Coolant Overflow tube puking
  • MichaelAZSB
    Posts: 4
    Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:24 pm

    Coolant Overflow tube puking

    by MichaelAZSB » Mon Jun 12, 2017 5:06 pm

    I bought a 2007 CRF450R recently. It was running poorly so I sent the engine for rebuilt. Put it back together and added coolant. I started it and let it idle for 10 min. In hindsight, this wasn't smart since the temp was 105 degrees. It began puking steam out of the overflow hose. After letting it cool, I added more coolant. I later read that I should have leaned the bike over to allow air to escape.
    Question: Can I lean it over to allow air to escape or should I drain and re-fill the coolant? Would air remain trapped in the system? Did I potentially do damage?
    2007 CRF450R \:D/
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    JimDirt
    Posts: 4406
    Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm

    Re: Coolant Overflow tube puking

    by JimDirt » Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:23 pm

    Welcome to the site !! \:D/

    There are several answers here , since you let it run for 10 minutes , its "possible" you did damage , especially if its a "fresh" rebuild , the engine needs to heat cycle , but not for 10 minutes without airflow thru the radiators , that is the source of cooling , if air is not being forced thru the radiators , all your doing is heating the metal , like leaving a frying pan on the stove on high without anything in it

    With that said , you need to check the oil for coolant , this will help tell if there is any engine damage , i would also smell the oil , if it smells burnt , its possible you glazed the cylinder walls and cooked the rings (this is all possibilities , not saying this is the case) , if the engine runs again and is smoking from the exhaust , then there might be issues , IF its smoking and its blue smoke , the rings are toast , if its white smelly smoke then its antifreeze and a possible head gasket or worse....again , these are "possibilities" and you may get lucky , but i would keep a eye on things for a while to look for excessive oil consumption , etc.....

    To answer your question about the "burping" of the cooling system , yes you can lean it over , or rock it back and forth (with the engine OFF and the radiator cap off) , while filling the radiator periodically tilt the bike back and forth , you don't have to lay it on its side , just lean it to the left/shifter side about equivalent to what it would be cornering and you should see the coolant drop , top it off, then replace the cap and lean it to the right , then check again , then replace the cap once it wont take any more coolant after rocking it several times , and fire it up for no more than 1 minute max , then shut it down and let it sit about 5-10 minutes , or until the radiator feels cool , then slowly remove the cap and check the coolant level , it should be right at the top just below the wider part of the opening , if not then add coolant , and then replace the cap and fire the bike again , then loosen the lowest bolt on the water pump , it should have a copper washer on it , fluid should come out along with any air if any is left in the system , (just slightly loosen so coolant starts to flow , then close it right back up again as soon as you get a steady flow of coolant , not letting the bike run for any longer than 1 minute max) , shut the bike off , and let it cool down , then recheck the level , and top off the coolant , hopefully if there is no damage , your done and good to go , at this time , you should check the oil for coolant again , if its not milky looking and you don't notice any smoke when running , then try riding it briefly and see what it does

    If you notice any steam , shut it down and locate the source , , if all is OK after a brief ride , then again let it cool and check the level again ,......basically you want to check the level after/between every ride anyway , as there is not a overflow tank so you will always loose some coolant on a ride ...........hopefully no major damage was done and your good to go
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
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    Weiser , Idaho
  • MichaelAZSB
    Posts: 4
    Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 4:24 pm

    Re: Coolant Overflow tube puking

    by MichaelAZSB » Thu Sep 21, 2017 10:31 pm

    JimDirt: Thank you for the help. You helped me resolve the issue. Don't know if I did damage but other than a pesky jetting issue, my CRF450R is running fine.
    2007 CRF450R \:D/

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