Leaking Radiator or Roadkill

[etcswjoe]

Getting ready to head out to Greensboro this morning and noticed a discoloration on my radiator nothing wet on the floor and the radiator did not feel wet, however I did not want to get 5 hours away and it fail. I rode around the local area for a couple hours still looks the same but no visible leak. So did I just hit big bug or do I have a very slow leak?

[Cougar]

That is the same spot I got my leaks on two different rads (slow leaks)

since then I have installed the Wagner grill protector and no problems since

Steve has them for sale

[Monty]

Picture is too blurry. I'd say if you rode it for a few hours, and don't have any evidence of a leak, it's probably roadkill. Antifreeze should leave a greenish/white stain.

[friesman]

I agree with Monty, you would see a leak by now. But it definitley looks like something has hit your rad. mabbee get it protected..

[Monty]

Carry some black pepper with you. If it starts a small leak, a teaspoon of pepper will seal it up, and get you home. Safer than putting Alumaseal in it, too.

[Seaking]

Carry some black pepper with you. If it starts a small leak, a teaspoon of pepper will seal it up, and get you home. Safer than putting Alumaseal in it, too.

 

 

That's a new one, black pepper.. what would that do to the rest of the system though (no pun intended).. A quick road side repair tucked away for future use.. Hmm

[Monty]

The pepper will rinse out, when you decide to do a permanent fix. I have used it many times in cages. I would normally use Alumaseal in a cage, but kind of leary of putting it in the bike.

 

 

Black pepper works really well, for stopping small leaks.

[Guest]

Pepper is an old time trick last used if I remember back in the 60's and 70's. I remember the older mechanics talk about it at the shop I worked in. Heck, maybe he can use it to season some stray roadkill........

[etcswjoe]

I need to go ahead and buy a new grill, I had one and the bottom cracked so I need to get off my behind and order a new one. I have used the black pepper trick numerous times, I had a 47 Chevy that it seemed like every radiator I put in it leaked and pepper always got me home.

[Monty]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2086630_temporarily-fix-minor-radiator-leaks.html

[N3FOL]

True, anything can hit the radiator and cause an expensive repair. I've never really thought about something that can damage the radiator.

 

As for the rad guard, where is the best place to purchase one? Link?

[etcswjoe]

True, anything can hit the radiator and cause an expensive repair. I've never really thought about something that can damage the radiator.

 

As for the rad guard, where is the best place to purchase one? Link?

 

Direct is the only way I know http://www.wagnercustomproducts.com/

[Cougar]

` the best in town

[BIG TOM]

Pepper is an old time trick last used if I remember back in the 60's and 70's. I remember the older mechanics talk about it at the shop I worked in. Heck, maybe he can use it to season some stray roadkill........

 

 

 

Heck, I always thought a raw egg did the trick....you learn something new every day.........

[Cougar]

Tom, Rocky Road Ice Cream should work fine !!

[SilvrT]

I used Draino once ....

[Condor]

The pepper will rinse out, when you decide to do a permanent fix. I have used it many times in cages. I would normally use Alumaseal in a cage, but kind of leary of putting it in the bike.

 

 

Black pepper works really well, for stopping small leaks.

 

I'd never heard of that either, and my polishing guy just told me about it a couple of days ago..... Going to try it in the Suburban. It has a leak somewhere. Coolant keeps disappearing and nothing on the ground, no coolant in the oil, and no oil in the coolant. Got me baffled. Going to try the pepper....

[Seaking]

how about that.. good to know in case of emergency.. A few year back the rad in an old car my friend had a crack in one of the core (vertical tubes holding the water).. pepper would not have saved the day that time as the crack was too large.. However, he pulled out a potato of all things and cut an appropriate size from it and jammed it into the rad to cover the crack.. Once the fluid got hot enough, it swelled the potato and made an excellent seal.. a quick emergency fix to get us home..

 

Amazing some of the old time tricks we used to use.. When driving a cage through black flies infested country which would coat your car black with their suicidal carcasses, we used to coat the leading edges of the car with Vaseline.. Once you got home, you simply wiped it off and the flies wouldn't dry to the paint. I stopped at a garage to get fuel and they asked to pop the hood to check the oil (they did that in those days, remember?). The attendant's hands slipped on the Vaseline and he looked up at me quizzically to which I answered "tight garage".. lol

 

Next time I ride down to Florida in the spring and run into those gluey sticky love bugs, I may actually use that trick.. took forever to get their junk off the bike last year..

 

Black pepper huh?

[oldgoat]

lets see black pepper for the radiator. sawdust for the rear end. transmission fluid down the old carbs stopped the smoking oil. dribble some warm water down the carb to blast the carbon out of the car. none of you would happen to be an old car salesman i once new:whistling: a nylon panty hose made a good alternator belt in an emergency wrap around the pulleys and tie a knot in it.

[Condor]

 

Amazing some of the old time tricks we used to use.. When driving a cage through black flies infested country which would coat your car black with their suicidal carcasses, we used to coat the leading edges of the car with Vaseline.. Once you got home, you simply wiped it off and the flies wouldn't dry to the paint.

QUOTE]

 

Next time try PAM spray. I use it all the time on the fork tubes. It's the dried bugs that will scratch the fork seals and start things leaking. You just have to remember to grab the right can when using Pledge to clean the windshield... Don't ask me how I know that...

[Snaggletooth]

It's the dried bugs that will scratch the fork seals and start things leaking.

 

Speaking of dried bugs on the fork tubes ..... there was somebody here a while back making gators for the upper tubes. Who was that?

 

Mike

[warriorhoneybee]

sorry to hear that joe.

[Flyinfool]

I'd never heard of that either, and my polishing guy just told me about it a couple of days ago..... Going to try it in the Suburban. It has a leak somewhere. Coolant keeps disappearing and nothing on the ground, no coolant in the oil, and no oil in the coolant. Got me baffled. Going to try the pepper....

 

FWIW

The chevy V8s with the plastic intake manifolds are a well known leak point. I had the same mysterious coolant disappearing act till it got bad enough to find. The factory intake gaskets leak coolant slowly on top of the engine where there is enough heat to evaporate it before it can drip. When it finally got found and fixed was when it blew all together and the coolant could pour out faster than you could put it in. My mechanic was amazed that I had 100K on the factory gasket, he said it might be a record. Make sure that you get the good Felpro gaskets for the repair.

 

Sorry for the thread hijack.......

[etcswjoe]

Put a few more hours on it no visible leaks. May go ahead and pressure test it anyway.

[TEW47]

Why don't you take it to a radiator shop and have them fix it?

 

tew47