Author Topic: which coolant?  (Read 5562 times)

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Offline littlewing78

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which coolant?
« on: February 19, 2011, 03:51:33 PM »
Water Wetter or Engine Ice?  Or is there something else that's better?

Offline kaw rider

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2011, 04:16:04 PM »
what are you looking for the coolant to do.

Offline littlewing78

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2011, 04:42:07 PM »
To cool my bike of course.
Sorry I should have been more descriptive.
I am putting it in my KX 500

Offline dmazz71

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2011, 06:06:39 AM »
Hi,

I run the CoolAnol Winter\Summer 50\50 premix in my 500.  I've used it on my older bikes in the past and it seemed to hold up quite well.  I never had any overheating issues, or saw it  discolor. 

I haven't had a chance to see how it works with the 500 as I'm waiting for all of the snow to melt.  I imagine that it will be fine, but I still got a few temperature stickers for the side of the cylinder and radiator just to keep an eye on the temp.

Offline 1989kawasaki

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2011, 06:13:42 AM »
i ran engine ice in my 89 kx250 all summer, even going full throttle up a sand hill many many times and had no problems at all. so i say go for it!
bikes

1977 RD400
1989 CR250
1988 CR500
1978 Z50
2009 Harley super glide custom

Offline littlewing78

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2011, 02:07:30 PM »
I ordered me some Engine Ice.  Sand hills are what was getting me too.  I had some awful tires too so I did a lot of spinning tires and not a lot of moving. 

Offline 1989kawasaki

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2011, 02:11:19 PM »
yeah its best to get a good coolant. full throttle with lots of wheel spin up a sand hill really makes the ''cheap'' coolant work harder to keep the engine cool. anybody agree???
bikes

1977 RD400
1989 CR250
1988 CR500
1978 Z50
2009 Harley super glide custom

Offline Hillclimb#42

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2011, 11:37:29 PM »
Kaw Rider posted a great write-up called Coolant Replacement Tips, I think. It was a long informative thread, and he even summarized it after discussing the factors of the cooling system and the characteristics of the different coolants.

 the bottom line was dionized water (distilled is good), water wetter, and a minimum of anti-freeze. Water removes heat from the cylinder the best. Water wetter reduces the water's surface tension to help remove more heat which reduces operating temps. The anti-freeze will raise freeze point and boiling point. I think the idea is to run what your engine needs. He posted that a modified motor has a higher operating temp, so not every motor has the same requirements. It was also good to know that there are products out there that are bad for seals, gaskets and aluminum.
 Engine Ice requires a lower pressure radiator cap, according to Kaw rider, also. I was running anti-freeze full strength, which would never boil over, but also would not remove heat from the engine very well. So even though , I'm not apparently overheating because of no boil over, but in reality, cutting off the life span of the motor. Its very critical to get the engine to its optimal running temp and to stay there. I have heard that there is power to be gained there, but I am sure there is power to be lost there if not done right. 

Offline 1989kawasaki

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2011, 11:54:19 PM »
Kaw Rider posted a great write-up called Coolant Replacement Tips, I think. It was a long informative thread, and he even summarized it after discussing the factors of the cooling system and the characteristics of the different coolants.

 the bottom line was dionized water (distilled is good), water wetter, and a minimum of anti-freeze. Water removes heat from the cylinder the best. Water wetter reduces the water's surface tension to help remove more heat which reduces operating temps. The anti-freeze will raise freeze point and boiling point. I think the idea is to run what your engine needs. He posted that a modified motor has a higher operating temp, so not every motor has the same requirements. It was also good to know that there are products out there that are bad for seals, gaskets and aluminum.
 Engine Ice requires a lower pressure radiator cap, according to Kaw rider, also. I was running anti-freeze full strength, which would never boil over, but also would not remove heat from the engine very well. So even though , I'm not apparently overheating because of no boil over, but in reality, cutting off the life span of the motor. Its very critical to get the engine to its optimal running temp and to stay there. I have heard that there is power to be gained there, but I am sure there is power to be lost there if not done right. 

wow that was a mouth full... so your saying engine ice is no good?
bikes

1977 RD400
1989 CR250
1988 CR500
1978 Z50
2009 Harley super glide custom

Offline Hillclimb#42

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2011, 12:52:50 AM »
Engine Ice is good stuff too. Its not poisonous, and has alot of championships. The problem is that it raises the boiling point so much that you could be at 350 degrees before it boiled. Engine Ice recommends a 0 psi radiator cap and/or different radiator. Its not designed to reduce temps, but really raises the boiling point. Kaw Rider's post even points out the term "coolant" is kinda misrepresented because that suggests that the antifreezes helps cool, but really just raises the boiling points and lowers freezing points. Water is the best coolant, but you need water without minerals in it. I looked for sources of deionized water or demineralized water and found that there are a few processes that will do that. The easiest to find is distilled water. Distilled water is boiled and the vapor recaptured, which leaves all contaminates in the first container.
 
  water wetter bottles have this info on the back:
DYNO TEST RESULTS                                             (operating temps)
50%GLYCOL/50%WATER (typical antifreeze)                       228
50/50 + Water Wetter                                                     220
Water Only                                                                      220
Water and Water Wetter                                              202


So the summary of a light ratio of antifreeze(20/80), distiiled water and water wetter should have you around 210, is what I am thinking. I think the oily properties of the antifreeze is good for parts, but I think its ok to run no antifreeze, if your bike will never be below 32 degrees.
I apologize, Kaw Rider, if I am putting words in your mouth or not getting it right.

Anybody know what the boiling point would be then?
I think about 220. Is that enough cushion?
« Last Edit: February 22, 2011, 02:46:25 AM by Hillclimb#42 »

Offline dirtjunkie85

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2011, 07:51:34 AM »
I alway mix CoolAnol and Cool-Aid. Half and half, it's always been great.

Offline 1989kawasaki

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2011, 08:01:13 AM »
cool-aid or kool-aid?
bikes

1977 RD400
1989 CR250
1988 CR500
1978 Z50
2009 Harley super glide custom

Offline martinfan30

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2011, 01:08:31 AM »
While we are on the subject, what is the capacity? 89 on?
2000 KX500
2005 XR650L

Neither are stock, and both are great desert bikes.

Offline Hillclimb#42

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2011, 02:53:45 AM »
Its like 1 1/4 qts.
Its around 1 qt to refill it, I guess the motor retains a little when you drain.

Offline dirtjunkie85

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Re: which coolant?
« Reply #14 on: March 02, 2011, 07:41:24 AM »
cool-aid or kool-aid?

It is the Maxima Cool-Aide