[johnnieg]

I owned a 79 Wing and now have a 77 Wing. What type coolant is best to use? I remember from when I had the 79 that there was a right/wrong type of coolant to use but can't remember what the details were. Thanks for any help.
Johnnieg

 

[fossil92]

I would like to take the oppurtunity to welcome you to the site from PA. Good bunch/discussion here.

I don't know the answer but must admit I'm intrigued, would like to know myself now.

 

[heavychevy]

Use the regular green coolant and 50/50 mix of distilled water. If I have anything with that extended life crap I flush it out and replace it. It's good until the air hits it and then it turns to slush. The green (ethylene Glycol) works best and stays cleaner but needs a flush every 3-4 years at most. (I do mine every other year) The (propylene Glycol) Pink is great if your cooling sysyem new is exposed to air but will turn to pure sludge over time if much air is introduced into the cooling system. As a professional Master Auto Technician I've seen enough propylene Glycol(Dexcool,Procooland some other names) disasters that any new vehicle I buy I fush that crap out and put in Prestone Ethylene Glycol (the green) coolant in everything.

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

I was intrigued about this one too, so I check on some other boards. From the discussions I've seen it seems whatever you use it should contain silicate because the Goldwing engines are aluminum. That said, I would get the Honda coolant from the dealer. It may cost more, but what's a couple of $$ to be sure.

 

[Chopin]

My little Owner's Manual notes this : "Using coolant with silicate inhibitors may cause premature wear of water pump seals or blockage of radiator passages....." This is an 08 manual though, which is a backwards way of saying that you should use silicate, if I'm reading this correctly ?

 

[detdrbuzzard]

go to your local honda car dealer and buy antifreeze that way you know its right for our engines

 

[heavychevy]

My little Owner's Manual notes this : "Using coolant with silicate inhibitors may cause premature wear of water pump seals or blockage of radiator passages....." This is an 08 manual though, which is a backwards way of saying that you should use silicate, if I'm reading this correctly ?

Honda Used Etylene Glycol based coolant from 1975 through at least 2002 in there 1000- 1500 engines which contain silicates. If You flush the coolant regularly and use distilled water it won' t be a problem. I had much rather put a waterpump on every 100,000 mile (Have yet to have a water pump failure on any GL) than have my coolant passages clogged up and ruin my engine. Buying Honda Coolant is like buying Honda Oil. It's just an overpriced version of what you can buy at a parts store.

 

[joe in calif]

Any anti-freeze that is silicate free will work, I buy mine premixed at the Honda dealer, only about $5.00 a qt. so for $20.00 you have the right stuff. A water pump is a lot more expensive than that if you use the wrong stuff. You could buy the stuff at a Honda car dealer and mix it yourself with distilled water and have enough for 2 changes but then you have to store it for a couple of years until your next change.

 

[johnnieg]

Thanks for the info. If I remember, it had something to do with the water pump but not sure. Will get some coolant you recommended and do the coolant change.

Johnnieg

 

[heavychevy]

Any anti-freeze that is silicate free will work, I buy mine premixed at the Honda dealer, only about $5.00 a qt. so for $20.00 you have the right stuff. A water pump is a lot more expensive than that if you use the wrong stuff. You could buy the stuff at a Honda car dealer and mix it yourself with distilled water and have enough for 2 changes but then you have to store it for a couple of years until your next change.

About the only time silicate comes into play is if you mix it with harsh tap water. All water pump seals on Honda Cars, Trucks and even most domestic vehicles are made of the same rubber. It's just CYA for Honda. The same as telling you the load limit is 405 pounds, Not to pull a trailer, Not to put more than 5 pounds on a luggage rack and so on. I have almost 1/2 million miles on water cooled Hondas and 0 coolant related failures. Ive seen many many cars with sludged up cooling systems from using extended use coolant. If you followed all of Hondas reccemendations you would be able to get out of the driiveway. I check my tire pressure, oil level, coolant level before each ride. I check all that every few weeks. Honda will scare you right out of riding.

 

[johnnieg]

Thanks for the quick come back. That is why I love the bike forums. They are an endless pool of information. Thanks again.

Johnnieg

 

[heavychevy]

The bottom line is this. use whatever gives you peace of mind. That way you can enjoy your ride. As for me I don't buy into everything Honda or other manafactuers try to blow up my butt. Being in the Business for 50 years you see what works, what doesnt and the consequences of doing something wrong. manafacturers make huge blunders from time to time. In most cases they try to scare you into buying everything from them or your vehicle is going to breakdown, fall apart and get you killed.
As for Honda and GoldWings here is the company the went from a tried and true Cam belt drive (most accurate) and good for 100,000 miles between changes back to a chain on the 1800 that will stretch and when it comes time to chage look out. They went from Hyd lash adjujsters to Bucket Shim Valve adjustments (can you say big bucks should you ever have to do valve work or need adjustment) And why in the world would Honda Put Ball bearing back in the steering head vs the proven Tapered automotive wheel bearing type. Tapered beering have been proven to be far superior to the old ball bearing design, then the Bridgestone tire fiasco (you 1800 owners know all about it). Frame problems, cooling problems, tire cupping and various other problems. It's just that sometimes even Honda blows it out of their collective backsides so don't take everything they tell you to heart.

 

[Chopin]

I want to believe in you Honda Hito. I need to believe in something Ichi ban Honda son. You are the alter of my shinto shrine. I have heard you detractors speak and I want to stuff wax in my ears . Say it ain't so Tokyo Joe ?

 

[johnnieg]

It seems that manufacturers just can't leave good enough alone. They seem to think they have to change things to make the consumers think that they are changing things for the better rather then just changing things for change. Consumers are like voters and I'm sure the message will return to the initiator.

Johnnieg

 

[fatcatusn]

I have 2009 1800 that gets pretty warm in the mountains, someone was talking adding a wetting solution, anyone know anything about that?

 

[trike lady]

I would use the Honda coolant or any for aluminum engines. I was told using automobile antifreeze will distroy the water pump and plug the orafices in the water jackets. Read the bottle and see if it says, "Safe for aluminum engines". At one point a few Wing owners used the wrong stuff and the Honda dealer had to drain and flush the stuff out.

 

[BladeRunner]

Hey fatcatusn; I'm wondering about Royal Purple stuff I've seen on tv lately..I think they call it "ice", it's supposed to lower temps by as much as 20 deg! I'm curious if anyone has tried it?? Does it work??

 

[JeffM]

Wal-Mart has the antifreeze for aluminum engines. Good price too. It is premixed.

 

[rev383]

Prestone Antifreeze

I just received an email back from Prestone. They ensure me that the new line of Prestone Antifreeze in the yellow containers does not contain silicates. Reassuring to those of us with sensitive seals.

I checked the older container I have from the last coolant change out I did on the Valk and it clearly states that it contains no silicates while the new stuff does not state it on the container.

I checked the Peak brand and the O'Reilly brand and both containers clearly state that they contain no silicate.

Jim Riley
SoUtah
Silicate free.

 

[budoka]

Honda HP pre-mixed coolant is what Honda recommends for all their liquid cooled motorcycle engines, and although I'm not an auto dealer I'd bet money that's what they use as well.
Any coolant that's formulated for aluminum engines and contains no silcates to harm sensitive seals is also fine to use.
And yes manufacturers do pump their own products as they've gone to great lengths to get a supplier to put their OEM label on it. They MAKE MONEY on it, it's what the business world thrives on. Businesses may sell widgets, but they aren't in the widget business, they're in the money business plain and simple. Nothing wrong with that.
I for one am totally fine with silent chain driven cams. My Wing has them as well as my homologised (RC51) race bike. Bucket and shim valve adjustments are neither expensive or difficult. Hydraulic valve trains are nice for a total lack of maintenance, but once they're done, they are done and then very expensive to replace, if you can even get a replacement for them. I know of no place that has 1200 replacement parts, and 1500 I haven't looked up either. Not that they'll wear out in less than 300K under normal use anyway. An '06 (?)1800 run by a GWRRA executive member had over 700K on it when he replaced it with a new one ('13?) and if I remember correctly his maintenance records showed 3 or four actual valve adjustments in his article in Wingworld. I can easily live with that.
Head bearings, well, yeah, Honda screwed up on that, but then the fork is pure unadulterated crap for this level of bike too so. Wanna trade a Wing for a BMW GT or GTL or an Ultra for that matter with their $$ maintenance (comparatively speaking maintenance only, not getting into the "it's different" koolaid) woes? Doubt it.