Venture Capitalist

I'm hoping someone can help me out. For the past couple of years my starter has been really slow but only when warm and I see by looking on here that is a pretty common problem. Yesterday I went out and it fired right up but it died because i didn't choke it in time. When i went to restart when i hit the starter button nothing happened and the neutral light and everything else electric went out. I took a multi meter and put black on neg batt post and red on the starter relay that the batt cable hooks to and had power there (still no electric anywhere) then i put the red on the other side of the relay and when i turned the key it had power. Not sure but isn't that one only supposed to have power when you hit the starter switch? And can anyone tell me what to check next if that is the way the relay is supposed to act

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. In case you run into anyone else that has that problem with the hose. A 1/2 in npt pipe tap fits perfectly

Thanks for all the help people. I put some of that prestone rad flush & clean in her and it said for a deep clean take it out and ride so I didn't have anywhere I had to go so I just got on and rode some of the foothills and highway roads around here and she ran great and cooler that ever. And cowpuc first thing I had to do when I bought it was put a new stater in it. Thankfully I found your video on that when I googled how to change stater. Yes I did notice that connector there look like it had seen better days, probably should go out there and hard wire it. And thanks Patch for explaining about the nipple and the corrosion, that makes perfect sense and makes me feel a lot better about possible other issues that could have caused it. Looks like another "PROBLEM SOLVED" by the men from VentureRider

alright, had to go to the bank this morning and she ran nice and cool there and back was probably about 10 miles highest needle ever got was little past halfway. it was a pretty cool border line cold morning which explains that and it didn't shoot straight to hot like before. So looks like she doing ok. And yes patch, the next place I ride will be to Walmart to get coolant. That little trip there was straight water. I'd been draining and refilling so much during this process I didn't want to use coolant until everything was working and no leaks. Oh ya, I just went and fired it up and let it sit there idling till it got almost to the red and the fan did kick on. So looks like everything is cool and as Spencer said, the cause was just a 37 year old hose. Thanks for all your help everyone. I'll rest a lot easier knowing my bike is ok

well, I was about to just go take the new tstat out and see what happened, but before I did I thought of putting the old one in a pan of boiling water and it opened up and closed when I took it 3 times so I put that back in. I didn't ride it just fired it up and watched the gauge and it came up nice and slowly like it used to. So what could have caused the hose to bust in the first place? While I was watching the temp needle I kept checking to see if the fan had kicked on but it never did. I let it get to about halfway between the halfway mark and the red. Should it have come on by then? At least now it's back to how it was before I blew the hose.

yep I think i'll got take it out and give it a try, thanks spencer. my temp gauge does work patch it's just that when I took the speedo apart to grease the cable I put the needle onto the spindle in a little lower position so I didn't go as high but it had never just shot up all at once like that. Is that your Suzuki, looks kinda like a venture. is that cold weather that's causing that steam or a blown head gasket?

Ok, I've checked and triple checked the alignment on the drain valve and yes I have been running it with it in the off position which the book says. The tstat does go in the the large spring end facing the ground correct ? I'm not 100% sure but pretty close that's the way I took the old one out. You know how when you check a car to see if the water pump is working you can just start it with the rad cap off and when it heats up see if the water starts circulating. I suppose the same should be true for a bike? I was look at the manual on water pump disassembly. It says to take off the gear and the impeller shaft and remove all the deposits. I could go that far do you think that might help? I don't have one of those circlip tools but you can use a screwdriver can't you? I would want to go as far as the book on disassembly talks about, into the seals and everything, the seals are probably good anyway, I don't have any oil in my water or any water in my oil and no leaks anywhere

I didn't think you could install it backwards. I'm pretty sure the petcock is the right way. The one on my bike is really chewed up, someone must have tried to turn it without loosening the lock screw. I have been setting it as ON being with the writing upwards with the end of the end of words facing 2 oclock. And OFF the writing is upside down with the start of the words facing 2 oclock. The tstat I got was the exact size. I dropped it in with the spring end down

Thanks patch got the exhaust fixed, and it isn't leaking at all anywhere. But it just did something it has never done. Was going up to the store about 5 miles away halfway there the temp gauge hadn't left the very bottom then all of a sudden it started climb all the way to the top quickly. So I stopped and the radiator was steaming a bit for a few seconds. What I've done so far is fix the hose, flush the rad and change the tstat. Would a water pump cause that to happen? or could it be something more serious?

Alright, I got it done. Got the new tstat in and its running cooler that it ever has. Guess I was lucky to drive it around for two years like that and have nothing worse than a blown hose happen. I want to thank everyone on here for all the great advice. You guys are the best, couldn't have done it without you. I do have one more question though. When I replaced the tstat I accidently made my bike into a Yamahog. It's really loud because I was afraid to tighten the pipes down to hard, thinking it was going into aluminum. Just realized that what I was doing was just putting the nuts on the end of the studs coming out. So should I go ahead and tighten those down as hard as I can? I do have a torque wrench but they a Allan's that i'm working with there. THANKS EVERYONE!!!!

ok so that tells me I better go put that new tstat in mine must be running way to hot, I couldn't imagine trying to ride with shorts on. When i'm riding and it's in the 40's I have to put my feet up on the highway pegs every chance I get to keep my calves from burning up. I don't know if the fan comes on properly when it should. I do know that it works. I read thread on here on how to hot wire to see if it works and it did.

I went and got the tstat from napa. Not sure if I need to put it in, on the ride there and back (might have been my imagination) I think the temp gauge came down a little from it's hottest point, which I think would mean the tstat was working. Since I got that bike it has always ran really hot. Everyone says they do run hot. My temp gauge works, when I got it, it go up to just a tiny bit below the red. Since then I had to take the speedometer out to grease the cable(what a god awful noise that started making) and when I put it back together it doesn't go that high but I know it's not because the engine isn't getting as hot it's how I lined the gauge back up when putting it in. So I guess the best way to ask is, in the middle of winter does it get so hot that you calves get really hot just sitting on the foot pegs?

wow when napa said they would have to order it thought it would take a while. they said ok it will be here in 2 hours. I ordered the 455318 because it said exact duplicate. hope it works I think he had a 87 hopefully it's the same one

Alright I got er together and running with no leaks. I called the local napa and nothing came up when running my bike for compatible tstats. so I asked them if there is any way for them to check if #157 is compatible. they told me they couldn't check that but that is for a volvo. is that the one you are talking about, should I go ahead and order it?

yeah should have thought of that. too late now just finished. I did put silicon around the outside and going to let it dry overnight before I put any water in it

Yours looks pretty much the same you just don't have the saddlebags on it. With my van running the way it is have to keep mine on, I always end up carrying things. Going to go out there now and finish up. Thought it was leaking because I didn't have my hose clamp tight enough but it is actually coming up from the sleeve I put in there. I tap about 10 threads but when I put the sleeve in was so worried about going to far and stripping it probably only went in about 3 or 4 of them. now i'm going to mark just how far the tap goes then put a mark on the sleeve should have done that in the first place.

ok yah got it running yesterday. went to the bank and from there was on the way to napa and felt the water leaking a bit on my leg so I stopped refilled it and came home. it was coming from the hose I installed because the hose clamp wasn't tight enough I guess. it is in such a cockeyed position only way for me to turn it is with needle nose. anyway during that ride it was running cooler that it ever has with the petcock in the on position bypassing the tstat. Let me get this straight. once I make sure the leak is 100% gone, it will be ok to ride it up to napa and back with it in the on position right. I also want to say thanks to everyone who helped with their advice to get this accomplished. By the way isn't there a way to post on this thread without having to click reply with quotes? And to keep me out of the mutthouse with jaycees I just took a couple pics of the ol girl

lol ok not sure if I want to be exposed to Mama's taunts yet

I think we are on the same page. I'm thinking the tstat being stuck, is probably what caused the hose to blow in the first place so I need to get a new one? Did you read that clip from the manual. Does that tell me that I could safely run it up to napa to get a new one with the petcock in the on position?

About to get started on the tstat. Last couple days driving all around town getting parts was rough on my van. need to change a rod in that this summer started knock pretty bad. so anyway after reading the manual, tell me if I am getting this right it looks like I can run it with the coolant petcock in the on position and just bypass the tstat.

don't want to be in the mutthouse, everyone on here has been totally cool and helpful. in fact when the trail is over definitely going to join. don't have a lot of money but that membership is so cheap anyone can afford that.

Thanks for checking that for me. I'll give it a shot at napa. That is where I ended up getting the hose, they even had one with almost the exact same bend in it.

i'm getting there, spent the last two days running all over town getting a proper tap and copper sleeve. Just now got the new hose put on, still have to bolt the rear frame back up then i'll tackle the tstat tomorrow. That will be great if I can get one at napa. Taps were 27 buck at ace and I bought two of them. The unused one I can take back though it was too big

yah, I think the tap sounds like the way to go, so i'm off to the hardware store. i'm sure glad you mentioned the grease on the tap, I would have never thought of that. I had to tap the drain bolt in the oil pan of my van cause I striped it. Wish I would have know about that grease trick then. I ended up flushing the oil twice just to be safe cause I knew there would be some shavings in it. That little trick would have saved me some cash on oil. Want to thank you and everyone on here for the help. Hopefully my next post will be "Got er goin" oh yah one other thing. After I get it put back together and flush it, Can I run it without a tstat like you can a car for a couple of weeks. They wanted 60 bucks for the tstat and don't get paid for a couple weeks

ok here it is