Coolant

[FFRDave]

I drained some coolant from my 2005 GG ec 250 and noticed that its a colarless opaque fluid rather than the green anti-freez I am used to. This is the first time I have drained coolant since the bike was new about 4 months ago.

Will the Green coolant work OK without doing any damage to my engine or the gaskets ?

Is there anything special about the clear fluid that was in it when new ?

[Dave]

I can't comment on what was in yours, but the green stuff works fine in mine.

[Eric K]

Since you don't know what it is, make sure you thoroughly flush the system. I have heard tales of woe (massive corrosion) resulting from mixing small amounts of incompatible coolants.

[FFRDave]

I called the dealership where I bought the GG ec 250, and they said that it was the anti-freez that came from the factory with the machine. They suggested that I flush it out and use whatever I want.

Now the question is.... What coolant do I want to use?

What coolant are you guys using?

Is Liquid Ice any good?

[GMP]

Flush it out good. Then use a coolant that DOES NOT contain silicate abrasives. Motorcycle specific coolants are fine as is TOYOTA brand automotive coolant. Engine Ice is fine, but not sure how much better than regular coolant. Prestone contains silicates unless they changed it recently. Mix 60/40 distilled water/coolant (unles pre mixed) for best heat transfer. Six capfulls of Red Line Water Wetter also helps heat transfer, but on the 2-stroke GG heat is not a problem. Run a KTM 1.4 bar cap. Last, you can scrap the expansion tank around the steering head for more room and reliability. The system should now be totally trouble free, even it the worst conditions.

[FFRDave]

I have a water softener that has an Ion exchanger.

I think what I will do is fill the waterjacket with just water, and then get the bike all warmed up, and after it cools, I will drain it. Then repete this process a couple times.

I would expect this "soft" water to have better heat transfer characteristics than "hard" water.

What EXACTLY does "Water Wetter" do? Does it take the minerals out of the water (effectively) "softening it?

[onebrow]

Water Wetter is a surfactant (spelling?). It breaks the surface tension of water/coolant allowing it to "wet" the surfaces of metal more effectively therefore removing more heat. Read this paper for a more thorough explanation. www.redlineoil.com/whitePaper/17.pdf .
GMP is correct. Use distilled water (no minerals) and silicate free coolant. Green coolant often (not all brands) contains silicate particles which are intended to abrasively remove cooling system build-ups of rust and scale. Silicate particles can harm the delicate aluminum surfaces inside your Gasser's cooling system. Use the KTM rad cap.

[cladoo]

I rode yesterday, 3.5 hr- 74km ride very technical and lots of climbing. A couple of long climbs my rad overflow was spewing. The other bikes didn't do this at all. Why would mine?

[jeffd]

You might want to provide a little more detail - like what were the other bikes? Do all of the other riders weigh about the same as you do?

Provided you don't outweigh your friends by 30 pounds. A couple of things come to mind...

1. You might be running a little lean - maybe your float level is low, etc.

2. If you have an older gasgas - they have a composite water pump impeller that can "decompose" and lose its effectiveness. LT-Racing makes a high volume metal impeller.

3. If you were riding with KTMs, they come with a higher pressure radiator cap.

4. Fuel mileage can vary 20% from rider to rider - you may have been more aggressive than your friends.

5. Are you running radiator guards that obstruct airflow through the radiators?

6. Maybe your water level was high to start off with - do you have an EC with the expansion tank?


jeff

[skid jackson]

Honda makesa 50 50 premix for bikes. Just dump it in. Dealer is close by so thats what i run. Make sure things like engine ice also act as anti freeze if you plan to keep it in there over the winter. Think i read somewhere that some are not.