How to keep coolant temp down?

OK Are there any additives to keep the coolant temp down?

Should I purchase a larger fan? A fan with more blades, Another rad altogether?


Whats the best solution....The autoparts place suggested I used something called water wetter...but I dont think it will do more than standard coolant....

 

There's a product on the market called Water Wetter, which gets high praise from some users on various auto forums and whatnot. It should be available at performance shops like Mopac, and possibly NAPA, PartsSource and so on.

I haven't tried it myself however.Have you tried flushing your cooling system with something like Prestone power flush? It's meant to remove buildup, scaling etc.

 

I didnt flush but I changed the coolant....What I am going to do is to add additional cooling like one of those extra large PC fans that happen to also be 12 volt.

Water Wetter is detergent and coolant colored pink and all it does is reduces surface tension...sounds like it doesn't do enough and I don't like to add any crap to either my oil or certainly not my coolant.

I am leaning to checking my Rad cap as it may be leaking as well.

 

+1 for adding a fan... I did that, got a cheap one off ebay, bolted it onto front of the radiator and rigged it to a manual toggle switch so I can turn it on when I feel the need... certainly helped me...

 

I would just wire it into the old fan...I don't think it would be much of a load on the system but I could be wrong...In any case...I'll add a fuse as well..

 

sounds good to me... I'll be honest, I wanted it on a toggle cuz 1) I liked havin' control over it, and 2) I think flight switches are the business =P

 

Davey, didnt you have a coolant leak (not all the way on cap) last week? Air in the system will def cause the bike to overheat/run hot... are you having problems with overheating?

 

I think I read somewhere (this needs verification) that water transfers heat better than ethylene glycol. So, if the allowable range is from 40% to 60% ethylene glycol, running at 40% would help cooling a little better.

 

Sure your fan is going on ??

No one else needs to fit a larger or different fan, so why you ??? Something is wrong you haven't found yet.

You're in Canada, Bunkie, where most people eat seal blubber, so how hot can it get , eh ??

Just guesses, but i think your cooling system isn't 100% full or your fan switch is defective or your thermostat is bad or the temp sender is faulty.

 

check your system out first. do a flush then make sure is full . check your fan as well ..is it coming on?

 

I agree with Squirrel. Here's the thing...you can add all the gizmo's and magical mystery fluids you want and if something's wrong with the system, they won't work. A good original equipment operating cooling system is all you should need.

 

Didnt have blubber today so I can think....Nope...replaced the temp sending unit on the thermostat, The fan is working and there is enough coolant, finally...
I would replace the fanswitch with one that turns on a little lower...bikes always seem to run too hot...

Now if you have the eichlin part number that would be gold????

 

So why not try a manual switch in parallel with stock thermoswitch ??

That way you're in control and can switch on whenever you first see a hot condition approaching, like slow traffic or a long stoplight .


Also make sure your radiator fins are not bent and blocking airflow, same with oil cooler.

If wiring was ever messed with, your fan could be trying to blow air forward (wrong way) instead of back ??

 

good advice, thanks ....I straightened all the fins I could possibly do on both the oil cooler and the rad...I fixed the fan it appears the fan shroud was the problem...so straightened that puppy out!!

I would ideally like a thermoswitch that sends a signal earlier to the fan...to start cooling sooner..>Contrary to what you guys in the US may think ...it's actually quite warm here in the season..I also don't like manual cause I had one on the vf1000 and always left it on....very forgetful yes...so that's out...

 

In my opinion its not enough and all i remember is cooling issues with every bike I have ever owned in warm weather......Shitzuki, KAwabungasaki, Yourmamaha, All had insuffcient cooling..

 

Daveyto...some of these guys should consult a map. Where I live in MN is actually further North than Toronto. My experience with the 7 different liquid cooled bikes I've owned (includiing a 91 VFR750) is no problems at all, aside from a blown fan motor fuse on my ST1100 that caused me a bit of concern at 105F through Las Vegas during rush hour. I'm a full time tech, and cooling system problems are really not that common.

 

You are correct about water carrying more heat. Anti-freeze is just that, anti-FREEZE. It also raises the boiling point of the mixture, and contains corrosion inhibitors. Additives like "water wetter" and so on help, but lots of the problems can be as easily solved by finding a fan temp switch ten or so degrees cooler. One of the summer issues is that it takes a certain temp differential between the radiator (and the coolant in it) and the air to get a reasonable amount of heat transfer. If you're riding in 100 degree temps, the motor will run hotter than at 80 degrees air temp. it's just physics...