Here she is, I named her, "the Wanderer "

[bronko37]

I am reading these posts and wondering to myself, the fluid leaking from the radiator cap is an issue but not necessarily a head gasket issue. Maybe you need a new cap, they should hold pressure. As far as the fluid being evacuated from the reserve tank that could just be the fluid being drawn into the radiator and then leaking out. The steam could be residual from the prior bad gasket AND some condensation from you running the bike initially.

I would replace the radiator cap to be sure its holding pressure. I would also be sure all the air is bled from the radiator BEFORE you add fluid to the bottle. Do this by running the bike with the rad. cap off, be sure there are no bubbles.

Once I was sure what was going on with the radiator I would run the bike and get it good n hot, be sure the fan is cycling properly. All these "what ifs" should be in check before you remove the head IMO. You can always remove the head, but you would hate to find out that it was just some condensation in the pipes that was steaming and the coolant overflowing was just a rad cap. Check the easy stuff first before we start assuming warped blocks and cracked heads...

 

[dan filipi]

I've never experienced normal condensate steam coming out the exhaust pipe after an engine has warmed up and running for awhile like he described but I agree, check over every other possibility first before doing anything rash.

It just occurred to me, could what looks like steam actually be oil burning out of the exhaust? Oil can take a long time to burn itself out and starts smoking more as the exhaust heats up, and burning atf looks a lot like steam.
Or maybe some other liquid accumulated in the exhaust is burning out?

 

[made2care]

It is just the left muffler and it appears to be steam, however this is a first for me so really do not have a reference to go by. The steam only starts after the bike is warmed up. I really don't smell any sweet smelling coolant either.
Here,s what occurs in order:
At first startup she starts, no issues. About 5 min after idling, temp gauge starts to move slightly , at which time the steam starts appearing slowly from left tailpipe only and as the bike warms up further, more steam appears. The fan has never kicked on. Eventually after about 10 min of idle, coolant starts overflowing. I must say this, prior to the head gasket change , with the cap off, there was significant bubbling in the radiator. Now there is not and it appears as though there is no oil residue, whereas before there was much oil in coolant. One one occasion after the gasket change, the coolant in the overflow was sucked into the radiator while the cap was on and the coolant then leaked out of the cap.
The steam is not as extreme as I see on YouTube with other bikes.

 

[bronko37]

All I am saying is that as what I think is a "new to you" bike and what I believe to be a quality head gasket repair job; I would not be in any hurry to start tearing back into the engine at this time. Lets slow down, think a little, and eliminate any other possible options first. I would like to see you get the bike warm enough to cycle the cooling fan a few times to be sure that we burn out any residual fluids. Dont be afraid to let it run and give her some good revs to burn it all out. Going for a short ride close to home would be a great option but I recall you mentioning that the brakes were sketchy at the moment. You can always rip that head back off.

When I rebuilt my carburators for the first time and the bike didnt start everyone told me I screwed up the carb job and would need to pull them again. Turns out one of the points was not opening on the ignition. Im just saying, lets start with the easy stuff thats free to check.

 

[bronko37]

made2care » Wed Nov 18, 2015 3:23 pm[/url]":3kvlt70m]
It is just the left muffler and it appears to be steam, however this is a first for me so really do not have a reference to go by. The steam only starts after the bike is warmed up. I really don't smell any sweet smelling coolant either.
Here,s what occurs in order:
At first startup she starts, no issues. About 5 min after idling, temp gauge starts to move slightly , at which time the steam starts appearing slowly from left tailpipe only and as the bike warms up further, more steam appears. The fan has never kicked on. Eventually after about 10 min of idle, coolant starts overflowing. I must say this, prior to the head gasket change , with the cap off, there was significant bubbling in the radiator. Now there is not and it appears as though there is no oil residue, whereas before there was much oil in coolant. One one occasion after the gasket change, the coolant in the overflow was sucked into the radiator while the cap was on and the coolant then leaked out of the cap.
The steam is not as extreme as I see on YouTube with other bikes.

When the coolant gets to the point that it wants to overflow, put the rad cap on nice and tight. Fill the coolant bottle to the low end mark and then let the bike continue to run and see what happens. As the coolant begins to expand with the heat of the engine the bottle should start to receive any additional coolant and nothing should be coming out of the rad cap area. It may take a bit to get her hot enough to cycle the coolant fan. If the bike begins to get into the over heating range and the fan does not cycle we will need to address that issue as well. But it needs to cycle on and off for sure.

 

[mcgovern61]

A video of the steam/smoke would be helpful.

I would let the engine cool, take the radiator cap off and check that the coolant is just below the filler neck.

Start the engine and lock the throttle (If you have a throttle lock) at 2000 RPM. Let the engine get warmed up and watch the temp gauge rise.

When the gauge is about 1/4 way up the water may rise up a bit plus you will see minor movement in the water. When the gauge is 1/2 way up, the water should be moving. If there are any air pockets in the system, they will bleed out at this point.

As the engine warms and runs, keep going until the fan comes on. If the head gasket is blown, or there is a crack in the head, it will start bubbling out the fill.

 

[made2care]

I will post a video later today

 

[slabghost]

As the motor cools the coolant should be drawn back into the radiator. If the reservoir is empty be sure to add coolant before you run the bike. Plain water will not cool quite as well as a mix of antifreeze and water and water will not have a sweet smell if it is getting into the exhaust.

 

[made2care]

This is bad. Has to be head gasket. Notice the coolant coming out of the radiator cap. I went to Napa and ordered new cap and thermostat. Will probably start pulling the head. Called owner on the extra engine and he still has it, and its still in the crate. He had ordered it to put in this bike and then he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is currently responding well to treatment. Engine is taking up space so he wants to get rid of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FOuhBAuz0

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FOuhBAuz0[/video]

 

[slabghost]

Looks to me like the cap isn't fitting or sealing right. And it seems to me you're right. That much smoke it has to be the head gasket again. The motor does sound real good though. I think it would be worth the time to true the head and block surfaces and try one more gasket. Your bike and time... Your call.

 

[dan filipi]

If your hand is wet after putting it there in the smoke/steam then it's definitely coolant.

 

[made2care]

That's the strange part. Its not wet.

 

[slabghost]

Not wet then it's not steam. Do you smell gasoline?

 

[made2care]

Just smells like normal exhaust fumes.

 

[dan filipi]

Well for sure that radiator cap isn't sealing.
That's one thing.
I would fix that then run it awhile keeping an eye on the temp and the coolant level in the recovery. Make sure the hose isn't broken anywhere from the radiator to the recovery tank.
Let the fan run thru a few cycles on and off and see if the smoke/steam whatever it is lessens.

 

[made2care]

dan filipi » 8 minutes ago[/url]":8epzgwys]
Well for sure that radiator cap isn't sealing.
That's one thing.
I would fix that then run it awhile keeping an eye on the temp and the coolant level in the recovery. Make sure the hose isn't broken anywhere from the radiator to the recovery tank.
Let the fan run thru a few cycles on and off and see if the smoke/steam whatever it is lessens.

Okay, I will try that.

 

[made2care]

I put new radiator cap on. Checked hose from radiator to overflow and it was fine. Warmed her up and coolant started coming out of cap. Cap was on tight. Also, still had steam coming from left tailpipe.
Could not warm her up enough to get the fan to come on since coolant was leaking from cap.

 

[dan filipi]

Check the radiator neck where the rubber of the cap sits on it. Might be bent.

 

[made2care]

dan filipi » 8 minutes ago[/url]":3veihcb8]
Check the radiator neck where the rubber of the cap sits on it. Might be bent.

You were right !! The top of the neck is bent. Will try to fix.

 

[made2care]

Removed radiator and it was beyond repair. Ordered another from fleebay and going to start pulling left head.