Can i just add distilled water to Rad?

[x2468]

Hoping to go riding today for the first time in a good while, so i was just checking over the bike and realized i can't see any coolant when i pull the rad cap off. Im assuming i need to add some. Can i just run down to the store, grab some distilled water, throw it in, run the bike for 10 minuntes, then take the cap off the remove the air and im good to go or is it more complicated than that? I have a ktm 300 2-stroke.

I feel like i knew the answer to this once before but its been so long since i've done anything dirt bike related that im starting to forget everything....

[Oic0]

Anti-freeze

Winter will be harsh if all thats in there is water. Also, there is usually some anti-corrosives in antifreeze.

[x2468]

well i live in florida so winter isn't an issue. and i don't know whats left in the radiator, its still whatever the previous owner put in it.

but u think 50/50 would be better than just distilled water?

I'll probably flush it and put fresh stuff soon i just want a quick fix for today

[x2468]

oh wait. i just found a good sized jug of 50/50 in the garage. the advanced auto generic stuff. Can i just throw that in?

[RebelRider724]

oh wait. i just found a good sized jug of 50/50 in the garage. the advanced auto generic stuff. Can i just throw that in?

yes.

and even if you live in florida, antifreeze has better cooling properties than water

[x2468]

cool. i read that anti-freeze can't have silicates because it can mess up the magnesium in the motor, but i found that this anti-freeze i have doesn't contain any.

[Oic0]

Also, even florida has that odd day of freezing weather, just takes one freeze and bye bye engine.

[CDBiker220]

actually water has better cooling properties than antifreeze, but you need the antifreeze for corrosion/freezing resistance/lubrication. Thus why you mix 50/50. I accidentally put pure anitfreeze in my older truck and it would overheat untill I put in 50/50 mix. Also distilled water is fine for a day or 2, but i would not run it continuously.

[Diode663]

I used to run water wetter and pure water, worked awesome. Now I run engine ice you just pour it in and go.

[sgmartz]

actually water has better cooling properties than antifreeze, but you need the antifreeze for corrosion/freezing resistance/lubrication. Thus why you mix 50/50. I accidentally put pure anitfreeze in my older truck and it would overheat untill I put in 50/50 mix. Also distilled water is fine for a day or 2, but i would not run it continuously.

correct-a-mundo....water is technically a better coolant however a chemical symbiosis is reached with a dilute solution of 50-60%

some say the silicates can cause certain types of corrosion...others claim to have run silicated coolant with no problems...i dont have any empirical resutls i can share...i run coolanol

[maslin]

Years of working on Mercedes Benz cars has shown me that green coolant and alloy engines are a bad combo. Mercedes coolant is a synthetic, yellow/clear in color. That's all I've run in my yz125 (mixed at 50%) and I've never had a problem.

Obviously stay away from dexcool crap, that stuff is the worst.

[slowstepper]

yes.

and even if you live in florida, antifreeze has better cooling properties than water

No it does not, just the opposite is true. for cooling - water is better. Now lubricating water pump and some anti-corrosives - maybe, but antifreeze actually diminishes the cooling compacity. Look it up, or go ask your high school physics teacher!

[nevada]

yes.

and even if you live in florida, antifreeze has better cooling properties than water

incorrect, as other have said..

actually water has better cooling properties than antifreeze, but you need the antifreeze for corrosion/freezing resistance/lubrication. Thus why you mix 50/50. I accidentally put pure anitfreeze in my older truck and it would overheat untill I put in 50/50 mix. Also distilled water is fine for a day or 2, but i would not run it continuously.

yup.

if hes just topping the system off to ride, some straight water will be fine.

[RebelRider724]

my bad. guess i had it backwards

[679]

No it does not, just the opposite is true. for cooling - water is better. Now lubricating water pump and some anti-corrosives - maybe, but antifreeze actually diminishes the cooling compacity. Look it up, or go ask your high school physics teacher!

Water may have better cooling properties than pure water, but it does not have better cooling properties than 50/50. Water will boil and turn to steam at 212 degrees, coolant is lower, however when you mix them together, they will remain a liquid at a much higher temperature. Water has very fine boundaries between it's states of matter, and will NEVER exceed 212 degrees. However, in a dirtbike, your water jacket probably won't reach that temperature in normal riding. The only reason you should't run water is because it does not lubricate the water pump.

BTW, your physics teacher probably won't know much about the properties of water vs. coolant. Try your chem teacher.

[slowstepper]

Water may have better cooling properties than pure water, but it does not have better cooling properties than 50/50. Water will boil and turn to steam at 212 degrees, coolant is lower, however when you mix them together, they will remain a liquid at a much higher temperature. Water has very fine boundaries between it's states of matter, and will NEVER exceed 212 degrees. However, in a dirtbike, your water jacket probably won't reach that temperature in normal riding. The only reason you should't run water is because it does not lubricate the water pump.

BTW, your physics teacher probably won't know much about the properties of water vs. coolant. Try your chem teacher.

Humm - My physics teacher taught me that if you put water under presure the boiling point goes up - you know - like in a radiator with a presure cap? I must be wrong - i guess your chem teacher and you have taught me a lesson! and since you are so up to speed on it - what is the boiling point of glycol alchol? and can you give me a reference to the 50 50 mix getting better cooling properties? I have never heard that, before today! colligative agent - it looks like you are right on the addative properties, you taught me something today - thanks

[greatpunkin]

Water may have better cooling properties than pure water, but it does not have better cooling properties than 50/50. Water will boil and turn to steam at 212 degrees, coolant is lower, however when you mix them together, they will remain a liquid at a much higher temperature

Sorry but raising the boiling point of a liquid does not make it cool better.

All raising the boiling point does is let the engine run hotter without loosing coolant. Which is OK if you have a race bike and rebuild the engine every race. But for the normal rider it is in no means a good thing.

[679]

Humm - My physics teacher taught me that if you put water under presure the boiling point goes up - you know - like in a radiator with a presure cap? I must be wrong - i guess your chem teacher and you have taught me a lesson! and since you are so up to speed on it - what is the boiling point of glycol alchol? and can you give me a reference to the 50 50 mix getting better cooling properties? I have never heard that, before today! colligative agent - it looks like you are right on the addative properties, you taught me something today - thanks

My chem teacher never referred to the properties of water under pressure, the thought never once even crossed my mind. You may be onto something there.

Sorry but raising the boiling point of a liquid does not make it cool better.

All raising the boiling point does is let the engine run hotter without loosing coolant. Which is OK if you have a race bike and rebuild the engine every race. But for the normal rider it is in no means a good thing.

If your bike is boiling water in the first place, you need to learn to ride faster

[4strokeridertt]

Try to never use pee in your radiator, or Gatorade or beer, even creek water is better.