Seized engine!

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I had a small crack in the back of my recovery tank that would intermittenly leak coolant down onto the head and thru the weep holes but only leaked after the coolant heated the tank up, crack was around the mount bolt. Also had a recovery line had small pinhole in line from radiator to tank, lots of things to check before major work.
 
Thanks Dan,

I wish it was that, but alas, no!

The coolant dripping down is in fact coming from the exhaust junction between the header pipe and the muffler. Huge puddle on the ground.

I checked the coolant crossover tubes (which were assembled with new O-rings and gaskets) and they are water tight. Per your suggestion I pulled the plug boots and examined the spark plug wells and drain holes. They are bone dry.

Now here's the clincher: After pulling the plugs to peek into the combustion chambers, cylinder #3 was FILLED with coolant -- not just a little bit, but completely full like a glass of water!

I am officially putting out the word that I need to find a replacement the engine, or sell the bike to someone who wants to swap out the engine. (Thanks, backlander, for the suggestion to contact Steve83 and see if he still has his extra motor, I will give him a shout.)

Paul
 
Coollant System 4cyl Goldwing 001.jpg
 
Not likely since you have changed heads many times, but underneath the cams there are two casting core plugs, screw in, that if they are leaking will put coolant into the oil. They can be unscrewed, sealed with Permatex gasket sealer and re-installed.
 
Paul, my 1200 engine that Backlander is referring to is an '85 fuel injected engine. I was attempting to convert an 1100 to fuel injection, but I simply didn't have the necessary equipment - or talent - to fabricate the various mounts and attaching points on the 1100 block. After I collected the FI components, I ended up finding a good '85 FI short block, and pieced it all together.
 
Hi Steve. Now that I think of it, I actually remember seeing that thread. That was quite an adventurous undertaking -- you are a braver man that I, that's for sure.

If you do happen top hear of a reasonably priced (non-FI) GL 1200 engine, please let me know.

Ride safe,

Paul
 
Hi backlander,

You are so right -- those plugs could cause disaster if leaking! I actually did check the plugs and they were sealed as tight as drums. Dang!!

I'm attaching a photo for anyone who has never seen these mysterious devices. My understanding is that the plugs are there to fill two passages required in the rather complex casting process.

Paul
 

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To confirm your cracked block scenario remove the spark plug from number 3 cyl and leave it grounded on the block and run the engine. Without compression in that cylinder you should see a reduction in the amount of coolant being used/leaking etc
 
well it is always nice to know after so much effort ...what has been posted should comferm whats up ....it would be nice to complete story for others .... im still baffled we cant find source yet...
 
That's right, joedrum!! Here we have the greatest minds the scientific world has ever known and… (oh, wait -- that's NASA!) Anyway, I'd like to think that this wasn't an isolated occurrence. I feel so alone! Does anybody know a retired GoldWing mechanic or someone at the Honda mothership who may have heard of this?

Paul
 
you heard of pioneers ... well we may be the first to travel here this far ...i am totally impressed you fight well and should be admired most cash in long before this ... you remind me of me ... best day to ya paul
 
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I've studied this pic forever, and still cannot see anything that would indicate WHY there is coolant getting into that cylinder. Did you ever roll the piston down in the bore to take a look down in there for a problem? There's definitely something wrong with the #3 cylinder, since there's no coolant filling the other cylinders. 3 different heads are not likely at ALL to have the exact same issue. Can't be the gaskets, or you would have coolant in other cylinders. That leaves only the cylinder liner. There is ONE spot on the cylinder top that looks like there MAY be a crack, but it could just be the pic itself. I'm gunna do some editing on it and show what I see. Not saying it IS a crack, just saying it looks like it could be. Gimmie a minut. :laptop:

Otay...does anyone else think this MAY be a crack in the cylinder liner, or is it nothing?

image.php
 
Thanks, AApple. I did what you recommended and ran #3 piston down to bottom dead center and there was nothing visible to the naked eye. I'll look through some other shots I took of the cylinder liner and see if anything becomes apparent. You gotta figure the crack would have to be substantial for the coolant to penetrate the liner, but then again, the liner IS under pressure one one side (and under a vacuum on the other) which COULD explain it.

If that's it, I guess all we get is the satisfaction of coming up with a plausible theory. And the thrill of having to put in a replacement engine!

Paul
 
Are you still getting coolant in the oil?
Any oil in the coolant?


Here's what we know at this point:
3 different heads/gaskets.
Smoke immediately on startup, along with raw coolant dripping from the head/exhaust. Cyl 3 filled with coolant with the plug out.
This indicates a LARGE coolant leak into the cylinder, as it seems it is simply running into the cylinder even before starting the engine. At that point, there is NO pressure on the cooling system that would force coolant into the cylinder. Also, with the engine running, with that large of a coolant leak, it should be pressurizing the cooling system, and blowing coolant out the radiator....except it's blowing it out the exhaust.
Wherever the coolant is coming from, it HAS to be a fairly large leak, imho.
I'm glad you're sticking with this, at least for the time being. I'da prolly gave up already! If it were me with this problem, I would pressurize the cooling system, and use a bore-scope down in the cylinder to see where the heck it is coming from. I would prolly also pressurize the cylinder at TDC, and see if it blew coolant out the rad.

Gotta be something we're all missing here, somewhere... :headscratch:
 

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