Possible antifreeze leak?

[Fazerjon]

i was just stripping my exup valve down and copper slipping it when I noticed a small drip of green antifreeze under the generator cover on the left hand side of my he engine. I've checked all the hoses, the level in the reservoir was just above minimum. Am I right in thinking there should only be oil in the left hand cover? I looked over the whole engine but cannot see any sign of a leak? It's a 2003 fazer 1000 with only 6500 miles on the clock.

[PieEater]

Whilst you're waiting for replies this recent thread may have some relevant information - http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,18868.0.html

[Falcon 269]

Correct, no coolant in the generator area.  No oil, either.

Clean everything and ride it for a while, checking regularly to see if the drip returns or appears somewhere more logical.

[Fazerjon]

Will do, cheers.

[Fazerjon]

Well that's strange, I've cleaned off the area, checked the dreaded 'weep hole' and been out for nearly an hour on the bike. No sign of any leaks! I decided to change the coolant as well, so did that and went for another ride. Levels all good, no leaks. Still curious though. The nearest hose to where the antifreeze was, is the one that goes in to the sprocket cover. I've checked and squeezed it but nothing. Strange.
Cheers anyway.

[Falcon 269]

The hose behind the sprocket cover should be held clear of the sprocket by clips.  I know of a couple of owners who discovered that the hose hadn't been properly retained at some time and got nicked by the chain.

Although unlikely, it's possible that this may have happened in your case.  Check carefully to see if there's a tiny hole in the hose which would only leak when the coolant was really hot.

[Fazerjon]

This is starting to annoy me now, the bike has been stood for over a day, and now there is a seep of antifreeze around the bolt near the sprocket cover, the bolt has the number 24 above it cast into the casing, the generator cover gasket is moist with green antifreeze too. There was nothing there when I wiped it and rode the bike, it's stood on the sidestand for just over a day and the leak is starting again. I've just nipped up the bolt and wiped it dry so I'll wait and see what happens    ok just checked again, there is a tiny drip of antifreeze on the casing under the carbs, I'm guessing it's running down onto the generator cover and soaking the gasket and bolt. Am I correct in thinking the carbs have some kind of coolant hose going to them to stop them freezing up? If so it could be linked to that. I'll have a proper look in the morning.

[PieEater]

Yes there is a coolant circuit that goes through the carbs to prevent carb icing. I bypassed this when I removed the AIS gubbins several years ago with no ill effects.

/Edit: To bypass the circuit I used one of the hoses that was going to be redundant to link the connection from the thermostat housing to the connection on the radiator.

[Fazerjon]

Thanks Pie eater, I did do a bit of searching earlier and I'm going to bypass the carb coolant hose, using the hose from the thermostat and link it in to the rad where the carb coolant return hose goes. The actual leak looks like it's coming from the connection where the coolant return hose connects to the carb but leaking at the metal connection into the carb body. While I was searching I also came across the AIS removal mod so might do that as well. 

[PieEater]

Sounds like the hose that I used, bit of a stretch but it works fine. I'm wandering if it would do any harm to blank the inlet and outlet of the carb heating circuit off using a couple of rubber caps and some high temperature silicone rather than running a hose between the two ???? It might look a bit neater.

I think the bike looks much better without the AIS 'spider' sitting on top of the block. I used the Holeshot kit, it was expensive as I had to pay for postage from the states which effectively doubled the price but I didn't get on with tapping the spigots when I tried so that was the only option left.

[Fazerjon]

I agree that it would look much better if the outlet/return holes were blocked off, I will see if I can find something suitable to block them off. Regarding the AIS removal, I found an American company called TPO Parts https://www.tpoparts.com/cat093/index.php?route=product/product&path=64_71&product_id=3 which do a similar kit without the need to tap the holes out for around £20 inc postage! Ive just ordered mine so will let you know how it goes.
Thanks again for your advice earlier, I think thats the end of the coolant leak!
P.S have you had any running problems with the carbs during the cold weather?

[PieEater]

To be honest I don't use my bike when it's cold and damp which is when carb icing is most likely to happen. Having said that I've been fairly active on this forum for at least 6 years and can't recall any discussion of carb icing, I don't think it's an issue with the Gen1 so I wouldn't worry about it. Worst case scenario you can just add some Silkolene Pro FST to your tank during cold spells.