Coolant Flush and Replace

[Skippernick]

Simple i know, just want to check a few things.
It looks like the lowest place the coolant runs is on the left side of the engine at the bottom, and the highest is a filler cap under the tank.
Is that correct?
Do i just flush it with water?
cheers
Nick

[humbucker88]

Yeah that's right, there's a coolant drain bolt on the water pump on the bottom left side of the bike, take that out, take the cap off the radiator so it runs out quicker then just flush through with tap water (distilled is even better if you have it handy but not necessary)....then just fill with fresh coolant

[bandit]

Yes & yes on both questions, when refilling pour coolant in first then distilled water (dont use tap water as can cause scale like your kettle)very slowly into the filler cap under tank to the very top refit cap,then fill exspansion tank to full mark, run the bike to allow coolant to circulate then switch off &let the bike go cold then remove the fuel tank again & topup filler cap if needed to the very top, put bike back to gether again & topup exspansion tank if required.P.S using the red coolant O.A.T last longer in service 5yrs compared to traditional stuff which is 2yrs.       

[noggythenog]

The others have forgotten one very important step


Remember to pour coolant all over the driveway




I just did mine last week for my new rad hoses,used the manual to guide me through,just below the drain bolt was a cable clipped on,if i did it again id detach that cable as it got in the way of my little funnel,thats what im blaming for the mess i made anyway,it comes flying out at a surprising rate for such a small hole.


After id shaken the bike back & forth to get out as much as poss i then stuck the garden hose into the filler cap & flushed it through until it ran clear.


As already mentioned,top up as slowly as possible to stop air getting in,once the coolant is all the way up to the top then shake the bike back & forth,its surprising how much it'll keep dropping with this method,keep topping up then shaking & topping up again.


Get the tank back on,start her up,run for a few minutes,blip the throttle to about 1500 to 2000 revs a few times,switch off,allow to cool,lift tank & top up via filler cap again

[darrsi]

Yeah that's right, there's a coolant drain bolt on the water pump on the bottom left side of the bike, take that out, take the cap off the radiator so it runs out quicker then just flush through with tap water (distilled is even better if you have it handy but not necessary)....then just fill with fresh coolant

Flushing with distilled water.......how very posh 

[dBfazer600]

As above but do not forget the expsantion tank. Follow thw hose to the radiator and take it off there as this stops coolant spillage all over your bike. Be careful as there is a clip in the frame holding this pipe. Try and thread it in and out as getting the clip back on is    I ended up using a tie to secure it but it is easier than draining from tank and getting tank clip back on.
 
Daz

[Skippernick]

Cheers guys.
 Only thing i'll mention is something Bandit said, if you poor the coolant in like that and not premixed there is a danger that it goes around the system in slugs. Although this is from experiance in commissioning diesel heating systems on canal boats with 20m long runs, not a twisty bike circuit.

[dBfazer600]

I got the pre mix last week from Halfords 2L and it just filled the system with a nads left. its around £12
 
Daz

[noggythenog]

I got the pre mix last week from Halfords 2L and it just filled the system with a nads left. its around £12
 
Daz

+1 on halfords pre mixed


Orange stuff i got,suitable for aluminium engines blah blah blah


Stuff already in the bike was green


I tried looking for Blue to match my hoses & increase speed but they didnt have blue

[reillypadraig]

Read somewhere on here before that if the coolant hasn't been changed in years it's not a bad idea to run rad flush through the system for a day or 2 of riding if your very particular about it, I didn't do it with mine I just done as above but I found that even doing all that I still took of the 2 pipe going into the water pump of to make sure I got all the dirty coolant out.

It's a great feeling knowing that it done

[noggythenog]

Read somewhere on here before that if the coolant hasn't been changed in years it's not a bad idea to run rad flush through the system for a day or 2 of riding if your very particular about it, I didn't do it with mine I just done as above but I found that even doing all that I still took of the 2 pipe going into the water pump of to make sure I got all the dirty coolant out.

It's a great feeling knowing that it done

Darrsi swears by the flush i believe,personally my bikes done such low mileage & the old coolant looked spotless so i opted with just flushing through with the hose but i think anyone with disgusting looking coolant should go with the flush,if a jobs worth doing & all that.

[darrsi]

If you're not sure of the history of your bike or it simply hasn't been done for a couple of years then yeah i would always do the 2 or 3 day Radflush, to let it heat up and cool down a few times.
If ever your fluid starts boiling in the expansion tank then dumps it out of the overflow pipe it's a sure sign it needs doing as your waterways are clogged up and the coolant isn't flowing properly.

It's no different to de-scaling a kettle if you think about it.