what colour was your coolant last time you changed it?

[markaboot]

Mine looked just like that 2 years ago when I first changed the coolant after my first servicing.  I put it down to not being changed EVER in the 10+ years the bikes been around.
Coolant just changed.  This time the waste looked much better - no 'oil' etc.
 
Could be wrong though! 

thats what i put it down to at first, it did still have that greeny fluorescent yellow tinge to it.
i'm gunna rad flush soon, just running with clean water in for a week and then drain it all off and check again.

[riz]

I'd be careful running with just water tbh, depending on how hard your water is it could start to scale up very quickly, i remember killing a montego doing that a few years ago(did me a favour actually).
For the cost i'd add at least 'some' antifreeze.

[darrsi]

Leave the RadFlush in for a couple of days so it cools down and heats up a few times, it's much more effective.

[carrier]

Can't see the picture, but I had the same thing in my coolant... like the alcohol in the antifreeze went back to being a sugar... I just flushed it load and topped it up, no problems yet but will only see the next time I drain.


Is antifreeze really a better coolant than water?

[markaboot]

Can't see the picture, but I had the same thing in my coolant... like the alcohol in the antifreeze went back to being a sugar... I just flushed it load and topped it up, no problems yet but will only see the next time I drain.


Is antifreeze really a better coolant than water?

i believe its more the anti freezing and anti corrosion properties you're after.

[darrsi]

Coolant also increases the boiling point compared to just water.

[markaboot]

Coolant also increases the boiling point compared to just water.

i did not know that 

[darrsi]

Coolant also increases the boiling point compared to just water.

i did not know that 

Basically without it you have a really fast kettle 

[Chris]

 
 
Fast but hopefully slow boiling. 
 
Chris

[riz]

anti scale, anti freeze, anti corrosion, better heat transfer and higher boiling point, i think at a 50/50 mix you're looking at about 110 c, and at 100% its closer to 200 c. Apparently though its best anti freeze mix is 60-70% if you're looking at frost prevention. Min 25% for anti scale/anti corrosion.
 
What temp does the thermostat open/fan come on and light come on with fazers?

[darrsi]

Who knows? No temp. guage!!

[Dead Eye]

Pretty sure its in the manual and/or technical docs and that it comes on at 90C

[Gnasher]

Coolant also increases the boiling point compared to just water.

i did not know that 

Basically without it you have a really fast kettle 

The anti freeze does little to raise the boiling point it's because it's a pressurised system that does that. 
 
 
 
 
 

[Jezzer]

Last summer my fazer boiled over sitting in traffic, coolant coming out the overflow pipe before the cooling fan kicked in.  Turned out to be too little antifreeze in the water, was at about 30%.  Now have least 50/50 and no issues with boiling over, cooling fan kicks in fine.


Never seen coolant that colour before, if it looks like oil, and smells like oil

[markaboot]

anti scale, anti freeze, anti corrosion, better heat transfer and higher boiling point, i think at a 50/50 mix you're looking at about 110 c, and at 100% its closer to 200 c. Apparently though its best anti freeze mix is 60-70% if you're looking at frost prevention. Min 25% for anti scale/anti corrosion.
 
What temp does the thermostat open/fan come on and light come on with fazers?

stat opens at 80deg
cant find figures for fan on or engine temp warning

[darrsi]

Last summer my fazer boiled over sitting in traffic, coolant coming out the overflow pipe before the cooling fan kicked in.  Turned out to be too little antifreeze in the water, was at about 30%.  Now have least 50/50 and no issues with boiling over, cooling fan kicks in fine.


Never seen coolant that colour before, if it looks like oil, and smells like oil

A RadFlush would help too, to unclog any blockages.

[DryRob]

If knowing weather you've got oil or water is stopping you from sleeping there's a simple test used in emulsion science that might work called "the drop test":

Get yourself two separate glasses, one containing a bit of water, the other some engine oil that's clean enough to see through. Put a few drops of the mystery solution into each and give them a little shake/stir. The drops should mix into the same type of liquid and that'll be your answer.

[riz]

Thanks, never had the fan on so i thought i'd make sure it worked the other day (had the engine running post fin painting), the rad got hot at about the time i would have expected, but the fan took ages to come on, had my eyes glued to the light!! Nearly gave up but it kicked in the end.

[unfazed]

Thermostat on the  1998 to 2003 FZS 600 starts to open at 80.5 degree C and is fully open at 83.5 degrees C