Hello, John Talley here with partzilla.com.
Today I'm going to show you how to actually flush the coolant on our 2008 Kawasaki KLR650R.
It involves just draining out the old fluid, putting in what they call a flushing compound
and with just regular water, running that through the machine a little bit, draining
that out, and then we actually go through the process of refilling it with the fluid
that we're going to end up keeping in the machine.
So, if you're ready, I'll go grab a couple of tools and I'll show you how to get it done.
Alright, this is going to be a skill level one.
So it's not going to be that tough, but it's basically going to take you all day to get
it done correctly.
As far as the tools you;re going to need, really short list.
Just a Phillips, an 8 and a 10 mm socket, a decent extension, and a good ratchet.The
only other thing you'te going to need?
A pair of pliers.
Other than that, if you would, reference our parts diagrams and that'll give you an idea
of where the different bolts are that we're going to need to get to to remove and then
reinstall the actual reservoir.
So, once you have all that together, we can get started.
Alright guys, before we can get the coolant drained, we need to go ahead and remove this
shield.
It's only held on by four eight-millimeter head bolts.
So we'll get that dropped out of the way then we can drain the coolant out of it.
Alright, want to make sire you don't lose your crush washer
there.
So, make sure that stays with your bolt.
Alright, that looks like it's got all of it.
Let's go ahead and put the drain bolt back in.
Alright, we've got the main radiator fluid drained, but we've got to go ahead and get
to the overflow reservoir.
So, got a couple of Phillips heads that are holding in just a plastic cover.
Now, we just have four 8mm there, there, there, and there that I need to get out, Then I can
bring it toward me and go ahead and dump out the rest of the fluid that's inside there.
What we're going to do is disconnect that upper hose, that way we can tilt it down and
drain it.
Alright guys, we've got this drained out but what I'm going to do is just put regular water
back in it, maybe a third full, pretty much approximate how much would be in it when it's
under normal running condition.
So, if the rest of the cooling system-- the radiator needs to either push more fluid in
here or take some out, there's actually going to be some to pull from so to speak.
So, we're going to reconnect our hose up top.
And, not that I'm trying to be lazy, but I'm only going to remount it with two of the bolts
for right now.
Because we're going to be pulling this back off when we do the final fill on it.
Alright, with that set up, we can go around, fill it up with water, and start our flushing
procedure.
Alright guys, we're got our old coolant drained out of the machine, and we're actually using
some Peak flush that I picked up just at a local auto parts store.
The way this is going to work is, we're going to fill up the unit with just regular water,
we're going to run that through the machine.
We're going to drain it out.
And then we're going to fill up a mixture with the flush mixed with water.
We're going to run that in the machine for a pretty good while.
Then we're going to drain that out and then flush out again with just regular water.
Now once we've done all of that, then we can come back and fill it back up with the Kawasaki
coolant.
Now guys it does not outline this particular procedure in the Kawasaki manual.
What the manual does say is to follow whatever the guidelines are for whatever manufacturer
of flushing compound that you happen to be using.
So, we're just following the Peak instructions so, depending on what type of flushing compound
you get, it may end up being a little bit different.
so just keep that in mind.
Alright she's filled up, we're going to put the radiator cap back on.
Go ahead and start her up.
Run her for a few seconds, then check our level and make sure it's okay, and we're going
to let it run for about 10 minutes.
Alright guys, it's run about 10 minutes, so let it cool down a bit, and then we'll pull
that radiator cap and then get it drained.
Alright, let's go ahead and put our drain plug back in.
Alright, now this time we're going to put in a mixture of water with the flushing compound.
We only need about 10 percent of what's in here.
That can't be more than about three or four ounces is all I'm going to need to do this
particular machine.
So, we'll start with a little bit of water, then dump in some of the flushing compound,
and then top it off with water.
So what we're going to do is I'm actually just going to take it off the lift and take
it for a spin.
Now Peak recommends that you put about in between four and six hours, but I really thing
they're gauging that towards an automobile.
So I'm taking a quick run, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, with this particular unit, will be
more than enough to get everything circulated through that.
Well alright guys, I'm back, and she's pretty much ready to go now.
What I'm going to do is actually let it cool down for a little bit and then I'll pull that
radiator cap once I can actually put my hand on it without searing the name into the bottom
of my fingers.
So, give it a few minutes to cool down, and then we'll get it drained and continue.
Alright, once this drains out, then we'll put the plug back in, we'll refill it with
just water, and then we can just let it idle on the bench this time around, another eight
to 10 minutes.
Put your cap back on.
Let's crank it up.
Alright, she's been up to temp, it's been about 8 to 10 minutes, so we're going to go
ahead and shut her down.
Alright, let's put in that drain bolt, make sure the washer's on there.
Now we need to go ahead and drain that water we put in the reservoir way back in the beginning.
So let's get those two bolts out.
Disconnect that upper hose.
And that level never really changed, but hey, we had it in there if we needed it.
Well guys it looks like there's some sediment down in the bottom of the reservoir, so we
are going to go ahead and disconnect that bottom hose and clean that out.
Honestly I probably should have caught that when I first drained it, I just didn't see
it.
But I'm kinda glad I did now because that doesn't need to be in there.
Alright, the tank's completely cleaned out.
Before I go to reinstall it, you can't really see these two marks very well, so I'm going
to go ahead and mark them.
This is your upper and lower marks for your coolant level.
What we're going to do is go ahead and reconnect this lower hose.
Get our clamp back on.
And we're going to fill it up to that top mark.
Alright, it's very close to that top mark.
Go ahead and put our cap on, get our other hose clamp on, reconnect our top hose and
then we can go ahead and mount the reservoir back.
Alright, we'll leave this cover off for just a minute.
So what we're going to do is go ahead and fill up the main system and then we're going
to come back around and make sure that that level's looking good. and this fluid that
I'm using is from Kawasaki, and it's already pre-diluted so you can just pour it straight
in.
And it looks to be full for the most part, go ahead ans squeeze the hoses and try to
force out any air bubbles that may be in there.
Alright it's completely full.
Go ahead and close it back up, run it for a few minutes, let it cool back down, check
our level on the side, and if it needs to be adjusted then we'll add coolant to the
coolant tank only.
Because we're pretty much finished with the radiator part of it, the radiator cap.
Alright, she's up to temp, now we're going to let it cool down, probably about 10 or
15 minutes, check that level, and then we should be able to button it up.
Alright, let's take a peek.
That's pretty much where we left it, so I think we're good to go.
Let's go ahead and get this cover back on, and then that lower plate.
Alright guys, that pretty much wraps this one up.
A little more involved than just doing a coolant change for sure.
Well listen, if you need any of the parts that we used to do this, why don't you find
us at partzilla.com and we can get you taken care of.
If you have any questions or comments, just leave them in the section below and I'll do
my best to answer them.
Until next time, we just want to say thanks for watching.