3 X DI Water Flush To Clear Old Coolant and Honda Coolant Install 2014 S10 ES

[Harry Dresden PI]

Just completed a DI water flush of my 2014 S10. I did not replace the copper washer on the drain 8mm head drain screw.

I found out that a total of three DI water flushes were required to removal all the color from the system flush. (See Photos)

Hardest part of the coolant replacement is taking off the left cowling to get to the radiator cap. (As long as you have a syphon and funnels)

 

[Harry Dresden PI]

Re: Coolant DI Water Flush and Honda Coolant Install 2014 S10 ES

More Photos

 

[Cycledude]

With only a 1.9 quart antifreeze capacity it's no surprise the Tenere cooling system has a hard time keeping up in hot weather.

 

[snakebitten]

I get what you are saying but down here in Texas, it gets pretty hot and I never felt like it had a "hard time keeping up".

Are you saying it should never need that fan to come on? Because it is true that if you aren't moving air through that radiator the fan eventually has to create some flow to "keep up".
But that's a good thing!

 

[markjenn]

Just in case there is a misunderstanding that the flushing is required because of the change of coolant brands, the Honda coolant and the stock S10 coolant are the same chemistry, so there is no mandatory need to do repeated flushes - they're completely compatible. (Coolants these days are dyed all sorts of different colors, so the color doesn't mean much.) Nothing wrong with flushing though - I usually do it once or twice with garden hose water, then fill with mixture of coolant and distilled water. The Honda coolant is good stuff and readily available, albeit like most motorcycle-specific products, a bit pricey. But you don't use much.

- Mark

 

[WJBertrand]

I think the cooling system does a pretty good job of keeping up. 80 MPH through Nevada at 115+F and the temp hung right in there at 160-170F. When stopped in traffic I saw it creep up to around 225F but that was before I had the ECU reflashed. The reflash lowered the fan-on temperature signal to 205F and it goes off again around 195F. I've not see it go above that point since the reflash in spite of those ambient temperatures.

 

[tomatocity]

Just read http://www.waterandmorehub.com/deionized-water-vs-distilled-water/ the difference of Deionized water (DI water) and Distilled water. I can see that DI is much cleaner and much more expensive. Did a quick Google search https://www.amazon.com/ACME-ANALYTICAL-DEIONIZED-WATER-GALLON/dp/B001DB4ULU and $21.95 a gallon was the cheapest.

Having never used DI water. What is the drawback of using Distilled water?

 

[WJBertrand]

You can get cheap DI water at the super market, coupla bucks a gallon. You don't need analytical grade water for a cooling system. Better yet just buy the pre-mixed coolant and save yourself the hassle. Having said that either distilled or deionized water will do. The difference is DI water is produced via a reverse osmosis process whereas true distilled water is actually boiled to vapor in one container of a still and then condensed into a clean container. This leaves all the non-volatile solids behind in the boiler. Typically for household water DI will be a bit cheaper than distilled.

 

[tomatocity]

I have been using distilled water for many of my 69 years. Knew of RO water but don't see it much. Had not heard of DI water being used in automotive uses. I will continue to using distilled water for flushing the cooling system and premixed coolant. Getting the 22,000 mile Tenere ready for a couple 5,000 mile trips this summer.

Jeff, read the first link I posted. I was surprised of the differences in DI, RO, and distilled water. Especially price.

 

[2daMax]

With only a 1.9 quart antifreeze capacity it's no surprise the Tenere cooling system has a hard time keeping up in hot weather.

Not quite true. In think it works great. I live near the equator and can say that the cooling system is more than capable. Compared to the versys, the fan doesn't turn on as quickly and the Versys 650 also uses 2l of coolant. Fan turns on at 105C and the temps will drop to 99 before it turns off and it is capable of doing this all the time under hot climate conditions. If the temps rises above 105C n never drops then it is considered incapable...like my friend's KTM 990 SMT. Have to shut off the engine to prevent overheating and at the same time the battery was weak. We were stuck in Traffic.

I am planning to flush the radiator n fill with Toyota Long Life, the red stuff. Also will add in some Motul MoCool to get better wetting. Since I never face freezing conditions, it would be 70:30 water to coolant mix to take advantage of the water's better ability to remove heat.

 

[ace50]

With regular fluid changes, I've never seen a dirty radiator, only neglected ones which required flushing.
I never flush anymore as there is always a residual amount of water left in the sys which then changes the ratio of coolant to water.
I just change it out. I've used Amsoil brand for years now and never have problems with any of my vehicles. 2 or 4 wheel.
I use their oil in my 4 wheeled (extended intervals) but not in 2, as it seems the clutch requires more frequent changes.

 

[RED CAT]

Good Thread. Thanks guys. Just about to do mine for the first time.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I have been using distilled water for many of my 69 years. Knew of RO water but don't see it much. Had not heard of DI water being used in automotive uses. I will continue to using distilled water for flushing the cooling system and premixed coolant. Getting the 22,000 mile Tenere ready for a couple 5,000 mile trips this summer.

Jeff, read the first link I posted. I was surprised of the differences in DI, RO, and distilled water. Especially price.

+1
I either use distilled or pre-mix.

 

[Cycledude]

My Tenere 1.9 quart cooling system works great on the road or around town even at 80+ outside temperatures, but off road in hot weather the cooling system has a hard time keeping up.

 

[2daMax]

Had the coolant changed after 10k km in the bike. Wasn't sure if the 1.9l of fluids would all come out so I measured the amount that came out. Yep...all 1.9l came out including the ones at the expansion tank. I use a shampoo bottle pump to get the fluids out from the tank. Didn't want to mess with how to get the tank out.

Here r the tools I use:
1. 8mm hex socket for drain plug with wrench
2. Small funnel to get in the tight space between fender n fuel tank. I remove the top 2 screws of the fender n 2 rear side screws of the left side panel. No need to fully dismantle the side panel.
3. Bucket to catch old coolant
4. Shampoo bottle pump to extract fluids from expansion tank.
5. Measuring cup. I like to be precise.

I opt for Toyota Long life coolant, the red stuff. 100ml of Motul Mocool. Reversed Osmosis water. 3 parts water to 1 part coolant. Never freezes here where I stay n with more dilution it will cool better.

After draining n removing as much as I can from the ex tank, I pour in tap water about 2x to remove the remnants. Next, closed the drain plug n pour in abt 1.9l of water. Right about 1.7l I noticed the ex tank was being filled. Ex tank cap was in open position. Glad it did that caus it would be some effort to fill the tank in tight space. Now that I know it takes 1.9l to completely fill back up, I went ahead to mix the coolant, RO water n Mocool n poured back in after draining out the radiator n tank.

Noticed the cap is Den so made and rated at 1.1 kPa I presumed. Making mental notes in case I HV to replace it someday. There is no need to run the engine to drive out stuck fluids in side the engine. I believe 99% of it just drains out.

 

[mbabc]

Great info thread. Simple enough to do seems like.

 

[taskmaster86]

Good stuff. I flushed my coolant at the beginning of this season. The Yamaha fluid was 5 years old and had about 7,000 miles on it. It took 2 flushes to get it completely clean. I replaced the fluid with Peak Long Life universal coolant plus I added some Lube-Gard Kool-It to the mix. I did not replace the crush washer either.

 

[spam16v]

In the Audi, Porsche & VW dealers we used de-stilled water. When it gets still, we shake it so it’s de-stilled again.

 

[taskmaster86]

In the Audi, Porsche & VW dealers we used de-stilled water. When it gets still, we shake it so it’s de-stilled again.

LOL. One of the many reasons to never go to a dealer for anything, much less service.

In reality, as long as you are not using rock hard well water, you will probably be OK. Quality coolants have scale and corrosion inhibitors in them.

That being said, most motorcycles including this one take so little coolant that it makes no sense to buy straight coolant and mix it yourself. Just buy the ready to use stuff and be done with it.

 

[spam16v]

The same goes for every dealer and every shop. I challenge anyone to go to a shop, automotive or otherwise, dealer or independent and ask to see their distilled water supply. Only time I’ve ever used it is when supplied along with unicorn blood fluids for exotic customers who read too much on Internet forums.

LOL. One of the many reasons to never go to a dealer for anything, much less service.