You can use tap water to flush the radiator.

 

Why not put 50/50 premixed coolant ?

 

Really overthinking this, bud

If you're merely flushing the old coolant out, use whatever your garden hose has coming out of it, lol.

 

That is helpful, honestly. This is my first quad, so just wanted to make sure. I do tend to overthink/overanalyze things. Appreciate it!

 

I don't know that I have ever had to "flush" my cooling system. Simply drain and refill with 50% recommended coolant 50% deionized water or buy the premixed stuff .

 

That is the consensus. I was overthinking it and making it more complicated than it needed to be. Appreciate everyone's feedback!

 

....now , if you want to get into the exterior , baked on hardened mud coating on the radiator that will last a lifetime if not cleaned , then we have a subject

 

haha! I shouldn't have too much of a mud issue as I live in Colorado and ride CO/WY mostly.

The exterior issue I am having is getting the console/hood to slide in all the way and actually latch in the very front. It's a total pain in the ass. I've got to be missing something.

 

Seems like some folks switch to Engine Ice coolant and prefer it. They also sell a flush to use before switching over. Interesting

Engine Ice - Engine Ice - Flush And Clean - 12390

www.utvnut.com

 

Yeah, they'll sell you anything and they always have a good explanation why you need it. Hell, you can even buy bottled drinking water now, because tap water is not good for you.

Like I said earlier, if you are just trying to flush it out, tap water is fine. If you are trying to clean it due to a significant buildup of sediment or rust in the radiator that cannot be removed by flushing alone, that is when a specialized cleaning soution would be used.

 

I have read that the correct method is to flush with actual coolant. That is expensive, or at least a waste in my opinion. I guess second would be using distilled water. I need to do mine too. Honestly, I think I'm just going to drain it and then refill it with coolant and be done.

 

They say to flush with coolant because in a flush or a drain and refill, so much is still locked in the nooks and crannies. I shrug and do what mechs have done for a hundred years now, flush with tap, refill it with a 50/50 mix and sleep well at night. Life's too damn short. I hear more horror stories from stripped drain plugs than I ever have about something going wrong because the wrong water was mixed in the coolant.

 

How important is it to use a new sealing ring on the drain plug? I'm about done but the dealership is closed, so if it's imperative to use a new one I can't be totally done until tomorrow.

 

inspect it. If it looks good, use it.

 

It looked fine. I reused it. Coolant flushed and changed. Running good!

Thanks everyone for the feedback and help!

 

Did someone say horror stories?

Right now in my shop is a motorcycle in for head gasket replacement, it is 22 years old and has had at least 2 coolant changes in that time. Oem coolant is blue euro coolant and I see it all the time with very few issues, age or otherwise. This bike had aftermarket coolant both of the last 2 times it was changed the most recent was orange, one was a premix no idea of the water on the other. Since this was a collector bike the first owner did keep up on fluids even sitting but as the pictures show one of the coolants did more harm than good.

As a FYI this bike is very well kept and only has 800 miles on the odometer, damage done is from sitting not use. Aluminum is corroded and eroded on both heads and cylinders, today's job is to try and save them.

Moral of the story is stick to known chemicals that do as they say and also have a known lifespan. Let others be the test pilots when a new boutique chemical comes out. This is not likely engine ice but I have been told it is NOT good for long term use either. I had a number of customers try it as it was supposed to be "track safe" ( easy to clean up after a crash) though after a year of it being out most tracks I know banned its use because it was not. I have yet to see any benefit to running engine ice or any other "boutique" coolants.

 

Did someone say horror stories?

Right now in my shop is a motorcycle in for head gasket replacement, it is 22 years old and has had at least 2 coolant changes in that time. Oem coolant is blue euro coolant and I see it all the time with very few issues, age or otherwise. This bike had aftermarket coolant both of the last 2 times it was changed the most recent was orange, one was a premix no idea of the water on the other. Since this was a collector bike the first owner did keep up on fluids even sitting but as the pictures show one of the coolants did more harm than good.

As a FYI this bike is very well kept and only has 800 miles on the odometer, damage done is from sitting not use. Aluminum is corroded and eroded on both heads and cylinders, today's job is to try and save them.

Moral of the story is stick to known chemicals that do as they say and also have a known lifespan. Let others be the test pilots when a new boutique chemical comes out. This is not likely engine ice but I have been told it is NOT good for long term use either. I had a number of customers try it as it was supposed to be "track safe" ( easy to clean up after a crash) though after a year of it being out most tracks I know banned its use because it was not. I have yet to see any benefit to running engine ice or any other "boutique" coolants.

View attachment 113980

View attachment 113981

View attachment 113982

Wow. This makes me happy I stuck with the stock BRP coolant.

 

Update : not only did it harm the head gasket it also appears to have removed the nikasil from the cylinder.

 

Holy you know what . That plating is TOUGH .

 

"
there are lots of threads in the Jeep world about incompatible coolants. In their infinite wisdom, Jeep switched from one to the other and apparently if you mix them, they form pinkish deposits that block coolant passages just like your photos. One is OAT coolant and the other is HOAT coolant. Here's just one example of that:"

Cross posted from the Ducati forum, this MAY be the cause.
Incompatible coolants creating acids that eat through nikasil and aluminum.

A word of caution would be to stay with whatever type of coolant your machine comes with and to not mix different types.