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[FLH91]

Hi Guys,
  So I'm on the road traveling and I decided to check my radiator fluid reservoir.  I was surprised to find it was empty.  We had been riding all day and recently been riding pretty fast, 100+, so the engine was good and hot.  The tech at Cowboy HD in Austin is telling me that there are no leaks and that when the engine is hot, all the fluid will be in the heads, causing the reservoir to read a lower level.  On a side note, I also lost a radiator grill cover this day, lost of rocks, debris on the interstate.  (I-10 through Beaumont, Houston area)
Is this possible??  I'm used to cars/trucks that read higher levels when the fluid is hot....  Not sure I believe this or not...

Thoughts?
Thanks,
Dave

[CVODON]

Expands when hot, does not contract. Head will only hold a certain volume, what made a Tech think because it was hot it was sucking coolant from the tank?

[grc]

Just when I think I've heard every possible stupid comment from a so-called "tech", I come across a thread like this one.

There should ALWAYS be coolant visible in the bottle, period.  And as Don already mentioned, the volume of the cavities in the heads as well as the tubing remains constant, and the coolant expands when hot.  Thus the level of the fluid in that bottle should INCREASE as it gets hot. 

Check your fluid level cold, fill to the cold fill line.  Ride the bike for an hour to get everything nice and hot, pull over and shut down, then look at the coolant level in the bottle.  If it's lower than when you checked it cold, rather than the correct higher level, one of two things happened.  Either there was an air pocket trapped in the system, or you have a leak.  Leaks can be external or internal, btw.  Some have had porosity problems in the heads that allowed coolant to leak into the combustion chambers, so if you see no fluid dripping on the floor, that's not a guarantee you have no leaks.

Jerry

[FLH91]

Thanks guys,  So I just had the dealership supposedly check the entire system, fill the reservoir, and change all the oils....  I guess we'll see what happens next....

So if I run out of coolant, will the bike still run good as long as it stays cool enough??  I've heard some say they loose power and go into a "limp" mode"

[Para Bellum]

There's a reason it's called an expansion tank.

[grc]

Thanks guys,  So I just had the dealership supposedly check the entire system, fill the reservoir, and change all the oils....  I guess we'll see what happens next....

So if I run out of coolant, will the bike still run good as long as it stays cool enough??  I've heard some say they loose power and go into a "limp" mode"

You need to make sure you don't run out of coolant.  Make it a habit to check the level before every ride, until you know the problem has been corrected.  I know some people have commented before that running a Twin Cooled bike without coolant is no different than running a regular air cooled model.  That just shows how unwise it is to believe all the stuff you read on the internet.

Jerry

[HD Street Performance]

Not only do these resevoirs need to be filled to the proper level but the system needs to be purged of air after a repair. There is a procedure that allows operating the pump with the motor off key on.
One other note, do not ever get coolant in the cylinders. If the heads are off be sure to purge the heads before going back with them

[J.D.]

Hopefully your dealer tech pressure tested the system and didn't just add some coolant to bring it up to full.

Sometimes you can see sign of coolant in the cylinder on the spark plug ceramic electrode insulator if it is escaping via the exhaust.

[jvvv]

Went to Michigan last August from Texas. Coolant tank was empty, called Harley tech they said it should be ok to run. Called my dealer he said the same, but said if i could stop by a dealer to let them fill it up and he would look at it when i got back. So i did that, and it not a drop missing when i got back. Dealer checked could not fine nothing. Cranked it up when it was 10 degrees outside a couple of months ago and bam couple of drops on my shop floor. took pic sent to service manager and they came to pick it up. took them a week to find out what was wrong. Found out that is was a bad fitting on the right radiator, when they went to change that, they found that radiator to be defective also.

[FLH91]

Update:  I've ridden the bike for 2 days, almost 600 miles, temps ranging from low 60's to low 80's, speeds mainly 65-80 mph, and every time I check the fluid it is close to the same amount in the tank...  I guess I'll keep riding and keep checking....  I need to see how it does in heat and in town with traffic...
Thanks everyone!!
Dave

[FLH91]

Well, after about 2000 more miles my coolant issue finally reared its head again...  This time the reservoir was found full to the top and my check engine and coolant "idiot lights" where lit up...  Made it to Las Vegas HD and found the pump to be bad...  So it looks like we are spending the night here on the strip.  Bike should be done by 1000 tomorrow....  Back on the road.....
Dave