Just go the rad back from being repaired....but its been years if not decades since I changed or refilled a bike system...... What coolants do you use....pal of mine said don't mix the blue and green (which mine was)....do you empty all fluids completely is that possible ? or is it ok to refill just rad ? what is the right mix ? and how do you check levels ?? 2008 blade
I changed mine green to pink, I flushed it a couple of times with water then changed to pink..... reason, pink has a 5 year life for the corrosion inhibitor. as against 2 or 3. As far as filling it up, its a right mess on, squeezing pipes and revving it up to get the air out, its patience and keeping at it. Mike.
if you're doing it by the book it must be silicate free. Drain the old stuff out and flush with distilled water, you can not drain the rad unless you remove it I used Castrol GP coolant, its the stuff they use and sell in the dealerships. It's pre mixed so easy peasy
I also used the pre mixed stuff it's a lot easier than having to find distilled water a and mix it. Bleeding the system is a bit if a pain as said above I can post the steps out of manual for you tomorrow if you like. Make sure your routing of clutch cable is correct between radiator and frame as it can stop large fan from kicking in, there's a slot cut out for cable If you look.
I'd look at Evans waterless coolant in your position, you'll need their flushing fluid first but supposed to be top notch! Both Arthur and lambchops and a few others here use it. Will be what I change mine to when I come round to changing my coolant hoses
I'm far from sure this is the official way of doing the job, but I emptied the system from the water pump drain bolt, nipped the bolt again then refilled it with tap water, ran the bike for two minutes, or until Stat opens, emptied it again, filled it............ you get the picture. until the water was completely clear. Then I refilled with distilled and antifreeze. I used filtered rain water as it was Sunday and couldn't get to the shop. You have to do the squeezing pipes, shaking the bike, tapping with a pig skin mallet, revving (Make sure the thermostat opens to get full circulation), etc. I gave up when no more bubbles appeared at the pressure cap. I checked it weekly for a month, didn't need topping. Seems fine. I'm a bit fanatical with engine temp tho. its worth doing You feel great with the lovely new clean fluid running through your girls veins. Good luck, Mike.
To help any air that may be stuck in the system out it's an idea to get the front wheel in the air a bit. If you have an incline by your garage use this or a bike ramp into a van, you get the idea. Run the bike until thermostat opens which is around 85c. You'll know it's opened when the temp drops again into the high 70s. Rev it a few times to get the coolant really moving and any air should should work it's way to the rad.
shaking bike,lifting front wheel,pinching pipes??? just run the bike with the rad cap off until the stat opens,this will get any air out.
i changed over the winter to the Evans coolant and its been nothing but worry since. Im sure its great stuff and its not supposed to boil blah blah but if I leave the bike running, the fan comes on at 106 as always, but the temp just keeps rising! I've seen it sitting 112-115 with the fan never going off. I called Evans and they said not to worry as the bike will run a little hotter. On the road its rock solid at 79-80 as was with the standard coolant. Its something I'm always worried about so it may get the bung this winter..
I agree with Scooby too .... I changed my hoses to Samco and used what my dealer recommended and uses, then ran the bike with the rad cap off till up to temp and waited till there were no more bubbles then cap on I have used this method for years now on various bikes and cars with no hassles or overheating
anyone recommend a good samco supplier and the best coolant to suit an rr8 blade, found a chafed hose tonight and already had coolant change on the agenda. Now looks like hoses too..
I use Evans in both my bikes fantastic stuff! never have overheating issues, the rad fan cools the bike fine Gilesy very odd yours does not.. Does run slightly hotter than stock but is more stable. Its also fill and forget you never have to ever change your coolant again! Highly recommended.
+1 with Scooby on the bleeding with cap open - rev it a few times once getting up to temp and you'll see when the air is out. Just make sure you turn the bike off once it gets to the required temp and remember it will be hot! I use Silkolene Mag Cool (superseded Pro Cool). Both are made for bikes and are silicate free - this is important otherwise you risk knacking your water pump. Comes premixed, 50:50 with distilled water so easy peasy. If you don't know what's already in it or its different to what you're putting in, I'd flush through a couple of times with distilled water (I got 10L for £10 on eBay) first then once running clear fill with the coolant. Once you come round to replacing fluid again in future just stick with what you put it and shouldn't be any need to flush it through again. The biggest pain is waiting for it to cool in between flushing!
