Coolant top up

[RAMN]

I'm new to Streetbikes and need some help.
Can I just add any coolant to what's already in the bike?

[Soujyu]

Did you check the coolant in the coolant reserve tank? If that's at the correct level, then you do not need to top it up.

Your regular ethylene glycol coolant that you would put in a car will work just fine in the 250R, and that's what the dealer/previous probably put in (since most people will end up draining the coolant in order to do a valve adjustment).

Also, what color is the coolant that was used? (Again, look at the coolant reserve tank.)

[Alex]

If it's just to top up, distilled water will work just as well.

[Snake]

^^^^ Yes, make sure you use distiller water and not tap water.

[CZroe]

According to the manual, no. According to the products themselves? Yes. The manual tells you not to mix brands and to use a very specific type for aluminum engines and such but every label you read will say that it's engineered to be safe to mix and safe for aluminum engines and such. *shrug*

The manual also says to use 90W oil to lube the chain, but who does that?! The argument is always between wax-based vs. other purpose-made lubricants with no consideration for the manual's strange request.

[vkuchhal]

I have a 2010, ninja 250.

I am using the castrol coolant which says incase of topup, use without mixing with distilled water.

Question:

I live in a hot country like India, where the normal temperature ranges from 20-40 degree centigrade. And the main purpose of the coolant is to act as an anti-freeze.(when concentrated) so Do i really require a concentrated coolant in my radiator or can i dilute it with water.???

[Ichiro]

Do not dilute it. Not only does coolant lower the freezing point of water, it also raises the boiling point so follow the instructions.

[CThunder-blue]

Originally Posted by Ichiro

Do not dilute it. Not only does coolant lower the freezing point of water, it also raises the boiling point so follow the instructions.

That was his point though. He wants to raise the boiling point so his bike doesn't over heat. Most coolant in vehicles require a 50/50 mix with water. Pre-mixed solutions are already 50/50 coolant & water. You can go as far as 30/70 coolant/water if you really wanted to. Anything beyond that and the lubrication effects from the coolant begins to diminish. I know road racers who run all distilled water. On the flipside, unless the manual really states to add unmixed concentrated coolant, then that's what you should do. Although I've never seen that. When stores sell unmixed coolant, they expect that the buyers will be mixing in the water themselves. It makes it more cost efficient to the buyer.

[Ichiro]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

That was his point though. He wants to raise the boiling point so his bike doesn't over heat. ...

I'm not sure about that. The way I read his post,he thinks that the main purpose of coolant is to act as "antifreeze" i.e keep the water from freezing.Since he lives in a hot climate, he is not worried about freezing so he thinks he doesn't need as much "antifreeze". As a result, he wants to dilute it contrary to the instructions. I don't think he understands that the coolant acts to raise the boiling point.

[CThunder-blue]

Originally Posted by vkuchhal

I have a 2010, ninja 250.



I live in a hot country like India, where the normal temperature ranges from 20-40 degree centigrade. And the main purpose of the coolant is to act as an anti-freeze.(when concentrated) so Do i really require a concentrated coolant in my radiator or can i dilute it with water.???

Originally Posted by Ichiro

I'm not sure about that. The way I read his post,he thinks that the main purpose of coolant is to act as "antifreeze" i.e keep the water from freezing.Since he lives in a hot climate, he is not worried about freezing so he thinks he doesn't need as much "antifreeze". As a result, he wants to dilute it contrary to the instructions. I don't think he understands that the coolant acts to raise the boiling point.

The way I read it, he points out he lives in a hot environment year round and does not require it to be an anti-freeze so he wants to dilute it to raise the boiling point. Guess we'll have to wait and see how he responds.

[Ichiro]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

The way I read it, he points out he lives in a hot environment year round and does not require it to be an anti-freeze so he wants to dilute it to raise the boiling point. Guess we'll have to wait and see how he responds.

So he thinks you raise the boiling point by diluting the coolant i.e increasing the water to coolant ratio. You don't turn "antifreeze" into "antiboil" by diluting it. If his thinking is correct, pure water would have a higher boiling point than a coolant +water mixture and that is not the case.The same coolant not only lowers the freezing point, but raises the bp of the mix as well so the coolant is just as important in a hot climate as a cold one.

[CThunder-blue]

No, he's not saying he's going to replace the coolant with water. Just that he wants to increase the water ratio of the coolant mixture. If done right, it will raise the boiling point of the mixture.

[vkuchhal]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

That was his point though. He wants to raise the boiling point so his bike doesn't over heat. Most coolant in vehicles require a 50/50 mix with water. Pre-mixed solutions are already 50/50 coolant & water. You can go as far as 30/70 coolant/water if you really wanted to. Anything beyond that and the lubrication effects from the coolant begins to diminish. I know road racers who run all distilled water. On the flipside, unless the manual really states to add unmixed concentrated coolant, then that's what you should do. Although I've never seen that. When stores sell unmixed coolant, they expect that the buyers will be mixing in the water themselves. It makes it more cost efficient to the buyer.

Originally Posted by Ichiro

I'm not sure about that. The way I read his post,he thinks that the main purpose of coolant is to act as "antifreeze" i.e keep the water from freezing.Since he lives in a hot climate, he is not worried about freezing so he thinks he doesn't need as much "antifreeze". As a result, he wants to dilute it contrary to the instructions. I don't think he understands that the coolant acts to raise the boiling point.

Yes i do live in a very hot country, and with the bumper to bumper traffic the bike even gets more hot and the fan is running most of the time.

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

The way I read it, he points out he lives in a hot environment year round and does not require it to be an anti-freeze so he wants to dilute it to raise the boiling point. Guess we'll have to wait and see how he responds.

Originally Posted by Ichiro

So he thinks you raise the boiling point by diluting the coolant i.e increasing the water to coolant ratio. You don't turn "antifreeze" into "antiboil" by diluting it. If his thinking is correct, pure water would have a higher boiling point than a coolant +water mixture and that is not the case.The same coolant not only lowers the freezing point, but raises the bp of the mix as well so the coolant is just as important in a hot climate as a cold one.

That's the point i was looking for... (I thought the coolants only purpose was to work as an anti-freeze and i thought that it never affected the boiling point.)

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

No, he's not saying he's going to replace the coolant with water. Just that he wants to increase the water ratio of the coolant mixture. If done right, it will raise the boiling point of the mixture.

I do not plan to change the coolant with water, but want to know that till what limit it can be diluted with the distilled water.. keeping the boiling poit property intact.

Want to know.. like if 100% water is used . it boils at 100 degree.
if 100% coolant is used.. it boils at ??? degree.
if 30% coolant -70% water is used, it boils at .....??? degrees.


Thanks to all for replying.

[CThunder-blue]

Originally Posted by vkuchhal

I do not plan to change the coolant with water, but want to know that till what limit it can be diluted with the distilled water.. keeping the boiling poit property intact.

Want to know.. like if 100% water is used . it boils at 100 degree.
if 100% coolant is used.. it boils at ??? degree.
if 30% coolant -70% water is used, it boils at .....??? degrees.


Thanks to all for replying.

You can't base cooling effects off just the boiling temp of coolant/water. The cooling system is also a pressurized closed system so that will raise the boiling temp of whatever liquid is inside. Also, even though you may read that a higher antifreeze content would increase the boiling point, it will also diminish it's cooling ability. The purpose of coolant is to absorb heat from the engine and get cooled off when it passed through the radiator.

The boiling point of a 70/30 - coolant/water mixture would be 113 C / 235 F in atmosphere. For a 50/50 mix, it's 106 C / 223 F. However, remember what I said about using too much coolant. You may raise the boiling point of the coolant, but it will also reduce any positive cooling in your system. In the system, the number goes much higher and is dependent on how much pressure is in the system. The pressure is defined by which coolant cap you use.

If you are experiencing high temps, try using a 30/70 - coolant/water mix and a bottle of Redline Water Wetter. I used that mix in my old turbo car and that helped keep it from overheating.

[Ichiro]

Originally Posted by vkuchhal

Yes i do live in a very hot country, and with the bumper to bumper traffic the bike even gets more hot and the fan is running most of the time.





That's the point i was looking for... (I thought the coolants only purpose was to work as an anti-freeze and i thought that it never affected the boiling point.)



I do not plan to change the coolant with water, but want to know that till what limit it can be diluted with the distilled water.. keeping the boiling poit property intact.

Want to know.. like if 100% water is used . it boils at 100 degree.
if 100% coolant is used.. it boils at ??? degree.
if 30% coolant -70% water is used, it boils at .....??? degrees.


Thanks to all for replying.

OK. As I suspected, you didn't understand that the coolant raises the boiling point of the mixture.This explains why you are considering diluting the mixture contrary to the mfg's recommendations.

My simple point is that the manufacturer has considered the effects of dilution on freezing and boiling points and has created a ratio of water to coolant that maximizes the efficiency of the mixture.

Since they have recommended that you not dilute it with water when topping up, my feeling is that if you do dilute it, it will reduce the efficiency of the mixture.

Ultimately you can do whatever you like. I am just saying since I am not a scientist, I would follow the mfg recommendation.

[oroboros]

You could consider an aftermarket oil cooler if you are concerned with running hot. DaBlue1 got one from Thailand.

http://www.ninja250forum.com/forum/i...p?topic=2992.0

[vkuchhal]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

You can't base cooling effects off just the boiling temp of coolant/water. The cooling system is also a pressurized closed system so that will raise the boiling temp of whatever liquid is inside. Also, even though you may read that a higher antifreeze content would increase the boiling point, it will also diminish it's cooling ability. The purpose of coolant is to absorb heat from the engine and get cooled off when it passed through the radiator.

The boiling point of a 70/30 - coolant/water mixture would be 113 C / 235 F in atmosphere. For a 50/50 mix, it's 106 C / 223 F. However, remember what I said about using too much coolant. You may raise the boiling point of the coolant, but it will also reduce any positive cooling in your system. In the system, the number goes much higher and is dependent on how much pressure is in the system. The pressure is defined by which coolant cap you use.

If you are experiencing high temps, try using a 30/70 - coolant/water mix and a bottle of Redline Water Wetter. I used that mix in my old turbo car and that helped keep it from overheating.

Originally Posted by Ichiro

OK. As I suspected, you didn't understand that the coolant raises the boiling point of the mixture.This explains why you are considering diluting the mixture contrary to the mfg's recommendations.

My simple point is that the manufacturer has considered the effects of dilution on freezing and boiling points and has created a ratio of water to coolant that maximizes the efficiency of the mixture.

Since they have recommended that you not dilute it with water when topping up, my feeling is that if you do dilute it, it will reduce the efficiency of the mixture.

Ultimately you can do whatever you like. I am just saying since I am not a scientist, I would follow the mfg recommendation.

Originally Posted by oroboros

You could consider an aftermarket oil cooler if you are concerned with running hot. DaBlue1 got one from Thailand.

http://www.ninja250forum.com/forum/i...p?topic=2992.0

What is Redline Water Wetter??

I think we do not get it in India.

will keep the above points into consideration.
The castrol coolant is very thick and frothy , so thought of adding some water to it, will remember the 70/30 rule.

Any one having idea about how the coolant from motul is? Motucool.. or something?

[CThunder-blue]

Waterwetter is a coolant additive. Sold in just about every US auto parts shop. Not sure about India. Maybe you can get it imported?

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=74&pcid=10

[RAMN]

So I ended up going to my dealer and he said, normaly you can just use the same colour of coolant... ie: If it is green, use another green coolant if it is blue, use blue. One of the differances I was told is one is really toxic and the other isnt... (so if you have a cat, dont let it lick up the green coolant, I hear they really like it for some reason...)

[etiainen]

Originally Posted by CZroe

According to the manual, no. According to the products themselves? Yes. The manual tells you not to mix brands and to use a very specific type for aluminum engines and such but every label you read will say that it's engineered to be safe to mix and safe for aluminum engines and such. *shrug*

The manual also says to use 90W oil to lube the chain, but who does that?! The argument is always between wax-based vs. other purpose-made lubricants with no consideration for the manual's strange request.

I do that

Me loves gear oil

(No seriously I do, it's cheap as hell and works)