overfilled antifreeze

[MarylandMagnav45]

Hey guys:

I overfilled my antifreeze reserve container.  I knocked some out with my funnel.

Anything I should be worried about?

I did not fill from radiator cap.  I just poured into reserve container because it was low.

I heard that when you turn on the bike, it will suck the fluid from the reserve into the radiator, and thus be ok.

Thoughts?

[Curtis_Valk]

If it went completely dry there is maybe enough air space in the radiator to suck up the overage.  If not, the reservoir may overflow when the engine warms up and the coolant in the system expands.  Or maybe you got enough out and it won't do anything at all.

Curtis

[lragan]

I put a 50-50 water/antifreeze mix in mine.  Seems a bit silly here in Central Texas to protect it down to -40 or so, but that is what the manual calls for!!

I wouldn't worry about it.  If it overflows, just park it in the driveway and wash it off.  (Don't tell the enviro-police I said that, but for that small amount, it shouldn't matter!)

[hootmon]

I put a 50-50 water/antifreeze mix in mine.  Seems a bit silly here in Central Texas to protect it down to -40 or so, but that is what the manual calls for!!

I believe the 50/50 mix is not for freezing protection, but corrosion resistance.

[lragan]

I believe the 50/50 mix is not for freezing protection, but corrosion resistance.

Well, Hoot, I finally got old enough to (at least most of the time ) follow the directions, even if I don't understand the reasoning behind them.  When I drain/replace the antifreeze, I see no visible signs of corrosion -- meaning rust -- which figures, I suppose, since the whole thing is aluminum.  I guess if I were concerned about corrosion, I might ask my chemist son to check for oxides of aluminum...

[BA]

Not only does the 50/50 mix lower the freezing point, it also increases the boiling point from 212 to approximately 266 degrees.  Maybe they should have called it antifreeze/antiboil?

[lragan]

When I was a kid, we used alcohol of some description (I don't know if it was Methanol or Ethanol) in our car's radiator.  Only put it in for winter.  Drained it in the spring, into a large ceramic jug.  This is because it lowered both boiling and freezing points.

My understanding is that we started using ethylene glycol when folks observed that the Monongahela river at Pittsburgh never froze!  They were just dumping this byproduct of gasoline refining into the river!  Now is it several dollars per gallon. 

Ah, progress

[MarylandMagnav45]

When I was a kid, we used alcohol of some description (I don't know if it was Methanol or Ethanol) in our car's radiator.  Only put it in for winter.  Drained it in the spring, into a large ceramic jug.  This is because it lowered both boiling and freezing points.

My understanding is that we started using ethylene glycol when folks observed that the Monongahela river at Pittsburgh never froze!  They were just dumping this byproduct of gasoline refining into the river!  Now is it several dollars per gallon. 

Ah, progress

a crime.  I love swimming in rivers...

Hate to think some company is cutting costs by doing this

[dgc67]

I see no visible signs of corrosion -- meaning rust

You should use distilled water in your mix.  It is not just rust that you worry about, but also, maybe more importantly, hard water deposits clogging the channels in the radiator.

My original radiator looked awesome externally, no marks or bent fins at all.  but looking down into it was nasty and on really hot days my gauge moved up higher than I was comfortable with.  I replaced it with one that looked cleaner inside, albeit the outside was more beat up on the fins.  The beat up looking one cools MUCH better than the original.  Even on the hottest days in stop and go traffic my temp gauge barely moves now.