Coolant Expansion Chamber

Discussion in '610/630' started by Russ, Jul 13, 2014.

  1. Russ Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sydney
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE250i & 701 Enduro, 501 & 630 sold
    Coolant was dribbling out of the expansion tank of my bike during a ride today. That's not happened before in more than 17,000kms of riding. The bike was serviced by the dealer last week. Have they simply overfilled it & the excess is meant to flow out here, or is it a leak?

    I let the bike cool down, after which I checked the coolant level by removing the radiator cap, and it was full, so I suspect it was overfilled.

    The expansion tank is item 2 in this photo.

    Thanks for any advice.

    Regards,
    Russ

    image.jpg
  2. WickedWill Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    QLD,AU
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE630
    Other Motorcycles:
    some little red ones
    Good chance it was over filled.This would happen each time a dealer serviced mine.Usually leak out on the way home,then it was good after that.
  3. Russ Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Sydney
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE250i & 701 Enduro, 501 & 630 sold
    Thanks Will, I suspect you're right. It just seems to be a rudimentary design for it to leak fluid over the cases. I washed it off when I got home, but wouldn't want to leave it on for an extended period.
  4. Huskymicky818 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Hidden Hills, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2011 SM630
    Other Motorcycles:
    '04CRF450x2,01&03YZ250,87CR500x2
    I have actually been a victim of THIS EXACT PROBLEM ever since I bought the bike back in Oct.2010 from dealership, and HAVE YET TO FIND A PROPER SOLUTION!!! The FATAL FLAW here is that STUPID breather hole in the cap of the overflow bottle itself, it DOES NOT take much of a lean angle to cause coolant to start leaking out of it, and not much further to have it drain completely!!! So far I tried gluing that "floating plug" in the cap, but then worried of overheating and explosion due to no vent. The best solution that I have found is to just make sure your radiator is topped off and then keep literally an ounce or two in overflow, and I'm good, unless I'm riding through Mulholland from Risk Store to The Snake!! That's because I lean soooo much through there that I scrape my pegs every time!!
  5. RDTCU Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '11 630SMS
    Your coolant level shouldn't be affected much by lean, since the level stays parallel to the bike, unless you're hanging way off...
    It's more about evaporation from heat and sputtering when the radiator cap vents a bit.

    Mine has been bone dry since about 3 months after I got the bike, nothing will stay in there. Never been a drop low in the radiator...
  6. Tinken Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Hesperia, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    MY12 WR511
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha
    Another option is to use my XF coolant. It never boils, so you don't even need an expansion tank. Never has to be flushed, lasts the life of the bike.
  7. maxyb Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Adelaide, Australia
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    TE630, classica 105
    Other Motorcycles:
    CB350, CD90z
    Tinken, expansion is a property of any matter. When something heats up (whether it be solid, liquid or gas) it will expand.

    You will still need an expansion chamber regardless at what boiling point the coolant mix is
  8. RDTCU Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '11 630SMS

    Much less so, though, with a low vapor pressure fluid.
  9. HUSKYnXJnWI Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Central Wisconsin, USA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    09TE450
    This can simply be overfilling the expansion tank.There should only be a small amount in it- if the system opens it has to have somewhere to go. Bikes without expansion tanks that open dump it on the ground- but then never draw any back in upon vacuum/ cooling. That's the benefit to an expansion tank.

    But depending on conditions and adding to the issue- the radiator cap could be opening too soon too often. This is a wear item. Once it opens- it decreases pressure which at that moment lowers the boiling point of the fluid. (more likely to boil). Also, the expansion tank cap-should not be glued nor deformed or it will burst or leak respectively. Fluid with a higher boiling point whether due to its chemical property or because of the static pressure of the system decreases likelyhood of the system exchanging. The radiator cap should be replaced if it is exchanging seemingly unnecessarily or prematurely. The only gauge I have for that is- knowing the bike. But the cap "bar" (pressure) ranges 1.2-1.4 bar oem usually. A worn cap could be at 1.0 for example and open early- exchanging sooner and more often. Then guys say my bike boils all the time- when its not 'boiling' its just exchanging. No need to go to a extreem HIGH bar cap- just ensure yours is maintained.
  10. Tinken Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Hesperia, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    MY12 WR511
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha
    Correct, XF has very low expansion and is normally contained inside the radiator itself, without the need of an expansion tank. XF maybe utilized in a zero pressure environment, a pressure cap is not necessary.