| Author | Message | ||
     Sl33py |
Looks like hasn't been discussed in a while, so i'll chime in w/ my recent experience. PNW Uly and I did a coolant refresh hang-out this weekend. Again it's great to have a buddy to wrench with and lend a hand. Goes a TON faster. Started following the directions in the Service Manual:   Here's the left side pod/radiator hose we skipped 
Damned if i know what small sweatshop child could reach up to disconnect the Left Radiator hose (at bottom above oil cooler). Maybe a specially trained HD monkey can do it, but we decided it was likely going to be a bitch to pull of, and who knows how bad it would be to try and get it back on later. Option 2 (what i did) was to not mess with the left pod, and instead flush it until it ran clear then add the appropriate amount of coolant at the end. A lot of start - stop - drain, repeat. Total capacity is apparently around 3-3.2L, so used that amount to determine coolant to add. Went with Amsoil Coolant Boost instead of Water Wetter. I know it does not provide any freezing protection and am comfortable running it this summer and might add glycol AF in the fall before it gets too cold. Stored in garage and should be fine even when it does get a bit cooler. Of course lessons learned - besides the left pod radiator hose PITA, my aftermarket exhaust header is perfectly positioned to block the drain plug... So an 8mm and lots of burned fingers to loosen 1/128th of a turn at a time... TINFOIL! Genius stuff, and worked almost perfectly to help route the draining AF to the pan. I meant to get a pic of mine and how i wrapped it up under the drain to help keep it from running down the case. Still did a bit of course, but much much cleaner than without the tinfoil. once up to temp or draining - leaving the radiator cap on the radiator keeps crap out of it. Was super windy that day and a lot of junk blowing around - had to fish some small bits out of hot coolant on occasion and recommend this unless you are in a clean area w/ no wind. 2 oz of Coolant Boost per Quart for the right mix says the bottle. (3.2L = 3.38q) so did 6oz and a smidge extra. Plan to shoot for 10% glycol in the fall - so i'll drain 320ml (10.8oz) and replace w/ 50/50 glycol. First day riding it into work, and much cooler than the 80-90's last week, but top temps on commute were 166 at speed, and 173 in some light stop-go traffic. The ride home in warmer weather and heavier traffic will really show how much it helps. A final item that was nearly invaluable - a big ass syringe.  I use a small one to help drain DOT4 from reservoir when doing brakes, ordered this ahead of time and ridiculously helpful to pull a bit of coolant before it overflows, and add it back when it burps! Also used it w/ some hose to suck up the Coolant Boost from the bottle to measure 2 x 3oz. Genius. I know it's been done, and someone has a slightly faster way that uses a hose to flush, but this worked well for me and wanted to share the experience. Hopefully help the next guy who wants to do this and help cool the bike now that it's getting hot out there! Rob | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Another great, informative write-up, Rob. Fun wrenching with you and look forward to the next project - - frame insulation. . . Paul | ||
| Sl33py |
Hotest i've seen so far has been 177 in medium traffic. Definitely hasn't been as hot as last week in the 80's here (and crappy traffic). Will update with how it does when it's a bit hotter out again, and next time stuck in traffic at same time. Here's the coolant boost, with a "straw" to make it easy to pull out the right amount and measure in the syringe:  "straw" is some 1/4" or 5/32 fuel line i had handy. HTH! |
