Gen III coolant change- pro's and con's

[Ross1]

Have had this new to me 2013 w/ 29k miles for a few weeks, now.

Finally warm enough to work (routine maintenance stuff) on it.

Changed the extremely dirty oil Thursday. Couldn't have been easier.

Did the oil for one of my XJ900's Friday. By comparison, a regular pita.

Looked at the thread regarding the side panel removal. Daunting, to say the least.

Looking for a way to avoid having left over screws and fairing bits.

Push fasteners and plastic tabs test my patience to the limit.

It looks like one of those jobs where in for a dime, in for a dollar (or pound, drachma, remnimbi, yen, etc...)

The con's (broken tabs, lost hours, poorly reassembled parts)are mountainous.

Are the pro's (fresh coolant, cleaner cooling system) worth it?

To the point, are there any work-arounds?

Thanks,

 

[ionbeam]

...Are the pro's (fresh coolant, cleaner cooling system) worth it?...

FWIW, the Owners Manual says to change the coolant every 16,000 miles or every 24 months. I suspect that this is the guide that should be followed

 

[PhilJet09]

At 29,000 miles, your valves should have had their first inspection. If yours haven't been done, you end up changing the coolant during the inspection. Once you get that deep, there are plenty of other things to do.

 

[wheatonFJR]

If there is a GEN 3 owner around you, maybe he can break off the tabs for you...I mean assist you in your first venture into the tabs. Scary at first, not so much later.

 

[art miller]

At 29,000 miles, your valves should have had their first inspection. If yours haven't been done, you end up changing the coolant during the inspection. Once you get that deep, there are plenty of other things to do.

^^^ If the valve check has not been done and you are not going to do it yourself, have the dealer/shop who does the check perform the coolant change. If the oil was a dirty as your state, it i likely the other owner did not bother changing the coolant. After this if you change the coolant every two years it will not be necessary to remove the side fairing to perform the coolant change. You can get to the radiator cap by removing the left top panel. Remove the vent panel and remove only the fasteners necessary to pull the fairing out enough to access the radiator cap. Drain the coolant, fill with distilled water, warm up the bike and drain again. Fill with new anti freeze, warm up the bike, let it cool down, check the coolant level again, and make sure the expansion (plastic) container is filled to proper level.

 

[Ross1]

Thank you, Art.

This is the information that I was hoping for.