Condor

You need to remove the bearing to get to the oil seal. I used a drift punch to catch the edge and work your way around the rim. It did take a little heavy persuasion. I also messed up the lip of the coolant seal when trying to get it set back into the housing. Not bad but it does have a few wrinkles on the lip edge. Shouldn't be a problem as it just acts as a stop when seating the seal. BTW when I pulled the impeller shaft out the coolant the seal fell apart. So fluid was getting behind it but the oil seal must have kept the coolant out of the oil, but not the other way around, and I never did get any coolant out of the weep hole hose....?? Anyway it took about 45 minutes to replace the seals and get things buttoned back up. Once you get things back together flush the system with pure simple green+water+coolant. Let the motor warm up each time... BTW I used a Clymer M374 repair manual first so not to be totally unfamiliar with the repair.

Just a wild stab here, but it could be a short in your PTT... ???

We covered this in a previous post Kev....

The shake, that's in the radiator, will eventually float up into the neck. The stuff in the overflow is there because the pressure exceeded the radiator cap and since the shake is on top it was forced into the recovery bottle as that was all there was in the neck. The best way to clean out of the recovery bottle is remove it, and use the kitchen sink hot water and dish soap.... when your wife isn't looking... :-) That shake is stickier than all get out, and you can't get all of it out with a syringe.

I swapped out the forks when I did my '83. Used a set off an '86. I didn't change anything else. The difference between the OEM's and the blue dots was amazing. The OEM lever would go to the grip without locking up, and I had to always hit the rear if I wanted to get serious. With the Blue Dots they had the ability to lock up the front wheel if you wanted to, and that was still using the right rotor only if you needed to grab a fist full. Kind of a power brake feel to the thing. Two fingers were all you needed after the swap. BTW progressives.

I haven't sold anything on eBay lately, but when I did I wouldn't except a bid from anyone with a less than 5 feedback unless they contacted me first. I'd delete any bids that didn't meet the 5. Once in a while I'd get a bidder who would contact me with enough personal info, and I would allow them to bid.

Enclosed trailers are great for hauling a scoot, but not much else except..... storage. I own 4 larger sized enclosed, and they are jamb packed with 'stuff'. I'd originally buy them for bike storage and before I can get a bike inside there's no room left.. The trailer I use the most is that smaller 5x10 landscape.

Notify the buyer and wait the 20 days, and don't release the trailer until then. I've had this happen in the past, but usually for 7-10 days. Generally I send the buyer a note explaining that they will need to redo the payment if they want me to ship, or pick up the item sooner....

The stinger is interesting. The only thing I don't like about it is the bike is more or less unprotected and the mercy of anything the rear tires of the tow vehicle can kick up. And the price is huge factor for what it is. The fact that is does stow away easily is a plus and does justify owning it and only using it a couple of times a year. However, IMHO, price wise you might be a lot better off with a duel purpose landscape trailer. A 5x10 with side walls, top rail, and ramp gate.... Unless you live in a condo?? It's cheaper and great for making dump runs or hauling firewood. I bought mine for $750, and after a lot of trial and error, and installed a Harbor Freight condor copy chock. I think the 5x10 landscape is the epitome of a Venture hauler. Here's a few pics which I think I've posted before on a different thread, but it give you an idea.

OK My bad. I didn't realize you were referring to the pics in your first post. When you drained the oil out of the pan did you see any shake on the bottom. Remember oil is lighter than water and will collect at the top of the radiator fill, and water is heavier than oil so anything in the engine will sink to the bottom. However is looks OK to me. The TD thermostat housing must be easier to get to then the RSV's.

I'm not sure where the TD's thermostat is located, but if it's in the same place as an RSV it'll be a PITA getting to it. I bought a thermo when I did mine, but chose not to dig that deep. If you're talking about a pic of the motor oil, the pic is missing....

I'd say it's the water pump seal, and what you have on your finger tip is what happens when oil mixes with the coolant. 'Milk Shake'. The water pump can be rebuilt. Double check t make sure the stuff isn't in your motor oil as well. Do an oil change. If in both places you have real problems...

Yep... Had the same thing happen here only it was laying on the shop floor....

Good advise always... I don't think that weep hole works worth a hoot when the oil seal goes. I checked mine and can blow air thru it. The hole comes out behind the bearing. Never got a drop out of it. What I think it's there for is to weep if the coolant seal leaks into the crank case instead of when oil gets into the water pump?? I think??? Maybe?????

You'll need a couple of gaskets, two seals...one mechanical an one oil..., a tube of Yamaha caulk or RTV. to get the job done right. The impeller is metal so no need to think about replacing it. Also if you want to see if all the 'shake' is out of the system you'll need to slide the tank back to get to the radiator cap. It doesn't need to be removed just take out the three fasteners and slide the tank back enough to get to the fill cap. The shake is lighter than coolant and floats to the top. That's why you have the stuff up in the neck and overflow. The shake is pretty thick and is forced thru the hose into the overflow when engine temp gets hot. Eventually it will be the only thing in the overflow, and it will also plug the tube. Just depends on how soon you caught the leak.

It all depends on the size of the plates and the thickness of the mat. A good way to tell the difference between a good AGM and an 'El Cheepo' is to check the weight. Cheap AGM's weigh a few pounds less than a good quality AGM. Off shore battery manufactures will use less lead and thicker matting to make it cheaper. It still qualifies as an AGM, but unfortunately they will not perform as well. Ya get what to pay for... A little side remark. It always amazes me that someone will go out and dump thousands when buying a Venture... or others for that matter... and then shop for the cheapest damn battery they can find when they need one.

Gotta see this one.... Gotta pick???.....

Before the 'grab a cuff' mounting method I used to do the 'kick and slide' from the right side of the bike. With the bike leaning to the left on the stand I'd grab the passenger handrail and kick the left leg forward over the seat and slide over and down onto the saddle. Worked great for a couple of years until I blew my right knee out right in the middle of the kick. It was a funny sight for those watching. Me grabbing onto anything I could, and ending up flat on my back in the gutter. That's when I went to the grab a cuff... :-)

Ok, first of all an AGM battery does not have gel in it. It is a liquid, and stays that way. One reason gels don't last is they can not deal with any gassing which usually occurs on a charge voltage of 13.4vdc or higher. It takes a rectifier that will limit the charge voltage to around 13.2vdc just to be on the safe side. With an AGM if any gassing occurs, and being in a liquid state, the hydrogen (i.e. gas) will rise to the surface and escape thru a valve. In a gel battery the bubbles with stay suspended in the gel and on the plates, eventually causing the battery to fail prematurely due to less contact between the acid/gel and the plates. Our Ventures usually have a charge voltage of 14.2-14.4vdc. A death environment for a gel cell battery.

I scanned the article, and if you want to buy a battery that you have to jump thru hoops to activate, be my guest. I agree'd with everything in the article until they said it was an AGM being used for the demo. Call if what you may, but in my opinion the thing isn't an AGM in every sense of the word. It's more like one made in USA.... USA Japan. If that is a dry AGM Yuasa battery that needs to be handled carefully, all they are doing is making the consumer do what they should be doing in the first place. Not all AGM's are the same....

I'm tall so it could be the reason this works for me. Knee's are pretty much toast so I grab a fist full of the right pant cuff and lift the leg over the seat from the left side.

That happened to my '83 on the first overnighter when I first got her. Scared the b-jesus out of me. Kinda like a moan..grown... Finally found that the speedo cable had come unscrewed from the back of the dash cluster. The previous owner had actually put a couple of wraps of electrical tape around it to hold it in place. Why, I don't know?? If you pull the left signal light you can get to it enough to screw it back on. No more moan. BTW it only moaned when it was cold. Once it warmed up a bit it went away.

Getting a little nippy up north ya say?? I checked the daughter's weather last night for Sault St. Marie, and it said 34degs and light snow flurries.... Rolling thunder lightening storms here night before last and the ground actually got wet!!!

AGM Batteries are sealed and do not need to be activated, and they can be safely shipped by common carrier. If you needed to add acid you don't have AGM's....

I've heard about Dawn doing a good job, but I've also heard that Simple Green will work even better. A lot more expensive if you're flushing out a big diesel, but in our V4's it's tolerable. As soon as I get motivated I'll be going that direction....