Disaster strikes while draining radiator

[fz6nick]

So temps are getting near freezing so I decided to drain the Water with Water Wetter out of my Rad. I get my 8 mil socket and kneel down to the right of the bike. While holding the bike upright with my left hand on the tank, I take off the plug bolt. I have a glass 1 quart or 1000ml give or take measuring cup under to catch the liquid.

Well... nothing comes out. I figure its similar to when you dip a straw in water and cover it with your thumb, nothing comes out til you let off. so with one hand still supporting the bike, I take off the bolt/lock off the rad cap. As I twist off the cap, the Water/wetter mixture comes shooting out. It gets all over my legs and the floor. While still holding the bike I put the cap back on and do it the right way. :ban:

I tell everyone inside NOT to let the dog out just incase there is still some antifreeze from when i flushed it before. (can possible kill your pet if swallowed) So I go get a rag, wipe everything up, and go get the new antifreeze. Do the 50/50 mixture, pour it in and im on my way.

Tips: 1) Take radiator cap off first then slowly undo your plug bolt.
2) Keep pets away
3) Do not make rookie mistakes so you can get made fun of on a forum

 

[teeter]

Ouch.

Do you not have a center stand? When reading your story I was sure the "disaster" was gonna be the bike falling over.

 

[fazer.rider]

just curious, how poisonous is coolant?

 

[FB400]

I've heard coolant can kill an animal if ingested. I recently got a used FZ6 so I thought I would check on the coolant. I removed the upper hose not knowing there was a drain plug and a bunch of pure undiluted coolant came pouring out. I did have the bike on the centerstand though. I went thru some tredidation knowing that if my cats or dogs came across it they would make a b-line to ingest it. Evidently, the stuff is so sweet animals can't resist it.

That night I had a semi nightmare that my animals licked my shoes containing coolant.. I literally got up in the middle of the night to put my shoes somewhere safer. My wife woke up and asked what I was doing.. I just said, it's a biker thing.

 

[champion221elite]

Ethelene Glycol coolant (the green stuff) has a sweet smell that pets seem to like. It is toxic and has killed domestic animals.

 

[MattyA]

to you its not so bad but dont let dogs or kids drink it. it smells sweet thats why they like it.

a vet once told me that the cure for a dog with glycol poisening is a certain amount of vodka injected into the blood stream.
not sure if its true or not.

 

[champion221elite]

Ethylene Glycol coolant (the green stuff) has a sweet smell that pets seem to like. It is toxic and has killed domestic animals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol

 

[Norbert]

They do make antifreeze that's "safer" than normal antifreeze:
http://www.sierraantifreeze.com/benefit.html

If detected immediately, veterinarians can in some cases save an animal suffering from ethylene glycol poisoning. Usual treatment includes inducing vomiting, feeding the pet activated charcoal to absorb the ethylene glycol, and administering ethyl alcohol intravenously. Experts say survival from ethylene glycol poisoning is fairly rare because it is a powerful toxin and because it is rarely diagnosed early enough to prevent death.

 

[Motogiro]

to you its not so bad but dont let dogs or kids drink it. it smells sweet thats why they like it.

a vet once told me that the cure for a dog with glycol poisening is a certain amount of vodka injected into the blood stream.
not sure if its true or not.

That sweet smell is why I also like it the especially the cure :BLAA: Hahaha!

 

[Botch]

Ouch.

Do you not have a center stand? When reading your story I was sure the "disaster" was gonna be the bike falling over.

Me too. At least THAT didn't happen!

 

[C-bus Biker]

to you its not so bad but dont let dogs or kids drink it. it smells sweet thats why they like it.

a vet once told me that the cure for a dog with glycol poisening is a certain amount of vodka injected into the blood stream.
not sure if its true or not.

I suppose can't hurt to try.

 

[Red Wazp]

Glycol is a form of sugar, smell and tastes sweet.Plants produce it to replace the water in their cells so the tissue doesn't freeze in the winter. I mammals it shuts down the liver- very bad. I had a cat that cost me $400 in 1982( I was so broke it seemed 4K ) to learn about how bad antifreeze is for animals.

 

[fz6nick]

I have got the center stand off for track days. If I want it on I put 2 screwdrivers through the holes and and it works just groovy. Do not try at home.

I heard that pets drinking antifreeze will have their kidneys shut down very rapidly.

 

[YamaSpeed]

well I have to say that I am guilty of the same offence. I was draining it in my driveway this summer and did the exact same thing. What a Mess. It is amazing just how fast that stuff flies out of there.

 

[discgolfdude]

ok, this may seem like a dumb question...... are fz6's supposed to come with a center stand? I got mine used and it doesn't have one...:spank:

 

[Rob2222]

Just the Fazers have a center stand, not the nakes. afaik.

BR Rob

 

[sublime0713]

to you its not so bad but dont let dogs or kids drink it. it smells sweet thats why they like it.

a vet once told me that the cure for a dog with glycol poisening is a certain amount of vodka injected into the blood stream.
not sure if its true or not.

Never tried the stuff or anything but i knew someone who killed herself by drinking it

 

[Boneman]

Question about changing the coolant. Has anyone 'flushed out' their cooling system? I was always told and taught that a good portion of your coolant (in a car anyways) remains in the engine block/cooling jacket. So just opening up the radiator only gets what's in the rad and not all the coolant still in the engine.

So has anyone here flushed their cooling system and if so, can you explain how to do it or if you need any special attachments? I say that because at least with cars you can buy flush kits that have fittings to plug into hoses that you remove and then hook up your garden hose to flush water through the entire system.

Thanks guys! Would like to be able to do a coolant change on my own, but want to do it properly at the same time!

 

[Hellgate]

Anti-freeze is nasty stuff. If you spill some use a lot of water to wash it away. Keep it away from kiids too, they can think it is a drink like Kool-Aide. If I remember my MSDS correctly anti-freeze attacks the nervous system and you do the nerve agent shuffle as you die.

Back in the early '80s the Austrian wine makers were busted for using anti-freeze to sweeten wine. Nice.

 

[Norbert]

Question about changing the coolant. Has anyone 'flushed out' their cooling system? I was always told and taught that a good portion of your coolant (in a car anyways) remains in the engine block/cooling jacket. So just opening up the radiator only gets what's in the rad and not all the coolant still in the engine.

So has anyone here flushed their cooling system and if so, can you explain how to do it or if you need any special attachments? I say that because at least with cars you can buy flush kits that have fittings to plug into hoses that you remove and then hook up your garden hose to flush water through the entire system.

Thanks guys! Would like to be able to do a coolant change on my own, but want to do it properly at the same time!

Flushing your coolant is just filling the coolant system of your bike with distilled water and running it for a few minutes. I believe I blipped the throttle a few times. Then I stopped the bike, let it cool for 10 minutes and drained the distilled water. I did this 3 times after initially draining the old coolant. You can tell how much of the old coolant is left in your bike when you drain the distilled water, because it becomes clearer.

So just run distilled water in the coolant system of your bike, as you would any real coolant, and just drain it. Repeat until clean. Don't forget to clean out the coolant reservoir under the tank.

At least, that's my understanding. For the 3rd and final time I ran the distilled water through the coolant system of the bike, it came out clear, so I knew their wasn't any left over coolant in the bike.