Small coolant leak problem

I seem to have a little coolant leak from the coolant tube on the front cylinder head under the carbs so that after i ride theres a little puddle of coolant in between the 2 cylinder heads in the V.

It figures that after I clean out the whole cooling system out and put it all back together i'd get a leak.
Is this tube going to cause trouble if I leave the carbs and other parts on? I'm just wondering if I'll be able to order the O-rings for the tube, pull it out, and just put it all on myself without the bike catching fire.

 

Here's 78 cents, go buy new O-rings and start work ! :behindsofa:

 

I don't think 78 cents will buy me Honda replacement orings. Would it be wise to get anything other than the Honda orings if there's going to be lots of heat and coolant

 

All i can say is some people are obsessed with saving a nickel and grinning at the Dealer's exorbitant prices. I know i am. But nobody would ever--with good sense-- recommend anything but OEM replacements.

 

I would. There are perfectly acceptable replacements to OEM stuff out there, sometimes better. I replaced the OEM o-rings with ones of the PROPER MATERIAL (this part is key, make sure you know what they're made of. Viton or an appropriate silicone rubber will work fine.) and they probably cost me a nickel. On my 500 I was able to pull the tubes and replace the o-rings without removing anything else. It was tight but doable. I don't know if the case is the same with the larger bikes.

-Jake

 

That was the main thing I was worried about, would I have to order these Viton or other o-rings online or would I be able to find them at some hardware stores?

 

Another problem is a little hook shaped tab bolted to the front cylinder head keeping the pipe in place that seems a little hard to get to with all this crap in the way

 

After a couple of smashed fingers I got the pipe out.

It seems the o-rings are kind of squared off on the outsides.
Would I be looking for the same type of o-ring or would getting a rounded one seal better (in my mind that makes sense but probably is not right)
And for some reason the groove for the o-ring is pretty wide for the o-ring i have on it now, It might just be a replacement that someone fudged up because it looks too small.

any info would be greatly appreciated. Pictures below

 

What your seeing are round o-rings that have been compressed to look squarish. Take one of those to an auto parts store like NAPA and have them match the size. Get a couple of extra ones incase you tear one. Put them on the tubes, clean them first, and use grease on them so they slide in easier. Plus a wheel bearing type grease will help the seal. Don't forget to clean the receiver (hole) in the block. Make sure it's clean before inserting tubes.

 

That would explain the shape, I wasn't even aware an oring could compress to a permanent new shape. I took some low abrasive steel wool to the corrosion and took almost all of it off. Cleaning the receiving holes in the head is going to be tough for the right side especially but they're surprisingly clean to begin with from what I saw.

Thanks for all the help, i'll see how i end up in a few hours

 

Good news and bad news.
Well I'm happy to say the coolant leak is fixed. Got some Viton o-rings for $.80 a piece and got a 10 pack just in case. Tubes are back in and after an hour of riding I see no leaks.
And now the bad news.
I pulled in my garage and put it on the kickstand so I could put it on the centerstand and noticed it was a lot harder to get up on the centerstand. Upon further inspection it looked like I lowered the bike for a very short person to ride on. Seems like my rear shock is compressing and not rebounding.
Looks like Jamie is going to be getting a check in the mail soon?