Great write-up!!...Another how-to in the books!!...:mosh:

 

Great info! Thank you! :cheers:

Thanks guys.

Question, after you put in the new coolant, do you leave off the coolant cap when you sit the tank back on and run the bike for 3 minutes? Thanks for the excellent write up and the pics....

Leave the cap off, your only running it long enough to get the thermostat open and purge any air out of the system.

 

Great info! Thank you! :cheers:

 

Ok, I changed out my coolant Saturday, so I thought I would go ahead and take some pics along the way.

The bike doesn't need to be on a stand, but it makes things easier to get at.

First thing is to remove the tank. Check out Bassdudes link here. http://www.vtxcafe.com/showthread.php?t=33679&highlight=tank+removal

Then remove the radiator cap.

Remove the left side cover, and left side trans cover.

With a pan under the bike to catch the fluid, remove the cooling system drain bolt, and allow coolant to drain completely.

Reinstall the drain bolt with a new sealing washer.


The manual calls for removing the siphon hose from the overflow tank and draining, but I chose to remove the entire tank and drain and clean. You only have to remove the filler neck, and one mounting bolt. There is a rubber grommet that holds the right side of the tank so don’t lose it.

Pull the tank down as far as possible and then remove the siphon hose and hold your thumb over the inlet while removing it the rest of the way.

Clean and reinstall the overflow tank.

Fill the system with a 1:1 mixture of silicate free ethylene glycol anti-freeze and distilled water up to the filler neck.

Set the tank back on and connect the fuel and vacuum lines and run the bike at idle for 3 minutes. Give the throttle a few rev’s to work any air out of the system.

Top off the coolant at the filler neck, and replace cap.

Fill the overflow tank to the high mark (I used a squeeze bottle and filled it before reinstalling the filler neck) and replace cap.

Wipe everything down, check for leaks, replace side covers and you are ready to roll. :choppersm

If I missed anything or anyone has anything to add feel free.

Question, after you put in the new coolant, do you leave off the coolant cap when you sit the tank back on and run the bike for 3 minutes? Thanks for the excellent write up and the pics....

 

great info..... but it says with pics.... i dont see any pictures with the write up??????

 

Nice write up there. Great pics!!

How much coolant total did you add to the system?

Now when its done this way, does it drain the radiator, block, and hoses as well?

 

Thanks Jstar, you have saved me some money here by showing what you did in pic's! I now feel like I can do this the next time around.

 

very nice write-up!

 

Could of used this two days ago.....very nice write up.

I removed the entire overflow tank as well. I had trouble removing the overflow tank hoses from mine. They refused to come loose and those clamps weren't going anywhere. I ended up disconnecting the overflow filler cap and removing the entire filler tube with the overflow tank still attached.

 

Your timing is great....I have the fluid setting in a box in the garage right now waiting to get the job done. Your write up will help in a big way. Thanks a lot!!

 

EXCELLENT write up. Thanks

 

Nice thread...thanks.

 

now while you have the linkage to the shifter exposed it is also a good time to clean and grease it up with some good lithium grease.

 

Good point Charlie, I did just that, as well as the side stand. Also changed the engine and final drive oil, and several other items.
Installed some passenger grab rails I made up for the wife and daughter also.

Nice write up there. Great pics!!

How much coolant total did you add to the system?

Now when its done this way, does it drain the radiator, block, and hoses as well?

This is per the manual. 2.9 qts for the engine and radiator, .25 qts for the overflow tank.
I assume it drains as much as possible without total disassembly.

 

where did you get the anti freeze and what kind was it?

 

I used Prestone from the local auto parts store. The main thing is make sure it is silicate free so it doesn't damage the water pump, and use distilled water to dilute it.

 

Spot on!!!

 

Excellent write up, maybe put this on the answer to common question thread?

 

Very good write up . . . . . thanks for taking the time to document it. :cheers:

 

great write up and pictures.

 

another one for the bookmark favorites ...
Thanks to all you guys who do these ... brilliant!

 

Also, for those of you with the misfortune of having to have a CA model, you'll need to unbolt (but not remove) the EVAP canister to get at the overflow tank.

 

The pictures are worth a thousand words! Very nice write-up. I called the folks at PEAK last week because their containers did not state if it was silicate free and they told me it was free. The technician I talked to said they have received many calls asking the same and by late summer the containers should state so. This is something I need to do before summer hits....Again, great pictures!

 

I went to several auto stores in my area and could not find one bottle of antifreeze that stated it is silicate free........still looking!!

 

Check out the Prestone Extended Life. It say silicate, borax, phosphate free. It's only the back of the bottle. It is a yellow jug.

 

Great info. Thanks

 

I did mine last year and put Engine Ice in it (replaces the antifreeze). Since I have done that the fan almost never comes on. It is pre-mixed and says that it helps the engine run almost 25 degrees cooler in the summer. FWIW. Great writeup by the way, thanks.

 

How many miles on the bike or how long in time period that I have to do the coolant change. I did not see it mention in the manual service maybe I over look. thanks

 

First of all, thanks for the great tutorial here jstar... I will be doing this as well, I assume that an 1800 is pretty similar in this regard.. Nice write up.

How many miles on the bike or how long in time period that I have to do the coolant change. I did not see it mention in the manual service maybe I over look. thanks

This is my question also.. How often would you have to do this?

I've found that any garage will take it free of charge if you drop it off at night when nobody is looking :icon_susp

Not to hijack this thread, but this is also a great tip. I have found a similar savings with trash disposal.. Convenience stores have big 'ole dumpsters to drop off your stuff after hours. But some locations have camera's, so just be sure to get your "Uni-bomber" hoodie snugged up pretty good and tighten up the velcro on your tenny shoes first.... (I'll try to do a write up with pic's next time I'm out doing a late night dumpster dash... )

 

Terrific pictures and instructions! You're the Man. Thanks for all the hard work.

 

Thanks for the excellent how to post. If anyone out there has RH Dooleys be ready for some extra work with the crossover pipe and the ignition switch. Worth all the extra work and I got her done.