Coolant leak - (blowout)

[svenolie]

Hello,
I have a 1991 Kawasaki Voyager. 60K miles.
I have a major coolant leak. Blew out completely on my way home. I'm hoping it's just a hose.
What is the likely source?
I have not had to deal with this before.
The leak is pretty complete. Filled radiator with water to test. Leaking from high up. Doesn't seem to be the radiator.

How much faring to I need to remove to access?
If it is a hose, are they still available? I read some posts that they are hard to find, but may be substitutes.

Any advice would be appreciated. My mechanic has a 2-3 week backlog.


Thanks,
Steve

[triton28]

svenolie;
remove the false gas tank, battery hold down, battery and the rubber tray under the battery. This should get you to the point where you can see 5 of the 7 hoses. Then you can fill the radiator again and test for leaks. You can use jumper cables for the battery if you want to run the engine to test for leaks. Watch out for/and prevent grounding of the positive cable!
The illustration of "Water Pump" at most online part suppliers will give you an idea of what is what. If the water is leaking down over the motor then you probably have a ruptured hose from the cylinder head to the t'stat housing. the LH one is NLA and you will have to do a search to read up on what others have done to replace this hose. The small Bypass hose is also NLA.
If the water is leaking down around the exhaust pipe side of the engine then it probably is the hose from the t'stat housing to the top stub of the radiator.
In the Tech Center go to the dollar4dollar section to see some substitutes.
Not fun but can be fixed.

[svenolie]

Thanks Triton28,
I really appreciate the detailed response.
Svenolie

[svenolie]

Triton28,
Thanks again for the advice.
The leak was coming from a bad O-ring on the pipe (32102E) that attaches to the thermostat. Both LH and RH hoses looked ok. O-ring was $.99 cents plus some additional silicone sealant. The jumper cable idea worked well to find leak while running.
A sympathetic neighbor (mechanic) took pity and helped me on a very hot July 4.
This was a deep dive for me. I removed and replaced parts way beyond my comfort level. (Air box - cleaned filter, etc.) No leaks now.

For some reason it is running rough shifting into first and second. Kinda like it's "missing". Was not running rough before staring this project.
Gonna pull the false tank cover to check for kinks, etc.
Svenolie

[triton28]

If an engine has a rough running problem for a given RPM then the problem will be manifest regardless of which gear the transmission is in; 3rd, 4th or 5th. Having said that though, in the higher gears the effect of a rough running engine is somewhat masked by the inertia of the rotating rear wheel whereas when one is using 1st or 2nd it is generally at a low speed so the effect will be more noticeable.
So you may, and I'm guessing here, have dislodged a plug wire and, if the history of the plug wire to plastic cap connection is unknown we should assume it is OLD and may have some corrosion where the wire threads onto the barb of the cap. One can nip off up to 1/4" of the wire and re-thread it back into the cap should this be the problem.
Also make sure the spark plug wells are draining. A thin wire inserted into the passage will clear any debris. The passages are located behind the carbs at the intersection of the cylinder head and the cylinder itself. Look for the 4 little bumps at that joint and insert the wire on an up, of course, angle and it will eventually bump into the hex of the spark plug clearing any junk as it goes in.
If you still have a rough running engine then some other problem/solution is present/needed. How old are the plugs? When was the last time the floats were drained/filter changed? The list goes on and on but take it one step at a time.
Hey, at least you got the coolant problem solved.
Dave

[svenolie]

Hi Dave,
Thanks again for the advice.
As of today my bike no longer "misses". A miraculous self-healing maybe.

I added A good dose of Sea Foam several days ago.
I cleaned the spark plug well drains.
Blew out the dust and dirt from the spark plug wells.
Drained carb floats - no crud.
No improvement in the missing.

The current plugs are ancient.
I bought new spark plugs and a pair of extra long needle nosed pliers designed for hoses/spark plug wires.
I was ready to do battle with the plugs when all of a sudden, it stopped missing.
I'm surprised how little documentation there is on spark plug change on the forum, in the service manuals and on-line.
Seems like a simple thing to do, but the access to #2 & #3 plugs is a bear.

Will replace spark plugs soon. I'm enjoying a fully functioning bike at the moment.

I had the battery on and off many times. My trickle charger was not lighting to green.
I didn't have the connection tight enough. I tightened hard and now it works.
Can a slightly loose battery connection cause missing?

Running great now.
The coolant leak is fixed.
I appreciate all of your suggestions.
Steve

[triton28]

Only if there is an intermittent connection. If the bolts were loose and the wire loop was in constant contact with the terminal then no it would not cause a misfire; but if the bolts were loose enough to permit jiggling of the wire connection it could result in a misfire. Glad it seems to have cleared up for you.