tube, it appears it's the tube coming from the water pump.

If its a hose its still a possible easy repair.If its not, thats not so good, theres a seal in there that can go and it is apparentely a real chore to replace. Ive never done one myself but have read that it is a fairly intensive undertaking.

[cactusjack]

I think someone on the Delphi Vulcan Forum just replaced the one inside the pump, behind the impeller. They said it wasn't too bad.

Here's a link to the thread: http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/...an&msg=88840.1

[macmac]

If the bike is under warrenty get the dealer to do the water pump seal and gasket.

If not you do it, which isn't to bad to do. The problems come when the engine side oil seal is dead, and that same hose leaks oil, and or both coolant and oil.

If you do this, once the seal is out which is easy access, clean the inner chamber spotless clean and smear a thin film of grease on the while area.

Air gets in this area when there is no problem, and the air oxidises the area, making a mess.

Take a good hard look in there, because one day in the distant future you just might need to do that dreaded oil seal.

The Dealer splits the engine case with the engine out of the frame...

You would cheat and get that seal from the water pump side and install a new one the same way.

But the water pump seal is easier.

[larryfleener]

I did some researching in the service manual and it says the mechanical seal in the water pump needs replacing. Thanks to everyone that took the time to respond to my problem.

[ponch]

How many miles are on the bike? That seems pretty new for that to happen.

[larryfleener]

35,000 miles on the, my nick name is Larry that rides.

[macmac]

You will find it pretty easy to get at that seal. Just get everything behind it cleaned up and lightly greased. The grease is just to lube the alloy the engine is made of, and cut off air from surface contact.

The reason why is at a later date it will be handy to have a nicer cleaner area when the engine oil seal in the back of this area goes bad.

I can't say I like that seal back there, but we all and other bikes have a like seal.

It is a dammned good thing there is no 'lands' back there so the seal can be dragged out backwards and installed backwards with out splitting the engine case for a 78 cent seal..

According to Ma Kawii we can't, but I know better.

Once more I am not talking about this water pump seal, but the one inside the same area deeper in.. have a look at it, and pack it with new grease if you can... I would reccomend you try hard too.

[trosco]

Hey Larry that rides! It's my thread on the Vulcan forum that folks are referencing about some one that just went through the replacement. My bigest gripe was my bike was less than 60 days out of warranty and had only 14,000 miles plus it had been doing the spot thing for a while. I wanted Kaw to stand behind their machine and warranty the repair. And I wanted them to agree that if they didn't cover this repair and I still had them do the repair that if the leak came back they would warranty the shaft replacement. They quoated the seal repair at $235 labor and $45 parts and $30 fluids. And the Shaft was $1500 labor and $300 parts and consumables. And Kaw would do nothing for me.
You need a seal, a gasket, a o ring, some lock tight and 2 quarts antifreeze and about 3 hours to do the job. You should spend all three hours cursing Kaw as I did. Good Luck

[larryfleener]

My bike is 10 days out of warranty and I've been told by the stealer that kawasaki will not warranty the job. I may trade the bike for a different brand. I formerly owned 5 new Harley Davidson bikes in as many years and switched to Kawasaki because of value for the buck and Harley didn't want to honor their warranty issues. Whats up with these manufactures any way?

[ponch]

I hope that the $355 I spent on the extended warranty was worth it, in actuality, it's a "protection plan". I also hope I never have to use it.