coolant swap - a consult please

[echoyankee]

Greetings all:



I've got a large-ish scale trip ahead of me this coming weekend.  



My coolant has gotten a bit grungy and I'd thought to be polite to the motorcycle and swap it out before the trip, though, taking the trip without a swap could also be just fine.



I, sadly, am without a service manual.  



Could someone point me to the important bits on the 955i motor which would allow me to drain the existing lot of coolant?  In terms of replacement, I'd thought to add to the expansion tank a new volume of motorcycle coolant.  



Thanks in advance.



Best,



echoyankee

[Steps]

from '01 manual; section 10.5:



Drainage



1. Remove Seats

2. Disconnect the battery negative (black) lead first.

3. Remove the fuel tank as described in the fuel system section.

4. Remove the coolant prssure cap on the thermostat housing and slacken the bleed screw to help drainage.

5. Position a container to collect displaced coolant.

6. Remove the coolant drain plug.



Filling



1. Refill the coolant drain plug and tighten to 13 Nm.

2. Slowly add coolant mixture to the system through the filler opening, until the system is full.  If the system has filled correctly and fully, there should be coolant visable through the bleeder screw opening as well as in the filler opening.

3. If there is no coolant visable through the bleed screw opening, but the filler side appears to be full, attach a length of clear tubing to the bleed screw spigot and syphon coolant from the cylinder head, etc. into the bleed screw side of the thermostat.



Note: A hand operated vacuum pump or similiar should be used to syphon the coolant through the system.  Ensure that the coolant that flows into the bleed screw of the thermostat housing comes from within the cylinder head etc. and is not merely drawn through the thermostat from the filler opening side.



4. If necessary, top up the system through the filler and refit the pressure cap.

5. Refit the bleed screw and tighten to 7 Nm.

6. Refit the coolant pressure cap.

7. Temporarily refit the fuel tank.

8. Reconnect the battery positive (red) lead first.

9. Start the motor and allow the engine to idle for a short time to allow any air to be expelled from the system.

10. Stop the engine.

11. Disconnect the battery negative (black) lead first.

12. Remove the fuel tank.

13. Top up the coolant as necessary.

14. Fit the coolant pressure cap.

15. Check the expansion tank level and top up if necessary.

16. Permanently efit the fuel tank as described in the fuel system section.

17. Reconnect the battery positive (red) lead first.

18. Refit the seats.



I Shit you not!

[echoyankee]

Whoa:



This is a winter project.



Though, in the course of the fuel tank removal, I can assuredly put in my metal fuel connectors!



Thanks so much for posting this.



Best,



echoyankee

[Steps]

no problem.  i've been trying to practice my keyboard skills - that post helped a lot!

[Sasquatch]

Now the question is... Where is the drain plug?

[Steps]

Now the question is... Where is the drain plug?

Left side of bike.

It's the small plug (bolt) mid-way up the cylinder head.



You'll see it and say "What the fuck is this bolt in the middle of the cylinder head?"

[echoyankee]

Now the question is... Where is the drain plug?

See, I wasn't going to ask that and was going to go out, instead, and buy the service manual.  



Do you have any idea the guilt that I have making this fellow type all that?



I, for one, am incrediby happy you asked where the drain was  :D .



Best,



echoyankee