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Coolant poll

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Posted by: mudpack---------------------

From what I see in the shop, engine coolant is the most frequently overlooked component on a water-cooled dirt bike.
The factory recommends changing it every two years.

How often do you change yours?


Posted by: Simmons1---------------------

I changed it on my 98 when I bought it earlier this year. I am guessing the last time it had been changed was 5 or 6 years ago when the piston was changed. With the amount the bike gets used the next time it gets changed will be when it needs a piston or water pump maintenance.

I have always wondered why if automotive anti-freeze will go many years and 100K miles, that bikes need to be changed every 2 years.

The coolant in my 80K mile 1999 ZX11 street bike has been changed twice since I bought the the bike new. I have had no cooling or water pump issues.


Posted by: _JOE_---------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by Simmons1
I changed it on my 98 when I bought it earlier this year. I am guessing the last time it had been changed was 5 or 6 years ago when the piston was changed. With the amount the bike gets used the next time it gets changed will be when it needs a piston or water pump maintenance.

I have always wondered why if automotive anti-freeze will go many years and 100K miles, that bikes need to be changed every 2 years.

The coolant in my 80K mile 1999 ZX11 street bike has been changed twice since I bought the the bike new. I have had no cooling or water pump issues.



Coolant is also a lubricant for the cooling system. Old antifreeze must only be an issue on KDXs? Most bikes come apart for top end maintenance long before the coolant has degraded.

Have you ever seen Dex-cool antifreeze(orange GM) after 100k? Usually looks like a combination of coffee and mud. The length of service depends on how the coolant reacts with the metals and it's rate of break down.

Be sure to use coolant for aluminum engines as the regular green stuff will corrode your engine.








I change mine when I service the top end, at least every other year. Sometimes multiple times a season. Usually at about 20hrs run time.


Posted by: magicass---------------------

Mine overheats so much it is on constant replenishment, I can't imagine there is anything left of the original, but I do change it every two years as well. Good advice about aluminum engine appropriate coolant. Dispose of the old stuff correctly, for the pets and the environment.


Posted by: reepicheep---------------------

Who takes coolant for recycling? I've tried to find places for both coolant and brake fluid, but I get answers ranging from "we don't take it" to "well, if you mixed it with the oil you are bringing in, I wouldn't know it, would I?"...


Posted by: d rockwell---------------------

I had the same problem because I like to ride tight single track that you seldom get going fast enough to cool the motor. Than a friend told me about EVANS NPGR Race Coolant. The boiling point is 400 degrees F at 7psi! You've got all winter to empty ALL the old coolant out and dry out the system. I've been using the same stuff now for 3 years! Great Product! Google it for the closest dealer....It's worth every penny!


Posted by: Simmons1---------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by _JOE_

Have you ever seen Dex-cool antifreeze(orange GM) after 100k? Usually looks like a combination of coffee and mud. The length of service depends on how the coolant reacts with the metals and it's rate of break down


I change mine when I service the top end, at least every other year. Sometimes multiple times a season. Usually at about 20hrs run time.


I have never owned a GM product or any other that had orange antifreeze in it, so I have no experience with DexCool.

I use Honda Premixed coolant designed for Aluminum Engines in my 3 water cooled bikes. I buy it at Honda Car dealers by the gallon. It used to be green and is now blue in color. Its great stuff.

My KDX is plated and gets used as a trail bike and is ridden around town some which is a pretty easy service life. I still can't see antifreeze being worn out/depleted in two years with the low mileage our bikes accumulate.


Posted by: SS109---------------------

On my cars I change coolant once a year and the same with bikes. It is cheap insurance to make sure to keep corrosion to a minimum and the lubrication at its peak.


Posted by: reepicheep---------------------

When I did the KDX-220 rebuild for a friend, the water pump was full of this nasty silly putty like stuff. No idea what was in there that caused it, but it took forever to clean out...


Posted by: pdiddy---------------------

Change the coolant every 2 years in my bike. Its cheap and easy so why not?


Posted by: mudpack---------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by SS109
On my cars I change coolant once a year and the same with bikes. It is cheap insurance to make sure to keep corrosion to a minimum and the lubrication at its peak.

This is excellent advice. The corrosion inhibitors in coolant get depleted with the bike just sitting there.
Both Honda and Kawasaki recommend changing the coolant on an unsold bike after two years, even if it's never been run.
(That said, it's a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do thing...)
Mud



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