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I mixed the wrong coolant

Bskicrash1

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Long story short, my reservoir tank was low. I added Engine Ice, to the reservoir tank to the appropriate level. I went for a ride, and didn’t think anything of it. The coolant was blue in the reservoir tank and I added blue Engine Ice. I didn’t think anything of it until now. I run engine ice in all my motorcycles, but my NC750x still has the coolant from when I purchased it from the dealer.


To err on the side of caution, tomorrow, I am draining and flushing the cooling system because I don’t want adverse effects from mixing improper coolants.


Man I feel dumb.
 
Long story short, my reservoir tank was low. I added Engine Ice, to the reservoir tank to the appropriate level. I went for a ride, and didn’t think anything of it. The coolant was blue in the reservoir tank and I added blue Engine Ice. I didn’t think anything of it until now. I run engine ice in all my motorcycles, but my NC750x still has the coolant from when I purchased it from the dealer.


To err on the side of caution, tomorrow, I am draining and flushing the cooling system because I don’t want adverse effects from mixing improper coolants.


Man I feel dumb.
Join the club. If you haven't done something that feels dumb on your bikes, You haven't had a bike long enough.
 
Join the club. If you haven't done something that feels dumb on your bikes, You haven't had a bike long enough.
There is that. Also unless I’m seriously mistaken “Engine Ice” is designed to help keep engine temps down/stable while racing and does Not have antifreeze characteristics. Given you live in the land of the long winter you may wanna flush that out asap and replace with appropriate antifreeze solution. Ya dont want a freeze up…
 
There is that. Also unless I’m seriously mistaken “Engine Ice” is designed to help keep engine temps down/stable while racing and does Not have antifreeze characteristics. Given you live in the land of the long winter you may wanna flush that out asap and replace with appropriate antifreeze solution. Ya dont want a freeze up…
I checked the website because I had never heard that but here is what I found.

Engine Ice is a propylene glycol-based antifreeze and coolant. It provides boil-over protection to 254F and freeze protection to -7F. Engine Ice uses propylene glycol as the base because of its performance and environmental benefits.
 
I checked the website because I had never heard that but here is what I found.

Engine Ice is a propylene glycol-based antifreeze and coolant. It provides boil-over protection to 254F and freeze protection to -7F. Engine Ice uses propylene glycol as the base because of its performance and environmental benefits.
Freeze protection to -7F would not work for me. Below that there would be engine ice, hence the name?

Premixed OEM Honda Type 2 coolant specs freeze protection to -34F, and 265F boiling point (according to this site https://www.chapmoto.com/pro-honda-...term=4581115209675984&utm_content=Ad group #1 ).
 
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I could be wrong but my understanding is as long as the coolant is the same color you are good. It is when you start mixing colors that you could potentially have a problem.

To parrot what others have said, you should be concerned about that -7F freezing point more than it gelling on you, especially if you topped it off with the same color antifreeze. As an FYI, Peak EOT 50/50 Blue Asian Anti-freeze has a freeze point of -34F to give you some frame of reference. You must store your bikes in a place that doesn't get much below -7 or have been extremely luck to not have had a problem with Engine Ice freezing in any of your other bikes and cracking/breaking something.
 
I checked the website because I had never heard that but here is what I found.

Engine Ice is a propylene glycol-based antifreeze and coolant. It provides boil-over protection to 254F and freeze protection to -7F. Engine Ice uses propylene glycol as the base because of its performance and environmental benefits.
Well that’s better than the old “wet water“ from years back but still suboptimal for cold temps IMHO. Methinks I’d drain it well and replace with Honda spec coolant
 
I could be wrong but my understanding is as long as the coolant is the same color you are good. It is when you start mixing colors that you could potentially have a problem.

To parrot what others have said, you should be concerned about that -7F freezing point more than it gelling on you, especially if you topped it off with the same color antifreeze. As an FYI, Peak EOT 50/50 Blue Asian Anti-freeze has a freeze point of -34F to give you some frame of reference. You must store your bikes in a place that doesn't get much below -7 or have been extremely luck to not have had a problem with Engine Ice freezing in any of your other bikes and cracking/breaking something.
Regarding coolant color, I would not count on color as an absolute indicator of chemistry.

There are many websites that try to explain modern engine coolant choices. Here is one and a quote below from it: https://fixautousa.com/blog/types-of-coolant/

“What color is coolant and does it make a difference? Not really. The colors are mostly for marketing purposes. There is no bad coolant color with one exception: if it is dark and murky, that could indicate it may have become contaminated.

If you are trying to determine the right coolant to use for your car, don’t base your decision on coolant color. It is simply not a reliable indicator of what type of coolant your car needs. Take, for example, OAT and HOAT. Sometimes they are yellow and other times orange, so it’s easy to get them confused if you use color as a predictor. When you throw in older coolants that tend to be green and others that are red or purple, you realize that coolant color isn’t that significant after all.”
 
Agreed I use Honda Type 2 from the dealership and is much cheaper than Engine Ice.

I was just checking to see how accurate the statement of "does Not have antifreeze characteristics" was.
 
For what it is worth, the Honda automobile type 2 anti-freeze sold by the gallon at your local Honda Auto Dealer is the same product as the Honda MC anti-freeze. I paid $23.00 the last time I purchased some last summer. I have use it in my Honda MC and ATV with no problems.
 
I flushed and changed the coolant. No gelling in the reservoir tank that I could tell. I did get some small deposits from the drain hole when flushing with distilled water. Since I didn’t see a how to on this, I’ll create another post of the process. I used Honda hp2 coolant as per the manual.


I knew that engine ice was not compatible with other coolant. This is that “oh I’m dumb” moment. I added just enough to the overflow reservoir to bring the level from just below the low mark, to the full mark. After my ride, if any did mix into the block, it was minimal. I was more concerned with the coolants reacting and gelling up. The engine ice has never caused issues in the past 15 years for me, however, with the NC, I am strictly following the manual. This bike is not ridden hard like my others. My klr650 has had engine ice in it for the last 4 seasons and I run that all winter. However, I will probably stop using it all together now that you all here have posted the freeze point of it… I do not like that…. So again, thank you all here!
 
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I learned my "Only Use Honda Fluids" years ago when I saved a few $$ by using a name brand coolant in two cars (Civics) belonging to my #1 and #2 sons. The water pumps on both cars started leaking about two months later. I discovered that the name brand had something in it that tore up the water pump seal on Honda's. I was lucky that one of the two cars was still in warranty so that one did not cost me but the other one did cost me for a new pump and timing belt. So, for the few dollars more, I always use the Honda fluid or oils.
 
Yes, I inadvertently mixed the wrong coolant in one of my old cars and ended up blowing the water pump seal. It cost me about $250 in parts for a water pump, thermostat, coolant, gasket and distilled water to flush. I spent about 4 hours replacing it in near freezing weather. The shop was going to charge almost three times the amount for labor and “brand name” parts.
 
It is silica in some antifreeze that kills the seals. Honda cars and motorcycles require silica free......least that is what I remember from back in the 80s.
My 2007 Suzuki and the 2009 BMW I had both states/stated in the owners manual to use silica free antifreeze.....670cc is correct, color has nothing to do with compatibility (the color is a marketing ploy for certain brands).....must use silica free antifreeze.
 
I checked the website because I had never heard that but here is what I found.

Engine Ice is a propylene glycol-based antifreeze and coolant. It provides boil-over protection to 254F and freeze protection to -7F. Engine Ice uses propylene glycol as the base because of its performance and environmental benefits.

Just for giggles, I checked the engine ice label and compared it to the Honda label. I had to use eco friendly coolant for sanctioned mx races and It was just habit to use. Now that I’ve moved passed racing I don’t have a need for it anymore.

Engine Ice is rated -26F to 256F
Honda HP2 is rated -34F to 265F


It’s possible the formula has changed. The local snowmobile shop stocks it and sells quite a bit of it. I’ll start checking labels to see if there are different freeze point ratings.

Here are the labels:
586F3470-4EF7-4F7B-9DBA-7FE88CB31907.jpeg3BECB48B-8480-42B1-AF57-015390741C9A.jpeg
 
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