Compensation Tank for Cooling Liquid

Hi Guys!

Ever since i bought my SD I've been thinking about the compensation tank which collects excessive cooling liquid.

It was a few drops in it this summer when it was hot and the bike was new but since then it's been empty. I've looked in the radiator when the bike is cold but the liquid in it is all the way up to the top. Shouldn't some of it be in the compensation tank, at least near the minimum level?

Help is appreciated. The mechanic didn't have a good answer i feel.

Thanks from a rainy Sweden.

The tank has a high and low mark on it; so you must be below the low !

Trouble is if you don't know what coolant is in there already; as some coolants don't mix well. You would therefore need to drain the whole system and re-fill with new coolant (ideally).

I think the manual says that the radiator must be full, and the tank between the max and min marks. Mine seems to sit just below the min mark. When I add more it just disappears. My dealer told me not to worry about it, that they just seem to settle at a level in the tank where they are happy. That doesn't make sense to me, but it seems to work that way. If my tank was empty, I would fill it at least to the min mark.

Also, the manual says that if any coolant is missing the from the radiator, there "probably" is a leak somewhere. My bike was losing coolant from the radiator and it did have a leak.

If your loosing coolant and there is no leek then its going somewere, and thats inside the engine, check the oil for contamination or better still change the oil the get the water pump seal changed before you do any thing, there maybe more expierienced mechanics out there with with other advice .

Yes! Fortunately I keep a close eye on fluid levels and avoided a heat problem on the road, but if you have an issue and don't pay attention you could get a nasty surprise in the middle of nowhere!

Joe - In the cold weather, my bike rarely moves coolant from the radiator to the overflow container. I know this because I put water wetter (which is pink) in the overflow, and it rarely gets the green coolant dumped into it from the radiator. It does happen more in the warm weather.