Coolant leak from thermostat?

I noticed a little puddle of coolant under the bike today. It looks like it's coming from the thermostat - maybe the o-ring? Is that common? One bead of coolant was hanging on the bottom of the thermostat but I couldn't see the back side of it to see if the seam was wet. Everything else around the thermostat looked dry. The reservoir bottle was empty - it there a vacuum in the system that would enable it to draw coolant from the reservoir? She's been asleep since end of November and all seemed fine at that time. Any ideas?

Vitals: 95 VFR, 22k miles, mostly stock.

 

It is common for the hoses,seals and o'rings to leak given the age, they get flat and hard and do not seal well in the cold.Very common on all types of engines.Easy fix on your bike, just a couple of seals and may as well chuck a new thermostat in it for peace of mind.

 

It seems like clamps loosen up over time cuz the hose rubber underneath gets compressed, so go over all hose clamps and tighten as necessary.

If you dont want to pay the $38 your Honda dealer wants for the thermostat ( which i wouldn't bother replacing if it works) you can search and find an $8 unit at any generic autoparts store listed for a Honda car.

No real need to pay the dealer price on a replacement O-ring either since they're mostly universal. Reassemble with a touch of silicone seal goop for insurance, and refill your radiator and overflow bottle.

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll take a closer look over the weekend but my initial thought is to replace all the hoses, clamps and o-ring. For $8, may as well replace thermostat too.

 

There's no need to go overboard and replace hoses since Honda, bless 'em, used very high quality material. Hoses on my '86s are all still fine.

Only need new hoses if they feel hard and rigid or been exposed to constant oil drips.

 

Yeah, hoses are not needed. Just reseal the o'ring and replace the seal at the thermostat.Only suggested the thermostat as it will come with the seal, two birds with one stone thing.

 

Good advice and replies. My two cents...retighten the gear clamps on the coolant hoses, refill system and go for a ride and inspect. Find out EXACTLY what's leaking before you fix it. It may in fact seal itself. Leave the thermostat alone if it's working.

 

At least you caught the leak before it got bad, i had my cross over hose burst on the way back from Vegas, that sucked ass for me. I had to get a makeshift heater hose section from Autozone and double clamp it on to get home hoping it wont fall off.