This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Coolant Overflow

brucifer

brucifer

Joined Jun 2009
199 Posts | 23+
Eureka CA
Hey guys. I haven't ridden my '05 FE650E enough yet to know what's normal or not about it.
The other day I took a quick 20 or so minute ride in some steep hilly woods near my house and when I got back I noticed it was puking coolant at a pretty fair rate. It continued for maybe a minute or so after I shut it down.
It was ridden in first and second for most of the ride. The ambient temperature was about 55 degrees F and overcast.
Is this normal? Is it just not happy at slow speeds, or do I have a problem?
The bike runs killer. There's no oil in the coolant or vice-versa. Thanks!
 
go thru the removal of air bubble routine by bleeding it and make sure you just cover the fins in the rad. don't overfill. could you be running lean?
 
I might add.........

As part of a pre ride inspection, one should always remove the radiator cap, then open the bleed screw to make sure there is no trapped air.

As Ned says the coolant should just be covering the tubes in the radiator when cold, or it will push coolant out.

I've also had radiator caps go bad on me as well, so that is worth having the local radiator shop test.

Are you running the stock louvers? Some of the aftermarket radiator guards really restrict air flow.

What kind of coolant are you running?

I solved this problem on my 04 550 by going to Evans coolant, since I could not install a fan on my 04. When running the Evans your bike will not boil over, as Evans does not boil until 370* at zero psi, and 400 under pressure. The only problem with the Evans NPG-R is that it is not recommended for temps below freezing. I have run mine in temps in the low teens with no problems, you just have to make sure that you warm the motor up good first. Evans is not like water, it will actually shrink in volume as the temperature decreases.
 
Awesome! Thanks guys. Yeah, I read on here about bleeding the air and filling only to just over the cooling fins.
Lean? Maybe. I've never had the carb off to see what jets are in it.
Right now I'm running Prestone pre-diluted and the bike has the stock rad louvers.
I'll definately switch to the Evans and check the cap, or just buy a new one.
Thanks again!
 
My 390 was overheating on occasion and I switched to the Evans. No problems yet so I think worth it.

CD
 
fstclyz said:
My 390 was overheating on occasion and I switched to the Evans. No problems yet so I think worth it.

CD
Click to expand...
The only real issue i see with running Evans is that it does not disapate heat as well as the ethylene glycol based coolants. True it will not boil over, but on the other hand the engine will run hotter. You have to pay attention to the heat levels you are running at. You can dam near melt the engine seals running evans before it will overheat.

You really need to be running a fan kit with the Evans. The fan will help with the cooling and give you a feel for how hot the bike actually is.
Just because it's not boiling over does't mean it's not glowing red.
 
Hey guys. Figured I'd start with one thing at a time, so I went down to my local KTM dealer and matched up and ordered a new rad cap. Installed it a couple weeks ago but today was the first chance at taking it out for a little run.
I didn't take it exactly where I was before but close enough. No pushing out coolant at all! Not a drop! :cheers:
So, just a bum cap it would appear.

I bought a universal Moose catch bottle kit too but haven't a clue where to mount it. Any ideas?
The instructions say to mount it up on the triples behind the headlight/number plate; aint gonna happen. No room.
Anyone have one mounted on their '04-'08 FE? Pics? Suggestions?
Thanks.
 
brucifer said:
Hey guys. Figured I'd start with one thing at a time, so I went down to my local KTM dealer and matched up and ordered a new rad cap. Installed it a couple weeks ago but today was the first chance at taking it out for a little run.
I didn't take it exactly where I was before but close enough. No pushing out coolant at all! Not a drop! :cheers:
So, just a bum cap it would appear.

I bought a universal Moose catch bottle kit too but haven't a clue where to mount it. Any ideas?
The instructions say to mount it up on the triples behind the headlight/number plate; aint gonna happen. No room.
Anyone have one mounted on their '04-'08 FE? Pics? Suggestions?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
This is what you need for an overflow tank. Works perfect. Pictures in my gallery. Several on ebay presently, all different prices.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-Yam ... 588a0873a0
 
As an eBay Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks berger. Uhhh forgive my ignorance but, how do I get to your gallery? :oops:
 
MVC_023S_001.jpg
 
2tone said:
Front page, Menu, Gallery

http://husaberg.org/gallery
Click to expand...

Yeah, I went there already and searched for bergers pics but came up empty-handed. That's why I asked how to get to HIS gallery. :)

I searched again and found some pics but they're not the same that berger posted above. Same overflow tank and position though.
 
I bought the Moose overflow kit and didn't follow the directions either (no room to mount overflow bottle on fork tubes behind number plate). I ended up mounting the bottle near the rear shock on the right side and routed the tube along the r. fender. I'll try to get a pic.

It works great although the Moose connectors are cheesy so I got clamps. It's definately prevented coolant lose on hot days and during slow going single track in 1st & 2nd gear! :cheers:
 
Hi sorry for jump g on your post ☺
I plan on fitting a small catch tank. .. do I need to change my radiator cap to allow the coolant to be sucked back into the radiator? I have a standard 1.4 cap fitted.
Has anybody on here done this before on a fe 501?
Regards
 
Old thread, but I have the same question as the last post.

I made my own overflow bottle and mounted in with zip ties to the left radiator plastic protection fins or what ever you want to call it.

It catches the excess coolant but it doesn't suck it back in when it cools down. I'm using the stock 1.8 cap. Is that issue? Should be using 1.4?
 
keener said:
Old thread, but I have the same question as the last post.

I made my own overflow bottle and mounted in with zip ties to the left radiator plastic protection fins or what ever you want to call it.

It catches the excess coolant but it doesn't suck it back in when it cools down. I'm using the stock 1.8 cap. Is that issue? Should be using 1.4?
Click to expand...

Any luck resolving this issue?
 
I tired a 1.4 and had the same results. Went back to 1.8 but this time I bled the system like how I do it on my 990. I made sure there is no air in the system. Filled the rad to the brim.

Now I have fluid coming into the expansion tank but not overflowing it. It's hard to know if any got sucked back in. I've been meaning to test it carefully but haven't yet.

I think this is a superior system over the stock which has a large air gap in the radiators. I believe setting the coolant level 10mm over the fins as suggested in the manual is there only to compensate for absence of an explanation tank. Bleeding the system seems to be the key to get it to work. But more tests are needed for me to confirm that %100.
 

Similar threads

Taffy
New - improved carb needle 2004-2008
Replies
3
Views
2K
FlyingZebra
FlyingZebra
2ndGen
New FE570 owner...
Replies
0
Views
46
2ndGen
2ndGen
W
husaberg fe 501 2004 coolant question
Replies
7
Views
2K
w4yneo
W
K2Berg
New Sound... Similar to car exhaust going bad
Replies
13
Views
3K
K2Berg
K2Berg
J
Awesome 2010 FX450 with Rekluse Z-Start Pro
Replies
3
Views
2K
SunnyRSA
S

Register CTA

Register on Husaberg Forum! This sidebar will go away, and you will see fewer ads.

Recent Discussions