Coolant swapped out on my 2010 RT Spyder

[peterRT]

Hi Spyderlovers", I checked my coolant level in my RT 2010 Spyder yesterday and it was below the Max mark on the reservoir so I swapped it out drained the cooling system as per workshop manual. The manual said the Spyder holds 3.2 Litres {0.8 Gallon} I put 3.2 litres in the Spyder, then took it for a ride and it was at Max Mark on reservoir before I took it for the ride. When I checked it this morning, it was below the Max mark on the coolant reservoir. I took it for a ride today after adding 10 fluid ounces of coolant in the reservoir today and when I got back the level is still the same. Is this normal?

Regards Peter

[Peter Aawen]

Unless the engine was running when you refilled the cooling system with coolant, there's a good chance you've caught an air pocket of air inside the block somewhere & that's why you've now blown some of the coolant out of the expansion tank/overflow bottle - that would've happened normally/naturally & quite oroperly while you were ryding & the coolant got hot but the air trapped inside got hotter & expanded more, so it overflowed & once everything cooled down again, the coolant level is now a tad low!

To make sure you've got rid of those air pockets, you've gotta purge or 'burp' the cooling system. Do that by taking the overflow cap off, & then running the engine at fast idle for at least 30 mins or so until the coolant expands & the thermostat has cycled open & shut at least once, making sure you keep the overflow bottle above the 'fill' mark while you do this - if there are biggish bubbles of air still working their way out, keep it running for another 10-15 mins! Once all the big bubbles of air have purged or you've 'burped' your Spyder properly, you can top the coolant up & put the overflow bottle cap back on.

But even then, the coolant will find its own level! As you ryde & the coolant gets hot/expands, any excess will fill & then overflow OUT of the drain pipe on the expansion tank if that's necessary, basically letting it vent to avoid splitting the radiator. Once you stop the engine & everything cools down again, the expansion tank will let coolant be sucked out of there in order to keep the radiator topped up - and that's fine just so long as the level in the expansion/overflow tank doesn't fall below the 'Low' mark.... anything over that is fine & perfectly normal! And if you keep filling it up to the Max level while it's cold, there's a good chance that running it long enough to cycle the thermostat a couple of times will blow enough coolant out of the tank to make you worried about coolant loss - needlessly really, just so long as the level doesn't drop below the 'Low' marker!

Good Luck!

[Bfromla]

There are some funny curves in the radiator hoses too so you prolly had a air bubble caught somewhere & needed pressure to move it around. Can be a pain but least your aware & checking. Be sure to carry a gallon of water or fluid and a funnel around with you if it acts up on you, be ready When my thermostat went out my temp gauge would slowly get to the 5bars normal, then suddenly JUMP to 7bars & limp mode would kick in
Thankfully was all covered by warranty but still sucked till was fixed.

[peterRT]

Hi Aawen", thanks for that information, I will try that tomorrow after work or on sunday

regards Peter

Unless the engine was running when you refilled the cooling system with coolant, there's a good chance you've caught an air pocket of air inside the block somewhere & that's why you've now blown some of the coolant out of the expansion tank/overflow bottle - that would've happened normally/naturally & quite oroperly while you were ryding & the coolant got hot but the air trapped inside got hotter & expanded more, so it overflowed & once everything cooled down again, the coolant level is now a tad low!

To make sure you've got rid of those air pockets, you've gotta purge or 'burp' the cooling system. Do that by taking the overflow cap off, & then running the engine at fast idle for at least 30 mins or so until the coolant expands & the thermostat has cycled open & shut at least once, making sure you keep the overflow bottle above the 'fill' mark while you do this - if there are biggish bubbles of air still working their way out, keep it running for another 10-15 mins! Once all the big bubbles of air have purged or you've 'burped' your Spyder properly, you can top the coolant up & put the overflow bottle cap back on.

But even then, the coolant will find its own level! As you ryde & the coolant gets hot/expands, any excess will fill & then overflow OUT of the drain pipe on the expansion tank if that's necessary, basically letting it vent to avoid splitting the radiator. Once you stop the engine & everything cools down again, the expansion tank will let coolant be sucked out of there in order to keep the radiator topped up - and that's fine just so long as the level in the expansion/overflow tank doesn't fall below the 'Low' mark.... anything over that is fine & perfectly normal! And if you keep filling it up to the Max level while it's cold, there's a good chance that running it long enough to cycle the thermostat a couple of times will blow enough coolant out of the tank to make you worried about coolant loss - needlessly really, just so long as the level doesn't drop below the 'Low' marker!

Good Luck!

[peterRT]

Hi Peter", I checked it again today and it is still at same level 1/4 inch above Max mark and thanks for your info,

Regards Peter

Unless the engine was running when you refilled the cooling system with coolant, there's a good chance you've caught an air pocket of air inside the block somewhere & that's why you've now blown some of the coolant out of the expansion tank/overflow bottle - that would've happened normally/naturally & quite oroperly while you were ryding & the coolant got hot but the air trapped inside got hotter & expanded more, so it overflowed & once everything cooled down again, the coolant level is now a tad low!

To make sure you've got rid of those air pockets, you've gotta purge or 'burp' the cooling system. Do that by taking the overflow cap off, & then running the engine at fast idle for at least 30 mins or so until the coolant expands & the thermostat has cycled open & shut at least once, making sure you keep the overflow bottle above the 'fill' mark while you do this - if there are biggish bubbles of air still working their way out, keep it running for another 10-15 mins! Once all the big bubbles of air have purged or you've 'burped' your Spyder properly, you can top the coolant up & put the overflow bottle cap back on.

But even then, the coolant will find its own level! As you ryde & the coolant gets hot/expands, any excess will fill & then overflow OUT of the drain pipe on the expansion tank if that's necessary, basically letting it vent to avoid splitting the radiator. Once you stop the engine & everything cools down again, the expansion tank will let coolant be sucked out of there in order to keep the radiator topped up - and that's fine just so long as the level in the expansion/overflow tank doesn't fall below the 'Low' mark.... anything over that is fine & perfectly normal! And if you keep filling it up to the Max level while it's cold, there's a good chance that running it long enough to cycle the thermostat a couple of times will blow enough coolant out of the tank to make you worried about coolant loss - needlessly really, just so long as the level doesn't drop below the 'Low' marker!

Good Luck!

[Peter Aawen]

Hi Peter", I checked it again today and it is still at same level 1/4 inch above Max mark and thanks for your info,

Regards Peter

Sounds like you've got rid of the air pockets then!!

Now that you've done that, just don't be in too much of a hurry to re-fill to that higher or Max level if your next long/hot run sees the fluid level drop to anything that is still above the Low or Min mark!! Anything still over that Low or Min level when the radiator/coolant/engine is cold means there is still enough fluid in the overflow/expansion tank to work fine.

Cheers

[peterRT]

Hi Peter", today I ran the Syder for 30 minutes with overflow tank cap off and I watched it rise to max level then fall to low level a few times, then all of a sudden it just overflowed out the overflow tank just like a person spewing, I turned the motor off and didn't fill up the overflow tank because it keeps rising to the max mark then drops to the low mark. Maybe it's OK now,

Regards Peter

Unless the engine was running when you refilled the cooling system with coolant, there's a good chance you've caught an air pocket of air inside the block somewhere & that's why you've now blown some of the coolant out of the expansion tank/overflow bottle - that would've happened normally/naturally & quite oroperly while you were ryding & the coolant got hot but the air trapped inside got hotter & expanded more, so it overflowed & once everything cooled down again, the coolant level is now a tad low!

To make sure you've got rid of those air pockets, you've gotta purge or 'burp' the cooling system. Do that by taking the overflow cap off, & then running the engine at fast idle for at least 30 mins or so until the coolant expands & the thermostat has cycled open & shut at least once, making sure you keep the overflow bottle above the 'fill' mark while you do this - if there are biggish bubbles of air still working their way out, keep it running for another 10-15 mins! Once all the big bubbles of air have purged or you've 'burped' your Spyder properly, you can top the coolant up & put the overflow bottle cap back on.

But even then, the coolant will find its own level! As you ryde & the coolant gets hot/expands, any excess will fill & then overflow OUT of the drain pipe on the expansion tank if that's necessary, basically letting it vent to avoid splitting the radiator. Once you stop the engine & everything cools down again, the expansion tank will let coolant be sucked out of there in order to keep the radiator topped up - and that's fine just so long as the level in the expansion/overflow tank doesn't fall below the 'Low' mark.... anything over that is fine & perfectly normal! And if you keep filling it up to the Max level while it's cold, there's a good chance that running it long enough to cycle the thermostat a couple of times will blow enough coolant out of the tank to make you worried about coolant loss - needlessly really, just so long as the level doesn't drop below the 'Low' marker!

Good Luck!

[Peter Aawen]

..... then all of a sudden it just overflowed out the overflow tank just like a person spewing, I turned the motor off and didn't fill up the overflow tank because it keeps rising to the max mark then drops to the low mark. Maybe it's OK now,

Regards Peter

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!! No, you JUST got it to the right temp to do what you need it to & you stopped!!!

You shouldn'ta done that!! That sudden overflow was cos a big air bubble was coming out; you gotta let that happen & keep on letting it happen until it stops spewing & reverts to those little level changes that happen when the thermostat opens & closes!! (Just keep the coolant level above the low mark while it does all this tho!)

I sent you a longer/more detailed explanation via pm on the Aust Forum, but briefly, you need to let it do that spewing thing & keep it running for about 10-15 mins after it stops doing those big 'burps' or 'spews' - cos THEY are signs of the air bubbles blowing out, & THAT's what you want out!!

[peterRT]

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!! No, you JUST got it to the right temp to do what you need it to & you stopped!!!

You shouldn'ta done that!! That sudden overflow was cos a big air bubble was coming out; you gotta let that happen & keep on letting it happen until it stops spewing & reverts to those little level changes that happen when the thermostat opens & closes!! (Just keep the coolant level above the low mark while it does all this tho!)

I sent you a longer/more detailed explanation via pm on the Aust Forum, but briefly, you need to let it do that spewing thing & keep it running for about 10-15 mins after it stops doing those big 'burps' or 'spews' - cos THEY are signs of the air bubbles blowing out, & THAT's what you want out!!

Oh OK peter", I just run it again then and thanks for that,

regards Peter