Overheated bike running out the fuel.

GregDVT
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GregDVT
Edited Date/Time 12/27/2019 6:41pm
So I did something stupid. I siphoned the gas out of my bike for the season. I drained it until I could barely hear anything in the tank when I Rocked the bike back and forth on the stand. I started it and let it run to get the rest of the fuel out (40 degrees Fahrenheit here). I checked on it every two or three minutes until I had to do something in the kitchen. When I came out after about ten minutes it was steaming and radiator fluid was dripping on the ground.

The bike has about 15 light hours on it (2018 yz250f). Do I need to take it to a mechanic? Or should I refill the coolant and just learn from this experience?
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Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 12/26/2019 1:59pm
12/26/2019 1:59pm
You way overheated the engine. it should be checked out for damage.

PawPaw
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byke
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byke 12/26/2019 2:03pm
12/26/2019 2:03pm
Odds are in your favor. I'd let it cool and fill up gas/coolant and ride it and look for signs of issues.
GregDVT
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GregDVT 12/26/2019 2:44pm
12/26/2019 2:44pm
I appreciate the input everyone. Can’t believe I did such a dumb thing to my prized possession...

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captmoto
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captmoto 12/26/2019 2:47pm
12/26/2019 2:47pm
You can't let bikes sit there and idle. You would have been better off riding in circles in the yard until it ran out.
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Hcallz5
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Hcallz5 12/26/2019 2:48pm
12/26/2019 2:48pm
My buddy did this with his 450sx-f, warped the wrist pin so bad the piston hit the head. Doesn't sound like yours is that bad but you may want to get it checked out. It very well could be fine. Run it and try.
GregDVT
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GregDVT 12/26/2019 3:17pm
12/26/2019 3:17pm
I drained so much fuel I thought it would have run and cut off in 5 minutes. Learned my lesson
Rick Amatuzio 12/26/2019 7:31pm
12/26/2019 7:31pm
GregDVT wrote:
I appreciate the input everyone. Can’t believe I did such a dumb thing to my prized possession...
Relax it’s fine. Just run it and stop being paranoid...
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hubbardmx50
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hubbardmx50 12/26/2019 7:55pm
12/26/2019 7:55pm
Top off your coolant and just keep checking it as you ride. It should be fine. If you fill it all the way to the top a little will dribble out of the overflow After starting it but it’s perfectly normal. You shouldn’t let a bike idle longer than 3 minutes.
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wideopen198 12/27/2019 4:42am
12/27/2019 4:42am Edited Date/Time 12/27/2019 4:45am
There's no reason to drain the gas in the winter. Just leave some in and add some fresh fuel when you're gonna ride again. A 4 stroke doesn't like sitting at idle without air flow through the radiators. Gotta try to do that as little as possible. A few minutes will get it steaming hot.
GregDVT
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GregDVT 12/27/2019 6:16am
12/27/2019 6:16am
Thanks for the input everyone. I’ll top off the coolant and take it for a few laps around the yard and check for engine hiccups
EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 12/27/2019 9:15am
12/27/2019 9:15am
You can't let a four stroke sit and idle, ever, unless you have a radiator fan and even then it's not advisable

I have said this to many people, have to think of your bike like a shark, if it's not moving, it'll die. (Some sharks need to swim in their sleep)

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

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Mr. Afterbar
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Mr. Afterbar 12/27/2019 9:41am
12/27/2019 9:41am
Paw Paw 271 wrote:
You way overheated the engine. it should be checked out for damage.

PawPaw
Lots of downvotes on Paw Paw’s post, but he’s one of the most knowledgeable people on here. Definitely smarter than anyone who downvoted his wise input.
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kb228
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kb228 12/27/2019 9:55am
12/27/2019 9:55am
these bikes arent meant to idle 20 mins.

Take the tank off and drain it next time like a sane person.

IMO if your not getting coolant in your oil and you have compression and the leakdown test is ok then dont worry about it. Id definitely do all 3 checks before riding again. Never know what freak thing happened.
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WoodsRacer
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WoodsRacer 12/27/2019 10:12am
12/27/2019 10:12am
If it were my bike I'd want to check breakaway torques on the head bolts, pull the head to replace the head gasket and bolts, and check the fire deck for any warpage with a flat bar and feeler gauges.

If you decided not to do this keep a very close eye on the oil for the first couple rides to make sure no coolant is getting into it and also on the coolant level in the radiators to make sure non is being consumed.
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Gworm
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Gworm 12/27/2019 10:24am
12/27/2019 10:24am
Paw Paw 271 wrote:
You way overheated the engine. it should be checked out for damage.

PawPaw
What Paw Paw said. You might cost yourself a lot more money not checking it out first.
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Rick Amatuzio 12/27/2019 10:27am
12/27/2019 10:27am
Ok Greg, you are in the shark tank. You have 15 options on the table from the Sharks, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? 😂
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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 12/27/2019 10:30am
12/27/2019 10:30am
Paw Paw 271 wrote:
You way overheated the engine. it should be checked out for damage.

PawPaw
Mr. Afterbar wrote:
Lots of downvotes on Paw Paw’s post, but he’s one of the most knowledgeable people on here. Definitely smarter than anyone who downvoted his wise input.
Idiots. He's forgotten more than most people on Vital know about bikes.
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quadzrulebro 12/27/2019 11:29am
12/27/2019 11:29am
As long as there was still antifreeze coming out and the bike sounded ok, you’re fine. Refill the coolant and let ‘er rip.
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Thisusernameisavailable 12/27/2019 11:42am
12/27/2019 11:42am
Paranoia and anxiety is rife on this forum this past couple of days..

"I over-heated my YZ250F"
"I used 10/40 for pre-mix!!"
"I let my bike idle with 150ml too little oil in it!!"

Guys, c'mon, really? None of these 'mistakes' are likely to be 'fatal', but IF they were, IF they were, WTF are you going to do about it now?? Whats done is done, you can't change it. Go back to base, do as per manual and try it out to see if you've damaged it. "Will it be ok?" posts on Vital aren't going to help you now son.
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Hcallz5
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Hcallz5 12/27/2019 1:42pm
12/27/2019 1:42pm
Did you run it at all yet?

I would at least change the oil/filter and look for metal. Maybe even pop the head off and check out the cylinder...

Maybe you just heat treated all the metals and now she'll last 10x longer! Woohoo
Timo_2824
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Timo_2824 12/27/2019 3:43pm
12/27/2019 3:43pm
If it was still running it's fine, many people have boiled over riding in the woods. Eli Tomac's bike will steam half a supercross race...
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Razor85
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Razor85 12/27/2019 6:34pm
12/27/2019 6:34pm
Does running a FI bike out of gas harm the fuel pump?
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 12/27/2019 6:41pm
12/27/2019 6:41pm
Razor85 wrote:
Does running a FI bike out of gas harm the fuel pump?
Yes it will over heat.

Paw Paw
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Kelz87
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Kelz87 12/27/2019 11:39pm
12/27/2019 11:39pm
My ‘16 sxf boiled over one night when I was riding with a buddy and it got dark and we lost the trail to the trailhead. I had to follow his light (sketch af)
Was burping coolant right as we found our way. I opened it up down the dirt road to cool it off and refilled the coolant later, no issues afterward

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