Coolant Replacement 5th Gen

[KC-10 FE]

This is my first attempt at a "How To" article. I'm not the best with a camera so bear with me. If I had someone else working with me, this would have probably been a better article. I completed this entire procedure with the bike on the center stand. I see no reason why you couldn't use the side stand.

Level Of Skill/Difficulty = 3 out of 10
Foul Language Level = Your Mother Would Roll Her Eyes
Time = Set Aside 2 Hours

Tools Required:
Honda Maintenance Manual
5 MM Allen Wrench
1/4" Ratchet
1/4" X 10 MM Socket
1/4" x 10" Extension
1/4" x 2" Extension
Needle Nose Pliers
Drain Pan
2 X New Copper Crush Washers
Your Choice Of Coolant
Distilled Water (If You Want To Completely Flush The Cooling System)




Step 1:
Remove The Right & Left Fairing Lowers
You will need a 5mm allen wrench & a stubby phillips


Step 2:
Remove the Radiator Cap & Remove The Water Pump Drain Bolt.
You will need a 10mm socket. As you can see, it is directly to the left of the shifter. Be careful, when I pulled the bolt, it shot coolant over 3 feet away.


Step 3:
Remove The Engine Block Coolant Drain Bolt
You will need a 10mm socket with a universal joint & extension. This is by far the most difficult part of this process. The bolt is located directly above the oil filter. It is the only bolt that looks like it's out of place. Every other bolt in the vicinity are in pairs, left & right.


Step 4:
Remove The Overflow Bottle
You will need a 10mm socket for the bolts & needle nose pliers for the hose. Clean & flush the bottle. I needed to scrub some accumulated filth out of mine.


If You Are Using Regular Green Coolant, Go To Step 8.

Step 5:
Replace Both Bolts & Fill System With Distilled Water

Step 6:
Start Engine & Allow To Reach Operating Temperature

(I flushed the system twice, just because I could)

Step 7:
Remove Water Pump Drain & Engine Drain Bolts Again

Step 8:
Replace Engine Drain & Water Pump Drain Bolts (remove & replace the copper crush washers)
The manual does not specify a torque. I just tightened by feel & checked to make sure I had no leaks.

Step 9:
Fill The Coolant System
I used Engine Ice since it's advertised to lower operating temps & is track approved. Green coolant is not track approved for anything over beginner. I used this funnel with a hose on the bottom. As long as you have steady aim, you could probably do this with no funnel.




Step 10:
Start The Engine & Check For Leaks
Allow the system to come up to normal temp, making sure the thermostat opens. The manual says to blip the throttle several times to remove air. If you see bubble in the overflow bottle, you got the air out.

Step 11:
Top Off Coolant In Overflow Bottle If Necessary

Step 12:
Replace Fairing Lowers

Step 13:
Ride Bike

KC-10 FE out...

[reg71]

Looks pretty good to me. I probably should do the same thing to mine since I don't remember if I have ever done it. I'll put that on my ever-accumlating to-do list.

[CandyRedRC46]

do you think that the 6th gen would be the same?

[KC-10 FE]

Pretty much exactly the same for the 6th Gen. I would bet the engine drain bolt & water pump drain are exactly the same.

I will say this about the Engine ICE, it seems to work as advertised. I can't comment on recovering HP like they say it does, but the reduction in operating temperature seems to be legit. Before with the old green stray cat kool-aid, my bike would run between 210f - 225f, all day, every day. With the EI, it's hasn't topped 200f yet. Rain or shine, I'm teaching a AMC Sport Bike class tomorrow, I'll post up what temp the engine gets up to.

KC-10 FE out...

[Joey_Dude]

Nice, one thing to note is that it's better to have the bike on the side stand to allow more water to drain out.

[CandyRedRC46]

man i cant wait to do this to my bike... plus ive got a 178 degree fan switch... this is going to be very interesting to see what happens...
ive just got to wait for my motads to come in and im going to heat wrap them...
incase you havent guessed... its really f#$king hot down here already!

[soundmaster31]

How much coolant did you end up using? Just curious as to the capacity and too lazy to look it up right now lol...

[KC-10 FE]

The Honda Maintenance Manual (not owner's manual) says .95 gals. I used about .8. After the first real ride today, it went from the upper line on the overflow bottle to about 1" above the lower. I am letting the bike cool completely before I open the radiator cap to check.

Out on the road, I couldn't get the temp over 170f. I was purposely leaving the bike in 2nd & revving around 7500-8500 to get the temp up. It wouldn't budge. When stopped waiting for lights, it wont top 180f. Engine Ice gets from me.

KC-10 FE out...

[DANIMAL]

KC, Good write up.
Do one on a Brake system flushing.

[soundmaster31]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

When stopped waiting for lights, it wont top 180f. Engine Ice gets from me.

Nice... I think I'll switch to it for the summer. Definitely won't cut it in the winter though lol.

[mello dude]

Nice job, KC

MD

[mello dude]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

The Honda Maintenance Manual (not owner's manual) says .95 gals. I used about .8. After the first real ride today, it went from the upper line on the overflow bottle to about 1" above the lower. I am letting the bike cool completely before I open the radiator cap to check.

Out on the road, I couldn't get the temp over 170f. I was purposely leaving the bike in 2nd & revving around 7500-8500 to get the temp up. It wouldn't budge. When stopped waiting for lights, it wont top 180f. Engine Ice gets from me.

KC-10 FE out...

I'm always wondering if its possible to keep the temps too cool? Mbe oil temps not warm enuff? Just a question for bouncing around......

MD

[KC-10 FE]

Originally Posted by DANIMAL

KC, Good write up.
Do one on a Brake system flushing.

The next "How To" I have planned are sparkplugs & fuel filter. I got the plugs & the fuel filter will be here on Friday. The brakes? I'm not looking forward to that. The clutch is simple.

Originally Posted by soundmaster31

Nice... I think I'll switch to it for the summer. Definitely won't cut it in the winter though lol.

The bottle lists protection as:
Boil Over to 256f
Freeze to -26f

I've been to Fairbanks, AK in February. I think -26f is when they button their top buttons, pull down their caps a tad & complain how sissified city folk are. If it ever got to -26f in NJ, I think the people would simply cease all activity & possibly cry.

Originally Posted by mello dude

I'm always wondering if its possible to keep the temps too cool? Mbe oil temps not warm enuff? Just a question for bouncing around......

MD

Never really gave that any thought. The only real downfall I could see is the temp not getting high enough to evaporate any moisture in the oil. That's about it.

KC-10 FE out...

[mello dude]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

Never really gave that any thought. The only real downfall I could see is the temp not getting high enough to evaporate any moisture in the oil. That's about it.

KC-10 FE out...

I guess I'm too much a geek- seems like there is an oil temp range that it needs to reach for optimum lubrication. Dunno what that is off the top of my head, hope your hitting it. - Wonder if what an oil temp gauge set-up would look like on the 5th gen?

MD

[KC-10 FE]

I'm planning on beating the bike like it owes me money this weekend. I'll post what temp it gets up to after that. I also plan on letting it idle for about 20 minutes to see what temp it gets up to.

KC-10 FE out...

[KC-10 FE]

In order to drain my fuel tank to make changing the fuel filter easier, I beat the crap out of my bike on Saturday. I took it on base & hit the AMC Sport Bike range, made repeated runs down my favorite twisty road & did a few completely illegal speed runs down an extremely low traffic density road that I like. After that, I hit the "Thunder On The River" bike rally in Burlington, NJ. On all of the open road riding, the temp never got above 180f. Even when running ultra illegal speeds in 4th gear, it never topped the 180f mark. When cruising down High Street in Burlington at a walking pace, it went up to a max of 207f. This is still much better than the old green stray cat kool aid. With that crap, my bike always was in the 210f & up range.

On a side note, I am done with bike rally's. They are a collection of human stupidity at it's finest. This was a small one. I'd guess there was about 500 bikes there & about 2500 people. I actually had people insult me because I was ATGATT. That's great, a pinhead wearing a soupbowl with a chin strap helmet in a tank top is telling me I'm stupid. The "Best In Show" award goes to the moron who did a smoking burnout right on the main drag in front of about 300 people, several of whom were cops. The one cop goes up to the guy & screams at him to park the bike next to the police Suburban with a trailer attached & tells the guy he's walking home. They opened the trailer & there were already 2 bikes in it. I actually high-5'd the cop for this one. I forgot to ask how much the fine was & what they planned on citing him for. Why are people so freaking stupid? This will be the last bike rally I ever attend.

KC-10 FE out...

[Deadsmiley]

Actually it is a lot better that the bike run around 180. The only reason why they run hot from the factory is it cleans up the emissions.

Both my CBR and my VFR run too hot. I need to remedy that!

[300shooter]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

In order to drain my fuel tank to make changing the fuel filter easier, I beat the crap out of my bike on Saturday. I took it on base & hit the AMC Sport Bike range, made repeated runs down my favorite twisty road & did a few completely illegal speed runs down an extremely low traffic density road that I like. After that, I hit the "Thunder On The River" bike rally in Burlington, NJ. On all of the open road riding, the temp never got above 180f. Even when running ultra illegal speeds in 4th gear, it never topped the 180f mark. When cruising down High Street in Burlington at a walking pace, it went up to a max of 207f. This is still much better than the old green stray cat kool aid. With that crap, my bike always was in the 210f & up range.

On a side note, I am done with bike rally's. They are a collection of human stupidity at it's finest. This was a small one. I'd guess there was about 500 bikes there & about 2500 people. I actually had people insult me because I was ATGATT. That's great, a pinhead wearing a soupbowl with a chin strap helmet in a tank top is telling me I'm stupid. The "Best In Show" award goes to the moron who did a smoking burnout right on the main drag in front of about 300 people, several of whom were cops. The one cop goes up to the guy & screams at him to park the bike next to the police Suburban with a trailer attached & tells the guy he's walking home. They opened the trailer & there were already 2 bikes in it. I actually high-5'd the cop for this one. I forgot to ask how much the fine was & what they planned on citing him for. Why are people so freaking stupid? This will be the last bike rally I ever attend.

KC-10 FE out...

Yeah ,I agree on the rallies, the black and chrome crowd, especially the newly morphed biker wannabees, just don't get it when it comes to gear. My own dumbass brother was just chirpin off about how he tore off a two week old tattoo on his leg last week when he went down. hey , here's an idea for a replacement, how bout "shit for brains" right across your forehead...

[hondajt]

wow. am doing this right now. It was nasty. Very dark green. However, Mine never squirted out, till both bolts were removed. I removed the waterpump bolt first, like you said, and only a drizzle came out, for about ten seconds, then it stopped.

As soon as I began letting the other bolt out, they poured/shot fluid out.

Is that odd?

[Pliskin]

Originally Posted by hondajt

wow. am doing this right now. It was nasty. Very dark green. However, Mine never squirted out, till both bolts were removed. I removed the waterpump bolt first, like you said, and only a drizzle came out, for about ten seconds, then it stopped.

As soon as I began letting the other bolt out, they poured/shot fluid out.

Is that odd?

Not odd at all. By removing the bottom bolt first, you created a vacuum. Its like when you hold your finger over the end of a straw and keep the liquid in there: it'll drip out slowly at first, but remove your finger, and it shoots out.

[pfbmgd]

Did the fluid and oil change today.I ordered the copper washers from my local deal .But today came and went with no washers .I hope the old ones hold .


Thanks for the step by step instructions with actual pictures .I used the Honda blue antifreeze .I also tried the Motul 5100 to see how it works .

[ZonaMan]

+1 on the Engine Ice. I also got lower operating temps, which is crucial here in the desert.

Not to be a treehuggin hippie or anything, but everyone please remember to let the old coolant fill an old milk jug and take it to your county's hazardous chemical recycling center instead of just letting it run down the street, drain, creek, yard, whatever........because you'll be the one drinking or eating it sometime in the future.

[soundmaster31]

Originally Posted by ZonaMan

Not to be a treehuggin hippie or anything, but everyone please remember to let the old coolant fill an old milk jug and take it to your county's hazardous chemical recycling center instead of just letting it run down the street, drain, creek, yard, whatever........because you'll be the one drinking or eating it sometime in the future.

+1 Especially since my I live on a hill and my well is on the downward slope side.

[CandyRedRC46]

Originally Posted by ZonaMan

+1 on the Engine Ice. I also got lower operating temps, which is crucial here in the desert.

Not to be a treehuggin hippie or anything, but everyone please remember to let the old coolant fill an old milk jug and take it to your county's hazardous chemical recycling center instead of just letting it run down the street, drain, creek, yard, whatever........because you'll be the one drinking or eating it sometime in the future.

dirty hippie

[Hootch]

Originally Posted by KC-10 FE

Step 8:
Replace Engine Drain & Water Pump Drain Bolts (remove & replace the copper crush washers)
The manual does not specify a torque. I just tightened by feel & checked to make sure I had no leaks.


KC-10 FE out...

If anyone is interested, my Clymer manual lists the torque spec for the coolant drain bolt at 10 N*m or 88 in.-lb (same as the they list the torque spec for the oil filter).

Thanks KC-10 FE for an excellent "how to" and for the tip about engine ice. I drained mine this weekend and flushed with distilled water twice (actually, the second round of water is still in it until I get my little copper washers...they are 6.5mm, btw, and the Honda part number is 90463-ML7-000). Went to several auto/hardware stores and could not locate a copper washer that small. Thanks especially for the photo of the crankcase drain bolt...looking through the Honda service manual and the Clymer manual, I would have never figured out which bolt it was without your photo!

[Pliskin]

1. After step 6, and before step 7 (in KC's initial post) are you waiting for things to cool down before pulling drain plugs again?

2. When refilling the system, is there any trick to keep air bubbles at a minimum? Does it matter which radiator gets filled first?

I guess to some there are obvious answers to these questions, but I just want to do things right.

Thanks.

[KC-10 FE]

Originally Posted by Pliskin

1. After step 6, and before step 7 (in KC's initial post) are you waiting for things to cool down before pulling drain plugs again?

2. When refilling the system, is there any trick to keep air bubbles at a minimum? Does it matter which radiator gets filled first?

I guess to some there are obvious answers to these questions, but I just want to do things right.

Thanks.

1) You don't need to let the bike cool down completely, just enough to make sure you don't burn yourself when you open the radiator cap. I let the bike cool for about 10 minutes or 1 Erdinger HefeWeizen.

2) There is only 1 radiator fill that I know of. There is a crossfeed hose that fills the left radiator. Filling the bike on the side stand would probably get more air out of the left radiator. Some of the overflow will be drawn back in after heat cycles but it didn't fill the radiator to the top. No matter what, you're going to need to remove the right fairing at some point to check the level of the radiator. The overflow bottle can be checked visually & filled by removing only the 2 large allen on the rear of the fairing.

KC-10 FE out...

[powderrecon]

I just went through this procedure on my 96, and it's pretty much spot on.

The engine drain bolt is tricky to get at on the 4th gen. Its directly behind a 1/2" pipe that you have to pry down on a little. I used a 4" extension with one of those 3/8th connectors that swivel in all directions to get at the bolt. You will know its the right bolt, cause its attached to a part of the engine that is at a 45 degree angle, about 5" above the oil filter.

I have not checked the service manual for how much coolant is to be used, however I have about .65 of a gallon in there now, and am about to take it for a ride, so I am sure it will need topping up.

Going by the size of the reserve tank on the 5th, I am thinking the 5th probably takes a little more juice. The 4th tank looks considerably smaller.

Make sure you use one of those containers with the funnel, just like KC-10 has in the pic. Makes life ALOT easier. Just twist to start filling.

Oh, and its a messy job.

[mello dude]

Did this job over the last couple days along with a long list of other crap including going to the Super hawk fan.
-A couple observations:
- I went with the Honda Blue and found out the hard way that flushing with distilled water is a must. (Ok, I had an ADD moment)......- I didnt do it and found there still is a lot of crap still in the system when you just pore in the new stuff. Just look at the junk floating at the radiator cap level with the new fluid. (Crap!) Well, I wasnt gonna drain my $16 a bottle coolant just to run more water to flush the system. So I'm running the "dirty" fluid for the season and will flush the hooey outta it next year.
- I went thru several warm it up, shut down, burp hoses, and add more coolant sessions to get the coolant level up all the way. Dont see it happenin on the first try.

MD

[btay67]

Nice write up. I missed this one the first time but I have seen your spark plug/fuel filter write up. I'd say you did a nice job on both of them. Maybe you should be the official vfrworld tech writer... . Thanks again.