There are two things one can use to flush an engine, but I wouldn't do it if it has not been maintained properly, because it will remove the crud that is keeping rings tight as well as other crud. If the engine is relatively clean inside, then use Amsoil engine flush and idle it for half an hour, with a fresh oil filter, to catch the crud that it breaks loose. I did my friend's engine prior to changing his oil from petroleum based to synthetic, and he was surprised at how clean it was inside his engine when I was through. If it is dirty, then use kerosene for about ten or fifteen minutes and then in either case, change the oil, and the filter again. If that hasn't cleared out your cooler, then either the timing is off (that would be unlikely), or something else is wrong. Check for any kinks or damage in the coils if you haven't already. Stanley
________________________________ From: Dale <[email protected]> To: Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers! <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, June 1, 2010 7:02:37 AM Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650 Heres my two cents (or 35...) Overheating: Check your oil, possibly check the oil cooler on the front of the bike. There is probably an official method to check it for flow, but i would just pull it off and try to flow oil through it. There is probably also a solvent or cleaner for it, and since it has been sitting for quite some time, and probably no good oil change before that...sludge build up in the oil cooler might be giving you a hotter than normal idle. the burn off of sludge and road grime is fairly normal from the crossover pipe...as long as nothing is actively leaking on the pipes, wipe it and ride it till its gone. Clutch: sounds like you need to bleed your clutch. Remove the lower right side panel (it took me 3 months to even realize this panel was there...) and follow the instructions on Paul's site for bleeding brakes there are factory specs for how much lever play there should be. I bleed my brakes and clutch and change the fluid at least once a season. Horn and Turn Signals: These bikes are notorious for having weak charging systems. The lack of resistance from a broken rear turn signal could affect the rate of blink, but most likely it is because the charging system is not putting out enough power to make them work properly. same idea with the horn, but also since the connections are so easy to check, clean them and make sure they are not corroded. a good connection and a good ground are needed for any electrical component. Paint: I'm totally not the one to ask...I used a little rustoleum to fix up the area around the gas cap where the paint was bubbling...prolly not the best, but it worked. Tires: The tires *look* ok from here...you can do the abe lincoln check for tread wear, but really on a bike that has been sitting, look for small cracks at the bottom of the tread and sidewalls of the tires...especially where the tires were touching the ground and not moving. Discoloration is bad...as is any tire wobble and/or vibration while riding. Tires are the only thing connecting you to the ground...I'd tend to lean to the safe side and replace them if you are worried. Its a nice looking scoot, and I really like the crash bars and highway pegs...i might have to look for a set for my 83 650... ride safe! "E" On Jun 1, 12:44 am, Stumpi <[email protected]> wrote: > From your description it sounds like it might be oil leaking onto the > cross over pipe or it could just be road grime. Either way it's > something you want clean off; take it from me, vehicle fires suck. My > buddy's RX7 caught fire a few weeks ago. Not something I need to do > ever again. Let us know what you find. If it's an oil leak you may > need to fix depending on how big the leak is. You do mean something > below not under the cap was smoking right? > > As to over heating what are you using as a reference point for the > bike getting hot? Running hotter than it used to, hotter than your > car, hotter than your buddy's lawn mower? It's rather hard to judge > without a temperature gauge of one sort or another. It sounds to me > like you just let it sit too long idling. If it's moving it's not > getting cooled. Once warm don't let it idle longer than a few > minutes, also be careful of this when caught intrafficjams. > The only other things that could cause an overheat are the cooling > fins being caked with dirt, which they don't appear to be. The motor > being full of sludge, or possibly the mixture being extremely lean. > Unless the bike sputters and misbehaves all the time it's unlikely > it's the mixture. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
