The Pacific Coast Repair and Blog Thread

[kurt]

I bought spares as they seem to disappear occasionally. These and the reusable plastic rivets always reside in my small parts organizer.

Amazon.com: M5 Rubber Well Nuts 5mm Metric wellnuts Motorcycle Car Household - Pack of 10: Automotive

As bonus, every Honda known to man (and many other brands as well) use these parts. They will definitely work on your new Goldwing.

 

[garfey]

... is it a 4 inline set up? ...

V-Twin, same engine as the Shadow 800 but enclosed in Tupperware.

 

[tshelfer]

They have those things on Amazon? That explains it. A couple of years ago when Chuck Gilke helped me do a ton of prep work on my '05 VStrom before a trip, he pulled a whole chest full of various fasteners & thingies (which is a bonafide technical term ) out of his truck, to replace all the lost & broken fasteners I had replaced with assorted junk. I think the top collar was fastened on with zip ties.

 

[jetdr21]

For well nuts I think I saw them at Ace hardware.

 

[Transpomgr]

In my experience, driving in a torx bit will either work or perfectly strip hex hole. For the best chance of success, spray some penetrating lube around the screw a few hours before you attempt the removal. It could have loctite on it, so you may want to try to get it hot as well. If this doesn't work, a dremel tool or a thin file will turn that stripped Allen head into a flat head screw. Once you break it free, if you feel any resistance on the way out, more lube and work it passed the rough spots screwing in, then out. In, then out a little more. Etc.

 

[julimike54]

Not familiar with the PC but regards to oil in air box. On the older wings they have a crankcase vent to the air box, from the air box there is a drain to a reservoir, this is where excess liquid drains to. That can fill up with oil and/or water and backup into the air box if not drained. Check your maintenance section & see if that is a maintenance item. May not have that system either, just figuring Honda may do things the same way from bike to bike

 

[Pacific Coaster]

Repair Mission #2: Operation Coolant

The previous repair mission to change out the Air Filter was a success, and I am now moving onto the next mission to flush out and replace all the coolant. This is a task I've been dreading doing simply because I'm intimidated by it.

I'm still waiting on AutoZone for the stupid Brake Pads to come in - I ordered them 3 weeks ago now, and they still haven't arrived, because it's a special order...

Right now, I've got the bike taken apart again to get a tank bag put on it that was so generously donated to me, and while I couldn't find anything to actually clamp it on, I decided to just route the strap under a truss and then through it's own loop - seems to have worked pretty well.

Now, I'm going to try and change out the coolant, which has obviously been neglected because of not only the color of the coolant in the top of the reservoir, but also the fact that the temperature gauge almost always shows to be near red at the needle.

The only problem is, I'm scared to mess it up. I'm trying to follow this "guide" here (one of the only guides I could find from a Google search), but without pictures, I really am just going in blind on this one.

I'm pretty sure I found the correct bolt / drainage plug for the water pump under the bike just like where the oil drainage is located, but my concern is getting air bubbles in the system - which I've read is very dangerous for the bike if it happens. What do i need to do to prevent that, and how do I know I've changed the coolant out correctly?

 

[garfey]

The Google-Fu

over here in The Pineys is strong!

Changing Anti-Freeze/Coolant on a PC800

 

[Transpomgr]

On the brake pads- once you have the part numbers, Amazon is your friend. There's no excuse for anyone to wait 3 weeks for anything anymore.
Changing the coolant shouldn't be a big deal. Drain the old crap, do what you can to get everything out of the reservoir, fill with new stuff, start and idle, top of the reservoir. Go for a few mile ride, and top off as needed.

 

[tshelfer]

On the brake pads- once you have the part numbers, Amazon is your friend. There's no excuse for anyone to wait 3 weeks for anything anymore.
Changing the coolant shouldn't be a big deal. Drain the old crap, do what you can to get everything out of the reservoir, fill with new stuff, start and idle, top of the reservoir. Go for a few mile ride, and top off as needed.

I agree. You can find bike parts on Amazon easily, and ship time is usually under a week. If you can find and order them there, you might want to cancel your Autozone order and move on.

Changing coolant requires some care, but it isn't rocket science. It's one task I manage to do and not mess up. I have no idea if your PC8 has a drain plug, but the tried & true method for draining a radiator is to pull the lower hose loose & let it run out. Obviously, have a bucket handy when you do so. On cars, I always follow that by running a water hose through the system to blow out as much gunk as possible. Once you put it back together & fill it with coolant, start the bike but leave the radiator cap off. The moment the coolant level drops (which means the thermostat has opened), shut it off & let it cool completely. Then fill it again. I seem to recall that, on a bike, you also rock it back & forth & shake it to clear air bubbles.

 

[julimike54]

The following link shows the drain bolt for coolant
http://www.pc800shopmanual.org/PC800SMPage6-2.html

 

[Pacific Coaster]

over here in The Pineys is strong!

Changing Anti-Freeze/Coolant on a PC800

You've gotta be kidding me. lol thanks for the link, Google-fu!

On the brake pads- once you have the part numbers, Amazon is your friend. There's no excuse for anyone to wait 3 weeks for anything anymore.
Changing the coolant shouldn't be a big deal. Drain the old crap, do what you can to get everything out of the reservoir, fill with new stuff, start and idle, top of the reservoir. Go for a few mile ride, and top off as needed.

Yeah, I've learned my lesson now. I needed these brake pads bad, was seriously planning on getting it done before the ride tomorrow because they're starting to slip on the front, but I guess not. Looks like I'll just have to be extra careful tomorrow.

And thanks for the advice, I'll give that a shot.

I agree. You can find bike parts on Amazon easily, and ship time is usually under a week. If you can find and order them there, you might want to cancel your Autozone order and move on.

Changing coolant requires some care, but it isn't rocket science. It's one task I manage to do and not mess up. I have no idea if your PC8 has a drain plug, but the tried & true method for draining a radiator is to pull the lower hose loose & let it run out. Obviously, have a bucket handy when you do so. On cars, I always follow that by running a water hose through the system to blow out as much gunk as possible. Once you put it back together & fill it with coolant, start the bike but leave the radiator cap off. The moment the coolant level drops (which means the thermostat has opened), shut it off & let it cool completely. Then fill it again. I seem to recall that, on a bike, you also rock it back & forth & shake it to clear air bubbles.

I actually have the bike parted out right now in the backyard, couldn't find a suitable bucket to drain it in (again, my preparedness is showing), so once I get a proper container today for it I'll definitely take your advice into account as well. Thanks again

The following link shows the drain bolt for coolant
http://www.pc800shopmanual.org/PC800SMPage6-2.html

You know, funny thing about that.... The very website I'm using and consulting, and I looked over that. I'm stupid. Thank you so much for that

 

[Pacific Coaster]

Repair Mission #2: Operation Coolant: Complete

I AM FINISHED!

Total time was from about 9:30 AM to now, 5:15 PM, about 8 hours of non-stop work.

Starting from the beginning, I had trouble understanding the diagram that Julimike54 provided a link to in a post above, so it took me a little while until I realized I had to take off the side fairing on the left side to reach the water pump drain bolt (comfortably). I started with the seat to make removing the sides easier than having to go around things.

Notice in the red box in the picture below, that the water pump drain bolt is directly behind that.

Also, the green boxes are how I've mounted my tank bag, wrapping the strap around and then through itself on the chassis. The same goes for the other side, as well as the third strap at the front for the top of the bike.

After finally getting the fairings off and access to the bolt, I readied the container for insta-drip much like the oil, when as soon as I opened it enough for the first drops to come out, I nearly fainted at a heavy fish smell.

The smell was so strong I had to let it do it's thing for about 20 minutes and let it settle down so I could come back to it...

Eventually, all the coolant drained out, and now it was time to do the reserve. This took even more time, as I had to take off the entire right side fairings in order to drain the reserve as well. This took almost 3 hours, carefully removing pieces and trying not to break any plastic - which I ended up doing anyway to 2 pieces because they're so darn brittle. Gravity wasn't on my side either, because as soon as I unhooked the hose, coolant starting shooting every which way, and doused my shirt. I had to go change... Eventually, the reserve finished draining as well, but oddly enough, didn't carry the same pungent fishy odor. I don't know why it smelled the way it did.

After the reserve finished draining, I flushed it out with water until gunk stopped coming out of the other side, and then I took (I know I know) my leaf blower and held it steady for maybe 10 or 15 minutes until I felt satisfied water wasn't inside anymore.

She also looked sad that I had to dismantle her all the way to her headlights to get the job done

With how much I was walking around looking for the right bits and wrench adapters, I'm sure she felt very nervous. If I was being operated on, I'd want a doctor who at least looked like they knew what they were doing...

I put the bolts back on and fill the coolant systems, and.. voila - it worked, and no leaks to be seen!

The process to put her back together took even longer than taking it apart, as I had to hold pieces in place and then screw them in, find the right bits again, etc...

A few more hours later, and I was finally done - new, hot looking tank bag, and all.

I'm just a little worried though, because after getting everything put together, I opened up the side compartment and found 2 nuts and a screw all with washers just sitting there. I'll have to find another time to go over the bike and make sure I find out where these came from.

Either I unknowingly just made the bike more efficient, or if you hear of a motorcycle spontaneously combusting or blowing up while going down the freeway, then you know to tell my parents I loved them.

In all seriousness though, I feel like I've gained valuable knowledge on how to service her so far, and every minute spent really helped, from disassembling it to knowing what goes where (mostly), how to work the fluids, and how to work some of the lesser-removed fairings. I never thought I would be getting down and dirty with a bike like this, so I'm pleasantly surprised with how well I'm catching onto things. Then again, there's still 3 things that aren't screwed into the bike somewhere...

 

[kurt]

I use muffin pans to organize bolts and other small parts in the order and location they came out.

 

[focus frenzy]

On the brake pads- once you have the part numbers, Amazon is your friend. There's no excuse for anyone to wait 3 weeks for anything anymore.

well it is called AUTOzone for a reason.

 

[tshelfer]

Glad she's all back together. Did you take her out for a long test ride? I remember noticing, the day I road that bike home from Cleburne, that the temp gauge crept up very quickly. Hopefully fresh 50/50 mix, plus blowing the dead mackerel out of your radiator, will make it cool more efficiently. And remember - that's ef-fic-ient, not ef-fish-ient.

 

[julimike54]

Great to hear you're almost back together, haha. I'll have to remember to keep the distance from the combustion?

PS....make sure to carry the spares, you might need them or find where they go!

 

[SL350]

I bet next time you take it apart you will where the missing bits go. The real question is how long you keep the PC800. If you keep it for a decade you will be the DFW expert on them. But as it is your first bike, most of us have a history where we went through several our first few years and only later wish we still had our first ones.

A little water in the radiator or the extra overflow is OK since the mix in the anti-freeze is 50-50. That fish smell is bothersome.

Has it a power outlet or what we used to call a cigarette lighter? If so consider buying a $7 volt meter that plugs in.

 

[garfey]

well it is called AUTOzone for a reason.

... And remember - that's ef-fic-ient, not ef-fish-ient.

... most of us have a history where we went through several our first few years and only later wish we still had our first ones.

Yeah, Buddy! There's not a one that I don't wish I'd kept ... well, maybe the little Dream 150, tho' it was fun sliding around on the ice in Idamaho, feet out as outriggers.

... That fish smell is bothersome.

Yep, never ran into that and have no clue what it could caused that. Apparently, neither does anyone else => Fishy Smelling Coolant

Has it a power outlet or what we used to call a cigarette lighter? If so consider buying a $7 volt meter that plugs in.

There's a neat little voltmeter that plugs into a Battery Tender Pigtail (You DO have one of those on the PC, don't you, PC-er/AR?), abt $14 online, and the Pigtails are ~$5. I'm putting Pigtails on ALL the bikes and either "permanently" mount the Voltmeters (Zip Ties) or carrying one in with the tools.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-081-0069-6-Terminal-Disconnect/dp/B000NCOKZQ/ref=pd_sim_263_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41yzSPdqqqL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0885Q6W6ER152TM7QV42"]BT Pigtails[/ame]


and Pigtail Voltmeters for $8.95 + $4.99 shipping from C.B.C., via Amazon. (For some reason the Amazon page will not link, google "Battery Tender 081-0157"), or $15.45 at WalMart.

 

[YoDoc]

That fish smell is just old coolant.

Do you have an IR thermometer or something similar?

 

[YoDoc]

Also, when it's time to remove those stripped windshield bolts, I've got a kit for that. Come on over and we'll do it up.

 

[Pacific Coaster]

I use muffin pans to organize bolts and other small parts in the order and location they came out.

I don't know why I didn't think of this, or something similar. I'll have to try that the next time I take it apart

well it is called AUTOzone for a reason.

Hahaha hey now! As inspiration from George W., "I know the car and motorcycle can coexist peacefully"

Glad she's all back together. Did you take her out for a long test ride? I remember noticing, the day I road that bike home from Cleburne, that the temp gauge crept up very quickly. Hopefully fresh 50/50 mix, plus blowing the dead mackerel out of your radiator, will make it cool more efficiently. And remember - that's ef-fic-ient, not ef-fish-ient.

I did take her out for a ride that night, and just so happened to get invited to a dinner. You better believe I used that as an excuse to ride after a long day of wrenching

After taking her on the ride to Graham today, I think she's doing so much better. Instead of either hanging on the edge of or entering the red, it's now consistently about halfway to 3/4 of the way even after speeds of 65-70+ for long stretches, so there's definitely an improvement in temperature regulation now, that old coolant was definitely past it's prime. In fact, and I forgot to mention in the post, but the little spigot that the hose connects to at the bottom of the reserve was caked in some kind of material, so it's age and maintenance (or lack thereof) showed for sure. I'd describe it as looking like calcification on the spigot.

I don't even know that I would call it a spigot, but it resembles the threaded outlets, I guess.

Great to hear you're almost back together, haha. I'll have to remember to keep the distance from the combustion?

PS....make sure to carry the spares, you might need them or find where they go!

Or you could get up next to me - everybody always wants a photo-op with the Ghost Rider...

I bet next time you take it apart you will where the missing bits go. The real question is how long you keep the PC800. If you keep it for a decade you will be the DFW expert on them. But as it is your first bike, most of us have a history where we went through several our first few years and only later wish we still had our first ones.

A little water in the radiator or the extra overflow is OK since the mix in the anti-freeze is 50-50. That fish smell is bothersome.

Has it a power outlet or what we used to call a cigarette lighter? If so consider buying a $7 volt meter that plugs in.

I'm hoping I'll find it sooner than later. The more I think about it though, I'm slightly comforted because they couldn't have come from anything too important, otherwise I would have noticed them outright. That's not to say that I know entirely what I'm looking for, either... lol

There's a neat little voltmeter that plugs into a Battery Tender Pigtail (You DO have one of those on the PC, don't you, PC-er/AR?), abt $14 online, and the Pigtails are ~$5. I'm putting Pigtails on ALL the bikes and either "permanently" mount the Voltmeters (Zip Ties) or carrying one in with the tools.

BT Pigtails


and Pigtail Voltmeters for $8.95 + $4.99 shipping from C.B.C., via Amazon. (For some reason the Amazon page will not link, google "Battery Tender 081-0157"), or $15.45 at WalMart.

Yep! I've got an SAE attached to the battery with an adapter already fitting a cigarette lighter, but I can change that out to work with my battery tender, or any other SAE compatible accessory.

That fish smell is just old coolant.

Do you have an IR thermometer or something similar?

Then that coolant died about a hundred years ago.. getting sick thinking about that smell again lol...

And I don't have an IR Thermometer, no.

Also, when it's time to remove those stripped windshield bolts, I've got a kit for that. Come on over and we'll do it up.

Oh, totally forgot to mention it, but yesterday while doing all this work, I came upon those stripped screws once more, but I knew I needed to do something about it right then and there, or else I'd be stuck. Turns out my neighbor is a DIY mechanic and has a huge stockpile of various tools, so as soon as I told him I had a couple of stripped hex screw heads, he told me to go home and he would be there in a minute. He came into our backyard to take a look, and pulled out an allen wrench. I told him I've already tried several allen wrenches, but... when he tried it, it worked. He then looked at what I tried to use, and he said that I have the "Standard" wrenches, and needed to use the "Metric" wrenches ... however he knew that, I don't know

So yeah, he let me keep a set of basic Metric tools now. But regardless, I'll definitely have to stop by and get your help on the carbs when it comes time to clean or rebuild them, and that's coming up rather soon

 

[YoDoc]

So, no IR thermometer. Well, bring it by sometime. I may have something that would work. I still think your thermostat is buggy.

 

[Pacific Coaster]

Got to class around 8 AM... just got on the bike to go get some lunch between classes, what do you know - I've got my first flat tire...

It popped as i pulled out of the south lot and i almost dropped the bike mid-turn, so I had to emergency park near a handicapped spot in the striped zone

After calling them, the campus PD was nice enough to haul back a huge ol' compressed air tank to fill up the tire for now.

The weird thing about all this though, is that I've been sitting here watching it and pressing on it every few minutes but the pressure isn't dropping now, so I don't know why it deflated in the first place...

I guess it's time for a new tire now

Sitting in class now and the bike parked with fresh air, it's a waiting game to see if she's flat when I go back out there...

 

[tshelfer]

Nice of the campus PD to help you out like that. Yeah, that tire may be down to its last 2/32; can't really tell from the picture.

It's probably time to update your tool kit a bit. You can buy a tire plug kit at Auto Zone. They're pretty easy to use - I figured it out for myself. But if you'd like, hang onto your old tire & I can drop by sometime & show you how it's done. It's also good to have a way to inflate a tire. Some people carry 12V pumps. I carry a can of Fix-Flat, which will not only inflate a bike tire to 25 lb or better, it'll do a pretty nice job plugging a small hole. (It also makes a mess of the inside of your rim, so you won't be popular when you take your wheel to a fellow TWTer for a tire change. Just plan on doing your own cleaning). Also, if you don't have one, buy a tire tread gauge - they cost a whopping $3 or so.