Coolant leak

Hi guys,

Been awhile. So, since day one of riding my '06 I've been smelling a slight sweetness while riding. 2 weeks ago I put the kickstand down and went into Dunkin' Donuts. Came out and noticed a few drops under the engine. It was coolant. Now keep in mind I bought it with only 575 miles or on it. Just dropped it off at the dealer for them to look at it tomorrow. Hopefully it's just a rotted hose or clamp. Scary thing is that charge $95.00 an hour plus parts. Let's see what they are going to rape me for. More to come folks.

Probably just a loose hose clamp at/near the water pump --especially given the low mileage on your SW. Here's hoping that you've got an honest shop for your work.

Unless you're all thumbs when it comes to DIY service you probably should invest in a Factory Service Manual (FSM). They are easy to work on. Check eBay. All the manuals are pretty much the same but try to find a manual for an '07 or earlier. IIRC The '08s and later have an O2 sensor at the muffler and a different ECU. But mechanically even the later model years are the same as the early ones

Tim

HI Cosmic,

HI Cosmic,


Just wanted to give you an update. Leak was due to a freakin mouse chewing through the hose. Also chewed part way through some cabling. Roughly $200 smackers for repair. Pick it tomorrow

As Tim stated, you could have saved a lot of $ by getting a flashlight (torch, for our European friends) and follow the coolant lines. Bulk hose is cheap at any auto parts store (take in a sample of the chewed hose), antifreeze is cheap, and you'd be good to go.

Any idea what cable the rodent attacked and if repairs were necessary to that cable?

That being said, some people can't physically lie down on their back or side and do that. But if you're physically able, there are a lot of maintenance items you can easily do yourself and save a bundle. Saves being raped by the dealer, as you so succinctly put it.

Believe it or not this not unusual in the industry especially when a unite has been stored for a while.It could be worse,how about a main wiring harness to the ECM.
Try putting mothballs in various places. Some will also put some steel wool in the exhaust.
The worse case I saw was a cat that went into the engine compartment for the night,woke up when the owner started the car and the cat went forward.Sorry,you can a manage the rest.

I do not know this as Gospel but but have been told by people who are supposed to know that rodents chew on wiring for the soybean oil in the insulation. Howard

Bigbird, i'll find out which wiring it was. Apparently the the had to order it from Honda. Next time i"ll be doing the repairs my self (with help from my experts here at the site). He did say that most of the time was taking the plastic body off. More to come....

If they had to order wiring or electrical parts from Honda I would ask them to save any old parts. I would lean on the cautious side,you usually can repair the wiring unless it is quite a extensive repair.   Howard