Bleeding Cooling System

[gR3yWolf]

I asked this question 75,000 miles ago, but no one had an answer, so I'm asking this question again at 80,000 miles. Ever since the "Triumph Upgrade" my bike refuses to maintain any coolant in the coolant recovery tank. It never overheated, nor has it ever been run too hot. But it will religiously barf out the contents when I shut it down. It won't do it while running.

I even replaced the standard under the claw tank with an external 1-liter can. It will blow the coolant out the top of the tank, then draw it empty as it cools down. That tells me there is a significant void...BUT HOW TO GET IT OUT is the question. I'm tempted to throw a cable over the rafters and hoist her up side down and shake it out of her.

I've done all the obvious and not so obvious...cracking lines, opening the bleeder at the top of the cylinder, radiator cap, coolant tank.

No harm seems to have been done so far. I thought I'd give it another go with another riding season coming up.

 

[RKTNMYPKT]

Sorry I can't really help you with the problem your having, but the thought of you shaking her from the rafters is cracking me up

 

[MikeDeY]

That's crazy. I've had my engine apart twice and have had no issues getting the coolant bled properly. I didn't even do anything crazy. Filled her up, let her run, topped her off.

 

[Claviger]

With so many miles I'd expect any bubble would have been worked out by now

As long as your rad fan comes on as it should and the bike is staying below 218c while riding I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

There is a small bleeder bolt just above the thermostat on the left/forward/upper part of the head. It is just behind the coolant overflow tank. When filling the radiator with coolant you should have it open (IE the bolt out) when coolant begins to flow out of the bolt hole, quickly spin in the bolt. Finish topping up your radiator and then fill the coolant overflow tank to the MIN line.

 

[martym52]

Mine got some crap in the system that would keep the radiator cap from sealing. I had to clean the debris out several times to alleviate the problem. I put mine on auto jack stands to elevate the front end slightly and remove the aforementioned bleeder bolt.

 

[Triple Trouble]

Have you pressure tested the rad cap?

 

[gR3yWolf]

Yeah, been there/done that with the little bleeder, but to no avail. I've been living with it for so long with no known bad side effects I'm sure all is well. It's just one of the idiosyncrasies of the bike I've learned to live with, but there's a part of me that demands an answer.

 

[idk]

With so many miles I'd expect any bubble would have been worked out by now

As long as your rad fan comes on as it should and the bike is staying below 218c while riding I wouldn't worry about it too much.

My coolant has never been anywhere near 218c

 

[Fingers]

If the cap was bad there would not be vaccum to pull fluid out of the over fill tank when it cools off.