BMW K bikes (Bricks)


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1Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Alternate coolant Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:42 pm

bobgass

bobgass
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Winter maintenance!

Looking to avoid paying BMW prices for their recommended coolant. Does any green stuff work well? Read somewhere that the BMW stuff is the 'onliest' one to use for our aluminum engines. Figured I'd ask the experts in this forum.

Thanks.

Bob

    

2Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:11 am

Rick G

Rick G
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I have been using the green stuff for years as have many others I know and so far have not heard of any problems or had any myself.
I would say it's just the usual manufacturers scam to sell overpriced coolant.


__________________________________________________
"Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."   Dalai Lama


Bikes 1999 K1100 LT with a Big Block 1200
    

3Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:21 am

charlie99

charlie99
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i have been using demineralised water with my glycol concentrate mix ....to about 40 %

the reason for the demineralised is that there have been heaps of run off water round here for the last year or so ....the water authorities have been adding all sorts of chemicals to settle the dirt in the water not counting fluridisation and everything else ....i just feel that it would be more stable than the tap water available especially at the end of these old and cruddy pipes that feed our local community laced with iron and copper mix ..

    

4Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:28 am

Agerbundsen

Agerbundsen
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Any reputable brand of Ethylene Glycol coolant is OK nowadays with so many aluminum block engines. Demineralized or distilled water is better than tap water, as there are no dissolved solids (hardness) in the water. If you have a condensing clothes dryer, the water from that is also fine - and cheap.

    

5Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:15 am

bobgass

bobgass
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I haven't read much about coolant choices in the forum before, so I guess it isn't as big a deal as I thought it might be. A penny saved . . .

Never hurts to ask, though. Thanks for the quick replies!

Bob

    

6Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:14 pm

88

88
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I've been running aluminium V8's in 4x4s for a number of years and have suffered cracks etc as PO's have skimped on coolant. For the k bike I use pure green stuff.
88ke


__________________________________________________
Alternate coolant  Ir-log1188....May contain nuts!Alternate coolant  Ir-log11

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine from 1600 years ago & still true!

K1 - 1989 - AKA Titan (unique K1/K1100RS hybrid by Andreas Esterhammer)
K1100RS - 1995. AKA Rudolf Von Schmurf (in a million bits)
K100RS - 1991 AKA Ronnie. Cafe racer project bike
K75RTP - 1994
K75C - 1991 AKA Jim Beam. In boxes. 
K1100LT 1992 - AKA Big Red (gone)
K100LT - 1988 - AKA the Bullion brick. Should never have sold it.
    

7Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:24 pm

K-BIKE

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This is another area as with fuel lines where I think the cost difference between genuine BMW approved product and a low cost alternative is small to me and the penalty price for product failure is large, so I view the cost of using the more expensive genuine product as a cheap insurance against failure. With antifreeze we only change it every two years and some do it only every three so the price difference premium is peanuts for me, YMMV as they say but that is my take on the question.
Regards,
K-BIKE

    

8Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:20 pm

robmack

robmack
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+1 K-bike. I use the BMW coolant instead of aftermarket as well for exactly the same reasons.


__________________________________________________
Robert
1987 K75 @k75retro.blogspot.ca
http://k75retro.blogspot.ca/
    

9Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:28 pm

Rickmeister

Rickmeister
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Pardon my ignorance...what is "YMMV"?


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Assumption is the root of all stuff-ups!
    

10Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:31 pm

blaKey

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Your Mileage May Vary


__________________________________________________
Neil
K100RS 1986 RED!

Dress for the ride and the potential slide.
    

11Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:32 pm

ReneZ

ReneZ
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Your Miles Might Varry..... Your experience might be different. ;-


__________________________________________________
Greetings from Florida Australia! Having a 'new' K     Surprised-o: 

Rene


BMW K100 - 1985 (0030029) Scotland Alternate coolant  Rain
BMW K1200GT - 2003 (ZK01223) Florida
BMW K1200GT - 2004 (ZK27240) Australia
    

12Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:32 pm

ReneZ

ReneZ
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Wow, how's that....double tap!


__________________________________________________
Greetings from Florida Australia! Having a 'new' K     Surprised-o: 

Rene


BMW K100 - 1985 (0030029) Scotland Alternate coolant  Rain
BMW K1200GT - 2003 (ZK01223) Florida
BMW K1200GT - 2004 (ZK27240) Australia
    

13Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 6:33 pm

blaKey

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Hah, I was first! Very Happy


__________________________________________________
Neil
K100RS 1986 RED!

Dress for the ride and the potential slide.
    

14Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:10 pm

caferacer62

caferacer62
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Just as a matter of interest, the company i work for does maintenance for a large chemical company here in Brisbane.

I was down at their plant some time ago working on the bottling line for engine coolant. To my surprise the majority of brand name coolants came off the same line,same mixture.

Thought it might be of some interest, its surprising when you start to do research into who makes what for whom.

I always buy a reasonable quality concentrate anyway, and increase the ratio to about 50%. There isnt that much in our bikes anyway compared to a car.


__________________________________________________
Bert 2.0

Don't give in to the Black Dog!
"A Zorst, a zorst my kingdom for a Zorst"

Alternate coolant  170874
    

15Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:35 pm

pjjms

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I was in a shop last week and noted that they only had one type of antifreeze in stock. It caught my eye as it was OAT (organic acid technology) long life coolant. I think there are issues mixing this type of coolant with glycol coolants but I may be wrong. All the OAT stuff I have seen in the past has been strange colours. This lot was green and looked just like glycol. If they don’t mix I bet that catches a few out.

    

16Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:45 pm

Rick G

Rick G
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Ethyl Glycol is an organic compound they are using it for a catch word that makes you think it is better and friendly to the enviroment.
Which is wrong. I would bet that people were suspicious of anything not green in colour so it got changed.
You are right that the two compounds don't mix. I don't know what the concequences are but they don't mix.


__________________________________________________
"Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."   Dalai Lama


Bikes 1999 K1100 LT with a Big Block 1200
    

17Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:16 pm

beanoldboy

beanoldboy
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they are as k freak said immiscible, (like dot 3 and dot 4 brake fluid) the compound separates out of solution and coagulates , looks like vasolene and blocks up your thermostat and overflow outlet.

http://www.airware.com.au
    

18Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:08 am

RT

RT
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Life time member
I use the same water that I make my beer from, out of a tank, off a galvanised roof.
I don't have any hair or teeth left but the beer is gooooood. (read that as cheap).
RT

    

19Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:15 am

Inge K.

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RT wrote:I don't have any hair or teeth left
Then it`s must be you that throws the average age through the roof on this forum.

Inge K.

    

20Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:02 am

Rick G

Rick G
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admin
Inge K. wrote:
Then it`s must be you that throws the average age through the roof on this forum.

Inge K.
I dunno Inge Old RT holds his age well he doesn't look a day over 80. Alternate coolant  44271


__________________________________________________
"Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."   Dalai Lama


Bikes 1999 K1100 LT with a Big Block 1200
    

21Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:12 am

blaKey

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I though he was 30 but had a really hard life...


__________________________________________________
Neil
K100RS 1986 RED!

Dress for the ride and the potential slide.
    

22Back to top Go down   Alternate coolant  Empty Re: Alternate coolant Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:09 pm

RT

RT
Life time member
Life time member
I prefer to think of it all as having had way to much fun, booze and women.
There is really no need for you lot to insultme, I can do that all by myself.
I thank you.
RT (Bob)

    

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