New and confused about oil and coolants
 

So i just bought my f4i. there is some coolant and oil left over. not much coolant though from what i can peak through when i remove the lid. its kinda hard to see the coolant and match it up with the low or high level, which is why i think theres very little coolant in it. the oil level is VERY difficult to see through the oil window. its either completely empty or completely full, so full that i cant see any level at all through the oil window. but heres my question. if i wanted to add more coolant and oil, am i suppose to empty the old one first and then add or can i just put it in. i dont know what the previous owner used for coolant and oil.

When you're checking the fluids make sure the bike is not leaning on the side stand. If the levels are low and it's not time for a scheduled change then just add the correct fluid.

But don't add anything until you are positive it's low. Too much coolant won't necessarily hurt anything but it will overflow the reservoir when it gets hot and make you think something's wrong. Too much oil is a bad thing ... not as bad as too little oil, but a bad thing none the less. Can lead to frothy air bubbly oil that doesn't protect very well. Also, excess crankcase oil can be sucked into the air filter ... not good.

If you don't have a buddy near by that can help you with this stuff try going to the local Honda dealer and see if they'll help you out.

I would really recommend getting rear stand. It will help a lot in a long run. Checking fluids, chain maintenance... you name it!

Also I'll throw an additional small question. I'm going to change my oil and bought 4qts of 10w-40 synthetic Castrol oil. I'm not sure what the previous owner was using. Was my choice of oil correct?
The bike is '02 with almost 12k mi.

Thanks!

Yeah, you're good :icon_dopey:

+1 to what Chainstretcher said.

Additionally, another thing you can do is to change your oil since you don't know when it was last changed and what was used.

It is not a hard job to do an oil change and it is a $25.00 job for DIY'er (including the filter).

Once you get a rear stand or someone to help you, check the coolant while the bike is cold and while the bike is standing vertical. Don't worry how much coolant is in the reservoir yet, you want to check to see how much is in your radiator first. If you radiator is full, then just make sure that the reservoir is filled to the line.

It is not hard to do the coolant change either in case you want to start fresh with both sets of fluids, but if your bike doesn't get too hot during your riding phase (like when at a stop light or sitting in traffic), then your coolant is doing its job. Temps between 220F - 228F is normal, but I am not sure how much higher is considered normal. Coolant doesn't brake down as easy as oil, so if it is at level and your bike is not overheating, you should be okay.

I hope this helps.

Your bike will NOT take 4 quarts, mine will not even take 3 quarts unless I change the oil filter also.

^Have you ever changed oil? You always change the filter, and mine takes 4.

But the highest mine has hit is 232 I believe, that was about a 1 minute red light on a scorching day here in Chicago of about 90. I envy you in warmer climates.

My last oil change took just a hair more than 3 quarts.

Depends on your maintenance routine. If you change your oil every 2K miles, then technically you can go with as many as four oil changes before the recommended 8K mile filter replacement (as per manual), but it's mainly about what you feel comfortable with. My last oil change took just under a gallon.

Okay, for the record the service manual states...

Engine oil capacity:

After draining---------------------3.0 liter (3.2 US qt)
After draining/filter change--------3.3 liter (3.5 US qt)
After disassambly-----------------3.7 liter (3.9 US qt)

thanks guys! i put it leveled and i can see i have enough oil but coolant is running low. if i were to pour more coolant, can it be mixed with another brand of coolant? also, how do i refill the front break fluid? its not like the rear break fluid that u can turn the cap and get it off.

EDIT: can i put car coolant in? or does it has to specified motorcycle coolant?

Pretty much any coolant will do. Believe I'd go ahead and drain all the old crap out and flush with water then replace with new.

Some coolants are premixed at 50/50 or you can buy the straight stuff and mix it with water.

oh how about the front break fluid? how do you refill that? its not like the rear break fluid where i can just remove the cap and put some new fluid in

Have someone hold the bike straight up for you while you look at the sight-glass.

-Chad

Umm, ya, it pretty much is the same. Remove the cap and put in fluid if needed. Make sure you clean everything before removing the cap (front or back). Dirt and crap getting in the brakes is a bad day waiting to happen. And ya, it's 'brakes' :D :D

Coolant/anti-freeze formulas are given colors in order to identify them. Why? Because they're not all compatible with one another. Like Chain said, if in doubt flush it out. As for motorcycle specific coolant, the answer is no. You can use automotive stuff so long as it's not corrosive to aluminum and it does not contain silicates (ie: Prestone Extended Life). LINK

Just kind of whipped through reading peoples responses so idk if im re-posting this but I would use Synthetic oil if you dont know what the previous owner used... you cant use non-synthetic once synthetic has been used...Synthetic is better anyways!

This is 100% FALSE. You can go back and forth from synthetic to non-synthetic all you want.

It also depends on how you run your bike and how long you decide to change the oil.. I would suggest full-synthetic if your standing it up on one wheel all the time or if you are bouncing it off the rev limiter or riding at a higer RPM. If you are commuting and shifting at a normal pace and want to have some play time on the weekends regular oil will do.

Actually was only like 50% false ... the synthetic IS better than non-synthetic. But you can go back and forth. You can even mix the two. What do you think the synthetic blends are?

^ +1
But back to normant - if you don't know too much about oil in the first place - I wouldn't recommend mixing by yourself just yet.. :)

Oops! I was mis-informed then...from someone who i thought knew something about bikes! My bad....Learn something new everday!

^ It is actually a pretty common misconception. And in some cases, oil rumors were at some time true. However, Synthetic oils have come a long way since their conception.

wow this is truth opening thread. Back and forth from synthetic to regular, ha?

It's nice to know that. I have heard that "rumor" and believed because heard it literally everywhere and from everyone.

Good logic there, Chainstretcher. +1

P.S. Why don't we have that voting system?

Ive heard it quite a few time thats why i said something was just trying to help out lol but im glad i was corrected anyways

so i called the previous owner and he said that when he got it serviced, they put in spectral 10-40 synthetic blend oil in. and im still running low on oil..so should i put the same one in? or should i switch to a diff oil?

EDIT: is synthetic blend the same as semi synthetic?

Hey normant!

First of all. Are you 100% sure that you are running low on oil?
If the answer is "yes", then if I were you I would drain old oil and put synthetic 10w-40. This will give you that peace of mind.

mm i really have to surely double check on that. my parking lot is a little sloped. last oil service done by previous owner was october 8, 2008 @ 7819 miles. it now has 9730 miles. thats 1911 miles. if it really is running low on oil, can i put new oil without an oil change or filter change?

You're looking at one year with the same oil in there. Even with synthetic, you should change it every 6 months. Oil doesn't degrade from use alone, once you pour it into the engine, time becomes a factor also, not just mileage.

Beware synthetic oil
 

Beware of synthetic oil, it can do terrible things to you and your
beloved motorcycle. It will not only leak out of your engine faster
than you can put it in, but it will also cause your oil filter to
clog and implode, dumping debris and dirt into your lubrication
system. It also will make every part of your bike permanently
slippery because of its linear molecular chain dispersion action.
Then it will leak onto your kickstand causing it to retract
automatically, dropping your bike on the ground! But that's not all...

Synthetic oil will round off your gears and spin your bearings. It
will also splatter onto your seat causing your girlfriend to fall off
in the apex of a turn and she'll never ride with you again. Synthetic
oil coats your sight window and your timing window with a whitish
pro-emulsification additive that is both non-removable and highly
corrosive. Synthetic oil will completely leak onto the ground overnight
and your dog will drink it and die.

Synthetic oil will wear out your tires and make your battery leak. It
will give you the desperate need to urinate after you put your full
leathers on and then jam your zippers shut. It will contaminate your
gasoline causing your bike to stall on railroad tracks and accelerate
uncontrollably near police cars. It will make it rain during rallies
and on weekends. It will lubricate your timing belts causing them to
jump teeth and break your valves to bits. Synthetic oil chemically
weakens desmodromic valves and causes the clearances to change every
six miles. Then it melts the black soles of your riding boots right
before you walk across your new carpeting.

While riding past groups of attractive women it will cause both of
your handlebar grips to slip off at the same time so you smash your
windscreen with the bridge of your nose. It also causes your swingarm
to crack, your studs to break, and your rotors to warp, and then it
voids your warranty by changing your odometer reading to 55,555. It
also dries out your wetclutch and wets your dryclutch. It makes your
clutch slave cylinder seal fail in the heaviest traffic on the hottest
day of the year while putting an angry wasp in your helmet for good
measure.

Synthetic oil hides your 13mm socket and puts superglue on your
earplugs. Synthetic oil will scratch your faceshield and make your
gloves shrink two sizes night before trackday. Synthetic oil stole
your neutral and sold it to the Chinese for $1.25. Synthetic oil
will make you grow a tail. Synthetic oil will write long crazy
e-mails to your Internet friends and then sign your name at the
bottom!

Jeff Homolka
Pro-Cycle
Eugene, OR

lol oh man for a second there i got really scared cause i just added some full synthetic mobil 1 to my bike until i can get the proper tools to actually do a oil/filter change.

edit: oh for the time being, if my oil level is very close/near the lower level mark of the oil window, how much oil should i put in?

looooool

Incognito!!! That was hilarious! +5 man!

to normant: try adding 0.5 qt I guess, run engine on idle for a couple of mins, check level again, repeat if necessary.