Checking coolant for frost "allowance"

[BLUEJAY]

Hi Gents,
since I am planning to use my 650GS also sometime through the winter, when temperatures might drop well below freezing (-10 is not uncommon) I would like to know what's the easiest way to check my coolant for the minimum outside temp it can go.

I'd guess I need to take the left panel off and go from there....

Thnx
Cheers

 

[cookie]

i'd use a special hydrometer to test the coolant, or possibly just replace the lot with a known anti freeze mix.

depends how long existing coolant has been in there really.

 

[Paul90]

Hi,
If you are any doubt I would flush it out and replace with either ready mixed coolant or decent antifreeze mixed with distilled water.

If the coolant stays in for too long it can lose the anti-corrosion properties and also tends to deposit gel / sludge which can easily start to block smaller pipes, etc.

It's cheap enough, just replace it. There are a few long-life anti freeze products out there now ~10 years. I'm not sure if I trust those yet but I have them on test in a few vehicles


Paul

 

[BLUEJAY]

For the records....I have bought my bike in December 2003.

I was planning on using one of those kind of "siringe-like" used for cars, on which it's possible to read the lowest temperature the coolant can handle.

 

[wessie]

For the records....I have bought my bike in December 2003.

I was planning on using one of those kind of "siringe-like" used for cars, on which it's possible to read the lowest temperature the coolant can handle.

I've used an ordinary medical syringe before now. At the time we had a smallholding with livestock. Therefore we had quite a few syringes knocking about for various veterinary purposes.

The method I used was use the syringe to suck out some coolant from the vehicle and place this coolant into a small container: a washed out yoghurt pot is ideal. Wedge the container into a corner of your freezer. Leave it overnight. If there is no sign of gel or crystals by morning you at least know that your coolant will resist frost to -18C. On a bike this would be fine for me: at that sort of temperature the bike would be safely tucked up inside my garage.

 

[Paul90]

Bluejay,
If it were my bike and the same coolant had been in there since 2003 I'd probably change it. Many manufacturers specify 2 years.

If you check the anti-freeze (take some out and put in a domestic freezer should be about -20degC ?) I think it will almost certainly not go solid and therefore still protect the bike from freezing up BUT it will not tell you how much corrosion is going on inside the engine.

Preventing the coolant from going solid as the temperature falls in only part of what the anti-freeze is designed to do.

Paul

 

[Paul90]

Great minds think alike ?

 

[wessie]

Bluejay,
If it were my bike and the same coolant had been in there since 2003 I'd probably change it. Many manufacturers specify 2 years.

If you check the anti-freeze (take some out and put in a domestic freezer should be about -20degC ?) I think it will almost certainly not go solid and therefore still protect the bike from freezing up BUT it will not tell you how much corrosion is going on inside the engine.

Preventing the coolant from going solid as the temperature falls in only part of what the anti-freeze is designed to do.

Paul

I agree with the last part of your post about corrosion etc. I've only used that method when dealing with a vehicle of unknown heritage e.g. after purchasing a used vehicle. It's a stop-gap measure to ensure an engine does not freeze whilst you find enough tuits to do a proper service.