Theres NO coolant in my bike, what should i do ?

[Runner07]

Hi all,

I'm a little worried. I checked my coolant level today after around a year and noticed its bone dry!

Ive been to a few petrol stations just now and they had no distilled water... The bike shop is closed until next week due to referbishment also..

Is there anything i can top it up with just for now?


Any replys will be appreciated..

[Keir]

water for now, this should allow you to go further afield to get some coolant. the damage may already be done though.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
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[Barry_M2]

[Runner07]

[Mr Hammers]

I imagine any DIY place or hardware shop would do distilled water, and forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is 'motorcycle coolant'?
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A Guide To Powerbands

[Ste]

If it's completely dry then don't fill it with just water, cos over night the water will freeze and expand which won't do your cooling system much good!

Pretty much all petrol stations sell coolant, go buy some. Doesn't matter if it's motorcycle coolant or car coolant, they'll all have anti freeze in them and will be about the same anyway.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Runner07]

Ok, so i either get normal coolant or distilled water..

If i get car antifreeze will i need to mix that with distilled water then ?

Coolant is alreadymixed right?

[Ste]

On the side of the bottle it'll have instruction which will tell you what ratio to mix it with water.

Coolant will contain anti freeze, what you buy won't be mixed with distilled water.

Just go to a petrol station and buy some coolant.

[Runner07]

[Ste]

Coolant is coolant, makes no difference if the bottle says it's for cars or bikes.

[Runner07]

[Robby]

For the 5th time, yes, coolant is coolant.

I personally don't worry about distilled water. Coolant contains stuff to inhibit corrosion, so using tap water isn't a problem. Particularly if you change your coolant as often as you're meant to.

If your system is just very low, I would top up with coolant out of that bottle. If it is empty, you'll need a 50/50 mix of coolant and water.

However, if it was empty your engine would have seized, so just top it up with the bottle.

[Runner07]

[Robby]

Well pour some into the container and see, or drain the whole system down and start from scratch - this is what I would do.

The reason I would put neat coolant in is that if you haven't evenr checked it for a year, there is a chance that the coolant is getting old. When coolant gets old it gets less effective as anti freeze - its freezing point rises. Adding more neat coolant will lower the freezing point, however if you run the whole thing on neat coolant it will be too thick.

So, simple steps because you're probably young. Pour in some coolant until it shows at the bottom of the resevoir, then fill from there with 50/50 mix. Should give you a suitably strong mix without being neat.

[Ste]

That's the expansion bottle you're checking. If you undo the cap on top of the radiator is there anything in there? If there's not, try taking one of the hoses off the bottom of the radiator and see if anything comes out?

It's not going to be completely empty. How long since you last checked the coolant? As I'd be wondering where it's all gone.

[Baxendale]

I've had tap water in mine since august, still no problems Tap water is fine, but I'm gonna be dropping some coolant in mine for the winter.

[Robby]

You run tap water with coolant, not just straight tap water. Shouldn't be running straight water of any kind, you'll only corrode your engine innards.

[stinkwheel]

Plus there was a frost at the weekend, down to -5 or6 where I was.

If you have water in your engine without anti-freeze it will freeze and if you are lucky, only burst the radiator. Can burst the engine block.

I wouldn't be using tap water if you are in an area with hard water. Look inside your kettle. If the inside is all covered in yak, don't put your tap water in your bike. If the inside is clean, tap water should be ok.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Finglonga]

Coolant is already pre mixed otherwise it should be called anti-freeze.

As S/W says tap water is fine as long as its soft if your mixing with anti-freeze as it will contain corrosion inhibiter's.
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Andy Sez....
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[Dalemac]

dont forget be careful with coolant - its very toxic and will easily blind you if you manage to get any in your mouth. it can also smell sweet to little kids/ animals so keep it well away from them at all times.

PLus, dont forget to recycle any old coolant if you have any left.
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YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[stinkwheel]

[Dalemac]

[Finglonga]

[veeeffarr]

Don't you have to find coolant compatible with aluminium engines or am I talking bollocks? I imagine quite a few cars have alu engines now so might be a relic of the past...