Im so glad you made this video. I'm currently doing a coolant flush on my fz6r and yeah that bolt was a pain to take out. I had to wrench out that bolt the whole way. I had about the same amount of coolant in the reservoir.
Thanks! I wouldn't know how where to start to change the coolant if not for your video! The only thing I did differently though is I bought a siphon to suck out any old coolant from the reservoir instead of removing it altogether. I guess you could wash it if you remove it though. Mine didn't have any dirt in it, or any coolant in it for that matter. Yup, my reservoir was actually empty! :-) I poured water in it to sort of clean it and used the siphon to suck the water out.
T. Cochrane hey that probably saved you a good 20 minutes, cuz as you saw in the vid, that little booger ain’t the easiest thing to get to! Glad my tutorial helped you. Thanks for watching!!!
I really appreciate you uploading this video. My bike never gets hotter than 216 or so. Something happened this year and It’s getting hotter. Never new until now fluid should be done so regularly. This was a 5 minute video done in 32 minutes. The best instructional videos are concise, as few words as possible, etc. Again, thanks for the VERY helpful tutorial.
Thanks for watching. I shoot all my tutorials in “real-time” so that you see everything I see, as I see it. Sort of in a fashion where folks can literally follow along while they tackle the same project. 👍
@@HalfClickUp I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been following a tutorial and the creator decided to cut out something they felt was unimportant that definitely was not. I really do appreciate you showing everything.
@@vintageyamahasquid hey thanks for the kind words. I’ve found that most folks don’t appreciate the lengthiness of my tutorials. I prefer to show people a job in its entirety. Some folks prefer short tutorials with only main points covered, but that is how mistakes are made.
Ay reason they say distilled is because it's completely free of minerals and chemicals that can cause corrosion inside the cooling system. I know this is totally late, but felt it should be mentioned for clarification. :)
Just thought I’d throw in that it’s not just corrosion. Mineral deposits can build up in smaller passages and cause flow issues. It’s more of a problem in old beaters that need to be topped off constantly because of leaks. Not that I’ve ever topped my crappy car off with the garden hose because an old fitting that was a pain to reach was cracked and leaking… Definitely not speaking from experience here.
Maybe running the new fluid for a couple minutes and getting the bike up to temp again will get out some hidden bubbles? Give us an AAR with some new riding temps!
Great video HCU! Have you seen the temperature run lower with the engine ice versus the stock coolant? I received a radiator guard and realized when I was toying around with it yesterday, I need to remove the radiator to connect the guard properly. As the bike is 8 years old and running with the original coolant, might as well use the opportunity to do just what you've done here.
Nathan so sitting in traffic and at red lights, the bike will still reach 210 and run it’s fan, but where Engine Ice really shines is when you’re moving down the road/interstate; it’ll never reach 200 if you’re cruising.
Very impressive the bike lasted that long without a coolant change 😱😱😱 that is to show everyone how a Yamaha could last that long 👍 good video, cheers dude 😊
@@HalfClickUp You are welcome dude, I did very much enjoyed watching your video. I own a Yamaha XJ6 and it is very similar to your FZ6. That is quite impressive with 55k and never had a valve adjustament WOW 😱😱 a branded motorbike like Yamaha is well worth the money any day everyday! 👍 From the UK to the USA take it easy and ride safe brotha 🏍️
@@JRYDER13 According to the Haynes manual I purchased for my 2012 FZ6R, the only difference for the XJ6 and the FZ6R is the continent they are shipped. America receives the FZ6R and Europe gets the XJ6. As we cannot purchase the XJ6 in America, I converted my bike to the XJ6N because I like the look.
Hello@@Nathan-yp8fc, I genuinely didnt know that! Thanks for sharing this detail 😊 I have to agree with you, I do prefer the looks of the XJ6 ( My XJ6 is the naked version! ). They are more or less the same motorbike but for looks, personally the XJ6 has the egde 😁 your conversion has the top fairings but my XJ6 is the naked version and looks stunning! Love it👏👏👏
Just checked mine xj6 as I was installing crash sliders and had exactly the same amount in the radiator and in coolant reservoir as you..going to check which place has the coolant in stock right now lol 👌
@@waterfordMARTIN I have videos on my Mods & Maintenance playlist where I do pad and rotor swaps. I haven’t done a video on fluid swapping because I use a Mitey-Vac for that process instead of traditional manual bleeding.
You've done all the the cool mods. I guess it is time to check the coolant. I would judge you harshly but I ended up driving my 09 for several hundred miles with no air filter because the bike had been stolen from the previous owner and no one had bothered to check it.
@@HalfClickUp It's funny, I came to the channel to watch something else and then recognized your voice. I did my flush two years ago. "Sorry, Eveline, I didn't mean it!" totally got me forever :)))
Thanks again for another great video. What was the final verdict about the amount of coolant needed? Did you find that after running the bike that the level of coolant in the radiator dropped and you had to add more coolant? or Did the coolant level remain the same and not require anymore coolant? Btw: my Haynes service manual has you remove the exhaust to get to the reservoir bolt that sits behind the header pipe. I much prefer your way of getting to it by removing the left side plastics : )
Yes Sir after a couple of rides I burped the system again and was able to add a bit more coolant. That’s insane about removing the header. Sometimes manufacturers just like to make things as difficult as possible. Like Step 1: Remove engine 🤣
Yes two ways to do it: Quick flush - plug off, let distilled water/vinegar solution run straight through. Full flush - plug on, fill system with distilled water/vinegar solution, start bike and let it idle till the fan kicks on. Shut down and drain.
Do you need to remove the reservoir to fill it? Mine looks bone dry and when I put some in the cap it doesn’t go into the reservoir. Could it be clogged? It’s an older bike that was probably sitting for a while. 2012 fz6r
You need a little funnel with a flexible tube if you want to avoid removing the reservoir. I don’t own one so it was the only way I had to fill it. When you fill it up at the radiator cap, it won’t go into the reservoir. That only fills the radiator itself. This is why the level drops the first time you start the bike after filling the radiator.. it sucks it through the hoses and the rest of the system, which is why you have to keep adding until it reaches the top.
James Dean Cooper ah, gotcha. Yep, I try to get the purest first-person POV I can when it comes to a lot of my maintenance and mod vids. It’s important and most helpful for folks to see what I see. Thanks for watching!
James Dean Cooper congrats dude! Year one of this venerable bike. Great choice, you’ll love it. Feel free to reach out with technical inquiries at hcumotovlogs@gmail.com
Hey man, quick question. Did you noticr any difference in temperature after refreshing the coolant? My bike always runs warm in traffic, up to 103 degrees celcius and the fan comes on. Hope it cools down when I put in fresh coolant.
DK🌹 yeah man my bike was to the point where it was running 200 degrees Fahrenheit at 80mph on the interstate highway. Since switching to Engine Ice, it runs in the 180s at highway speeds and the fans only kick on when idling for several minutes at long traffic lights. DEFINITELY worth the switch to Engine Ice.
Sorry to keep asking you questions but when I took my overflow off, the black metal piece, the mount was bent. No idea who bent it or when, this is my first time flushing it but from the looks of the paint, it was bent a while ago and someone just made it work. Do you have any ideas what that piece is called? It’s shown in your overflow tank at 12:55. It’s not the heat shield, it’s the small funky looking piece the bolts go in. I’m not sure what to search for, and I’d rather get the right piece than stick with this bent one. I’ll try my best to bend it back but we’ll see
You should REALLY think about taking off the drain bolt before uncapping the radiator. It will make your coolant (and oil for that matter) draining much cleaner PS: when refilling the coolant. fill the radiator, start the engine and let it run a bit while the coolant runs. It will burp out and as it comes up to temperature the indication is that the radiator will want to overflow. PSS: The maintenance manual for these motorcycles says 2 liters for coolant change, and 2.2 for coolant + reservoir fill. But those measurements are not exact
Gonzalo Sanchidrián yes the procedure you describe is pretty spot on to the method explained in a recent Revzilla tutorial on coolant swaps. Every point you made is something I’ll be taking into consideration next time. Thanks for watching and thanks for taking the time to comment!!
Yes but it only prevents full lock by about half an inch. Definitely not a deal breaker! In order to install a RAM X-Mount, you need a ball stem adapter nut: Motorcycle Aprilia, Honda,... www.amazon.com/dp/B00CCDPHZ6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Like your videos man! I'm about to do the same to an fz6r I just picked up from my buddy with 9K miles on. He bought it back in 09 new..btw which windscreen are you using? Is it the ZG DB?
My cap on my expansion tank keeps coming off on my 09 fz6r. I made sure it was properly seated but after a ride or 2, it's blown off again. Mabe I'll gorilla tape it down to the expansion tank?
Man the thing may just be wore out somehow? Perhaps the plastic threads have become weak and sort of stripped? A new overflow tank assembly may be in order!
Bob Holsopple that’s very interesting... I’ve been most curious as to what that hose looks like on other bikes. Good to know!! Either they’re made that way or it’s a result of thousands of heat cycles.
Aksel Joy yep I’ve still got the whole second jug sitting on a shelf, as well as the tiny bit still left in the first jug. I still have no explanation for the discrepancy in supposed required coolant vs. what I actually had to put in. 🤷♂️
@@HalfClickUp Probably a bit of water still left in the system? Just like prior to dumping the first flush of water when you had some "stuck" nasty old coolant in there that needed an extra push to be released... I don't know! That's all I've come up with... I'll be flushing/cleaning mine this summer, so maybe I'll "waste" a tad bit of engine ice (if that's what I end up using) and see if there is some stuck water in there from the flush/clean. 🤷♂
I did not, but I did go back and repeat the burping procedure and got a bit more air out of the system.. not enough to warrant adding any more coolant, though. I still stand by my experience of the Fizzer requiring 3/4 of a jug.
Even in this condition, temps never saw more than 214 to 216, and that was in stop and go traffic on hot days. That’s pretty impressive of the cooling system. You’d never know just how poor the condition of the factory coolant was without looking.
@@HalfClickUp I bought this bike as a 3rd owner and my temp is getting around that and staying there when the fans kick on. I’m going to flush tomorrow after work. Thank you man
Kevin Henretty if you wanna go with a full system that doesn’t cost $1,000 you should check out Black Widow exhausts. Full kits for under $500. People seem to like em alright.
@@HalfClickUp hey what’s up man I sent you and email. Please just read the last one I sent because the first one didn’t come across correctly. I was in a rush and had to catch the train. Thanks man
@@HalfClickUp honestly man I think I should just purchase an entire wire harness and remove the old one too many wires that needed reconnecting. Those Bronx rats really ucked my bike.
@@HalfClickUp hey what’s up HcU I read your email. Thanks a lot man I really appreciate that. Yea I thought about replacing the harness and that you considered it I feel much better about doing so. Thanks dude much respect!
