So I just picked up an 03 F4i. I changed the oil today, and after I changed the oil I got to looking and the brake fluid for the rear was low and I didn't see any coolant in the reserve or w/e. I noticed that the temperature is usually 170-190 while riding, is this normal? I was waiting on a train and it went over 200 so I just turned it off until the train passed.

I went to walmart and bought some Prestone Synthetic Dot4 brake fluid (I seen on my cap it says Dot4). Do I need to drain/bleed my break lines to get rid of the brake fluid that is in there or can I just add the brake fluid.

And as far as the coolant goes, I tried researching a little bit while at work if I could just use normal coolant you'd use for a car and it just said to make sure it doesn't contain <can't remember the name> and that it is safe for aluminum motors/radiators? So I bought a gallon of Prestone "GM DEX-COOL APPROVED APROBADO" extended life antifreeze/coolant. Is this fine to put in my bike?

Sorry if this is a common question or been asked a lot, and thanks advance on any help.

 

hey man...i don't now about all this dot4 and car coolant...but that's why all of us bike guys buy the motorcyclehonda dot4 and honda coolant from the dealer...so if i was you i would bleed my brake fluids-'cause you don't know what kind of fluid is in there., and i would also drain and replace the coolant...
From what i know it's not very good to mix any of this...like one type of coolant with another...

 

Thats what I was thinking. I might just take the **** back to walmart and go to my honda shop and pick up their stuff (Was closed when I got out of work). I went there earlier and got an oil filter/oil and then when I got home I noticed I could use some fluids and didn't have time before work to swing back by.

I also seen where theres a service manual download available, hopefully my buddy I got the bike from will find the manual so I'll have it.

Whats everyones F4i usually run temperature wise?

 

a normal operating temp. is 176 deg.,but... as soon as you stop at a light it jumps up to 200+...so be prepared seeing it at 125-130 deg., i got my f4i up to 138 deg. which is really high...but if you get to one point when the bike can't handle any more heat the FI light will kick on and it will stop...

 

Um, this makes no sense. 125-130. All the way up to 138 eh? Crazy. She must have been sitting in the sun.

Normal temperatures while riding is usually between 160-180. Depending on speed. Outside air temperature doesn't effect your engine temperature as much as airflow across the radiator / engine. Rarely do I see mine go above 230 (as most people don't). She can idle all day long at 230, no problem. Anything above that and it's pretty warm. As long as it stays below 254. 254F is critical temperature.

As far as the brake fluid: put exactly what the manual says and take it directly to the dealer. DOT4 is the correct fluid, but keep in mind, the brakes are keeping you alive. You're messing with dangerous territory if your not properly trained in how to bleed/flush them.

As far as coolent, it depends. Where do you live? I do the 50/50 premixed pro honda ****.

 

I live in Kentucky, so in a month or two it will start to get pretty cold, its normal to be 10-20 degree's during winter, and sometimes a little colder. I will be keeping the bike in my dads garage.

My friend I bought it from said it will need rear brakes fairly soon, and from where he wrecked one of the front rotors is slightly tweaked (but stops fine). If I were to take it to the dealership and get new brakes all around, get them to bleed and put in new brake fluid and coolant fluid, does anyone know an estimate at how much I am looking at spending?

I will probably try doing most of the stuff myself, my dad has a garage and grew up racing/working on motorcycles and etc but isn't real familiar with street bikes but shouldn't be to much of a thing to do for the most part.

Thanks again for all the help so far

 

well...i said normal operating temp. by the manual is 176 deg...now you can get 125-130 easy waiting in a really bad traffic and moving 5 feet a minute...
and i did get 138 deg. moving 100 feet in half a hour....so IMO enerything makes sense...lol
and by the way i live in Florida...i get here always 220 when i stop at a light

 

There are several types of brake fluids, with DOT 3 and DOT 4, being the most popular. The only difference would be if it's silicone based. I'm not sure what the Honda one is. You don't want to mix the two. I'm pretty sure that Honda uses standard brake fluid. As long as the rating matches (DOT) you should be fine adding. If the brake fluid is dirty, and smells bad, i would bleed the system and replace it. Standard (not silicone) brake fluid absorbs water, once it absorbs enough the boiling point is lowered. That's when you run into loss of braking power when the brakes get hot under heavy use. It's not that hard to flush the braking system. The brakes onstreetbikes and dirtbikes use the same principle if not close to the same design. If you're not mechanically inclined, have a shop do it for you. As was mentioned earlier these are your brakes and your life depends on them.

DO NOT USE DEX-COOL. This was formulated specifically for certain cars made by a few car makers. Mainly General Motors. The contents are very different from standard (green)glycol coolant/antifreeze. Any quality coolant/antifreeze will work. You can buy premix 50/50, I've used the Peak brand with no problems. Or you canbuy it straight, mixing with distilled water to get the mixture right. Right now I'm using Purple Ice and it helps a little. Lowered my operating temp by about 3 degrees.

 

any dot 4 will do as long as it's dot 4. no on DOT 5 (silicone based)

as for what coolant to use, whether honda or not...debatable. i only use Distilled water and water wetter, but i can get away with that here. had no problems for 40K before i sold her.

engine ice is good too.