So the heating issue started after installing the new hoses? I'm still not clear on the description of the non-circle part of your housing, but if you hear hissing, then you don't have pressure in the cooling system and that's not good for consistent cooling...not to mention loss of coolant. I'm surprised you're not seeing some evidence of where the coolant may be escaping.

Can you see coolant moving in the radiator when it's running? Start it up with the cap off and see if you can see some motion as it warms up to indicate the pump is circulating coolant. Did you remove or work on any other aspect of the cooling system while doing the hose swap?

 

Assuming t got very hot, then yes the cams, may have been damaged, the valve stem seals too. The seals are rubber and when the bike overheats significantly, they can become brittle and seal poorly (not a huge problem. But when this happens the bike will start to use oil and blow some blue smoke under load and when cold.)

An inspection under the valve cover (when you replace the gasket) should define if any damage is present.

The coolant elbow fitting to the head needs to be water tight, so this needs fixing.

 

What are some ways to tell if I have majorily f'ed up my bike. Boy would this be a dip**** moment for me if I screwed this thing by simply changing to some fancy red radiator hoses. Crap I am a douche bag. If this POS never had a starting problem then maybe I would have noticed something sooner. Is the fact that I can push start it without trouble and yet can't start it normally a sign of something grave?

 

I don't see any signs of coolant leaving the system but my reservoir never got lower but I suppose it just catches overflow, or should fluid get pulled from that reservoir in the rear as well when the system is low?

The hissing has stopped since I removed that elbow and lubricated the seal with a little oil. I will have to take a pic of that elbow the next time I get a chance, it really is a very poor design to square the one inside edge that is hidden behid the hose. Seriosuly, go take a look at your bike and I bet it's the same.

I know this is going to sound stupid but should I fill the radiator to the top of the cap with antifreeze? I didn't think it was supposed to be that full.

 

Don't worry too much bro! The bike still runs so nothing too major is effed up. The point is that there may be the start of a problem so a little maintenance now will have the bike running sweet for many more thousands of miles.

In reality, if the cams and the head, and cylinder to some extent got very hot there may have been some premature wear. Things like the valve stem seals and cam cover gasket may be damaged beyond repair and need replacing. At least filling the bike with new oil will give you some safeguard against further wear and will give you some indication of any internal damage (check the oil for metal particles when drained.)

Fresh coolant and a system that is sealed will keep the bike running sweet.

Don't stress to much! As I said the bike still runs. But, if it got hot then a little time spent now could prevent further premature damage.

BTW that shot of the oil leaking from the cam cover gasket looks like the oil is baked (ie it overheated,) this added to the impression along with the dry hose that the bike overheated significantly.

 

Yes, fill the radiator with your 50/50 water/antifreeze mix before running it again.

 

Fill the rad' to the top of the cap (with the correct coolant in the correct ratio of distilled water and anti freeze, or pre made coolant)and make sure the overflow bottle is filled to the correct mark. Run the bike for about 30 seconds then check the level under the rad' cap and top up if necessary. A quick squeeze of all the rubber rad' hoses will confirm whether there is coolant present or not.

 

Sound good guys. Thanks a ton for the tips. I'll get that oil changed tomorrow and fill the radiator as it should be. There's probably not too much riding weather here in Utah anyway, so at least I have that going for me. It also gives me plenty of time to do the repairs and such. Once again, thanks a lot. I will post some pics of the strange elbow I am talking about tomorrow when I have it removed, although I suppose in this case the bad fit gave me a hint on something going wrong. Take care.

 

Cams? Valve seals? NO coolant? I think you need to take a step back and have an informed mechanic look at your bike. If you ran it 75 to 80 mph for one half hour and it survived, then nothing is wrong with it.

David.

 

OK, here's an update and I don't think it's a good one. So I changed the oil and saw only a handful of metal flecks in the oil which was better than a lot of metal. Then I went to the colling system. It was very low so I filled the system back up with fluid and this is where it gets bad. I tried cycling the engine and getting the air out of the system and tried starting. Well, turning but not turning over. I topped off the radiator and repeated the process. I did this several times trying to top the system off and wondering where the hell is all this coolant going. Well, I noticed some fluid leaking form my exhaust and discover that my exhaust system is full of fluid which I am guessing is coolant since it doesn't smell like gas and it is not oil, it's clear. So I am guessing that I am seriously FUXXED, or at least my bike. I must have run the thing dry and cracked something as this is the only way I understand how coolant could get to my exhaust.

Oh, and here's the picture of the piece that I described that looks poorly designed to me. Anyway, anymore opinions and please keep the insults to a minimum as I already know that I am a dumb *** for letting it get this far, but I am blaming the slow leak caused by the crappy part I have pictured. I know that doesn't quite cut it though.