Bleeding the radiator

[Michelle]

Hi everyone

I am changing the coolant soon so I thought I would change the fan at the sametime..
Just getting everything together now.... Fan is on its way...

So my question is ,, the manual says ,, fill with coolant through rad cap and tilt bike a little to the right ,, with bleed screw open..
Is that it ???..
The reason why I ask is because on an old post on here the guy says ,, let bike get hot then bleed air ,, I don,t get it... Manual says different unless I am reading it wrong..

I know how to drain it ,, that is easy and I know I have to flush it as well ,, its really just the bleeding of the rad I do not understand...

Any advice chaps I would be grateful .....

 

[Diploman]

Michelle, Bleeding air from a hot radiator sounds like a very dangerous piece of advice. Whatever you do with a radiator, conventional wisdom says you must do it when the radiator/engine are cool. You most certainly don't want to be dealing with hot coolant under pressure.

You are prudent to change the fan and coolant now, before any problems occur. Once you have flushed the old coolant from the system, fill the radiator/hoses with your new coolant via the rad cap. As the manual says, tilt the bike slightly to the right while the bleeder valve on the left side of the rad is open. This maneuver will raise the level of the coolant on the left side and cause any remaining air to migrate out of the valve. Tap hoses and radiator with a rubber mallet or piece of wood to encourage bubbles to flow upwards out of the system towards the bleeder valve. When coolant begins to flow from the bleeder valve, the radiator is full. Screw the valve shut, and twist on the radiator cap. Fill the overflow reservoir to the halfway mark. You are then good to go.

 

[isaac_]

Picture of said bleeder valve?


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[Fasteddy]

In this instance the manual is correct. Do it cold! Another tip is to squeeze the lower radiator hose repeatedly to pump air out as you top off the radiator.

 

[Wa2fst]

The easiest way to bleed any rad is to fill it cold put the cap back on. Fill the overflow bottle to the min line. Then cap it also. Run bike till fan comes on or bike is definitely wam. While running loosen radiator bleed screw a couple turns you will hear air hissing keep it open till fluid drips out tighten. Your done. Do not remove the bleed screw.

 

[isaac_]

In this instance the manual is correct. Do it cold! Another tip is to squeeze the lower radiator hose repeatedly to pump air out as you top off the radiator.

View attachment 4037

Huh... I never noticed that. I usually top it off, shake the bike side to side, pump the lower rad hose and call it a day.

 

[nhenneman]

Even after diligent removal of air bubbles I've found my coolant was a bit low probably due to some hidden bubbles. It's worthwhile to check reservoir tank again to see where level is at after a few days of riding, and top it off accordingly.

 

[Michelle]

Thank you kindly everyone ,, I feel much better about bleeding my rad now.... Wa2fsf that is handy to know ,, I tried that today and air came out so I just nipped it up when the coolant came out...
There must have been air trapped in there all this time...

So today my fan came but when I put the number in you guys order for your fan ,, we can not get that over here ,, so I am 99.9% sure this is the same fan

Silly question I know but I take it red is live and the black is earth ,, I will get that fitted on the weekend... I am putting EI in so I will flush it 3 times and I will probably go for a little ride with the last flush in to clean it out before I put the Engine Ice in....

Well I fitted my new chain today DID ZVM-X but even with a brand new chain there is a tight spot and slack spots peas me off a bit cos it cost a lot of money....

Thank you chaps for your super help ,,,, mmmmmmmmm I can seeeeeeeee the weekend coming...........