Hey, all! Well, I changed-out (didn't flush) the coolant in my radiator today. I did however drain and flush-out my coolant recovery tank, but didn't flush-out anything else forward. I did it myself with the motivation of saving some cash and learning how to be self-sufficient with my Venox. Anyway, here's how I did radiator coolant change, for those who'd like to know...
With the bike cool and on the side stand...
1 ) remove the radiator cap set screw with a small phillips head screwdriver and then remove the radiator cap
2 ) get a relatively large, flat pan and place it under the drain bolt (see both photos below) on the water pump to catch the old coolant as it drains out of the drain hole...you might even place the pan right under the side stand, as shown below.
3 ) loosen the drain bolt (w/washer) slowly with a 10mm socket and remove...CAREFUL, the coolant will shoot-out pretty far and quickly
4 ) once the coolant has all drained-out, re-install the drain bolt with the washer...tighten, but not too tight...if it needs a new washer, then put a proper one on
5 ) you will probably need a little over a quart of coolant (I used Pro Honda HP Coolant, a 50/50 premix), so SLOWLY pour the coolant into the radiator until you see it come to the top the of the radiator, then stop pouring.
6 ) get on the bike and lean it pretty far to the left, then to the right...get off the bike
7 ) SLOWLY pour more coolant into the radiator till you see the coolant come up to the top again and then repeat step 6 above
8 ) repeat step 7 again, as necessary till the coolant level seems full
9 ) start-up the bike and the coolant level in the radiator should go down, then add coolant SLOWLY till it's full again (it won't take much) and repeat this maybe 2-3 times till the level stops going down
10 ) let the bike run for a few minutes while doing step 9 and when the radiator level seems to remain full, "blip" (quickly on and off) the throttle several times while watching the water level in the radiator and you should see see the water flowing slightly and maybe even some air bubbles burping out (exiting) the system, which is what you want to see and a good thing.
11 ) while the engine is still running, but only for a few minutes, re-install the radiator cap securely and don't forget to put back in the radiator cap set screw
12 ) rinse-off ANY coolant that got on ANY bike parts during the coolant change
13 ) go out for a short ride to allow the engine to get up to normal operating temperature and try to get the radiator fan to run a couple of times (usually comes on while idling) then shut the bike down
14 ) let it sit for 2-3 hours to cool
15 ) remove the radiator cap set screw and cap again
16 ) check the radiator coolant level, ensuring it's near the top of the radiator
17 ) start-up the bike and add coolant,
only if necessary, but whether you add coolant or not, run the engine a few minutes and see if there are any lingering air bubbles exiting the system...blip the throttle a few times while looking and if you just see the coolant moving slightly, that's fine.
18 ) re-install the radiator cap/set screw and you're done!
Of course, just to be safe, always keep an eye on your engine temp warning indicator light, especially after such a service. And, check the level in your recovery tank after the radiator coolant change and make sure the level is at least between the low and full marks.
If anybody notices anything that seems incorrect above, please let me know. I hope this may help some other D.I.Y. Venox owners down-the-road somehow.
