[1-3-2-4]

Hey all! This is my first post here, but have been lurking for a LONG time. Finally picked up my first Duc a few days ago - 2011 MTS 1200 ABS. Going to do an introductory post, but need more time than what I have over lunch today.

That said, I have a question about the well-documented cooling system corrosion. Turns out despite checking the VIN with Ducati for recalls and the previous owner's assuaging, the wrong coolant is in the bike. As we know, it should be pink. But it's blue!

Naturally, I'm going to drain, flush, refill with the proper coolant ASAP. However, how screwed is the engine? Is there a death sentence? Should I preemptively pick up a set of heads and swap over winter? I ride daily and use the bike for commuting, touring, and some track days. Reliability is crucial.

Help educate me - and yes, I've read through the many other threads. But didn't see anything recent and figured I'd see how things have progressed. No steam/smoke during start up or operation (beyond normal condensation when cold) and seems to run just fine. No visible exterior leaks or issues.

Thanks in advance for your help - and humoring me with some questions that have already been asked before.

 

[DaveNZ]

Just change to the proper coolant, if it was to corrode, i think it would have reared its ugly head by now, my bike 2010, had the coolant changed at 20,000Ks its now done 72,000Ks, with no ill effects.

 

[1-3-2-4]

Dave, thanks for the response. Admittedly, I knew of this issue before buying the bike. I just don't want to worry about the prospect of engine failure when I'm away from home. I don't get out very often these days with the kids at home, but if I do...don't want any issues. Especially not Ducati-priced issues...

Is the AGIP still the coolant of choice?

 

[Buhgaboo]

Blue Coolant could have been BMW motorad brand... fwiw...its what I use in my monster821

 

[2upDucati]

AGIP comes in blue and red. I bought the Agip Eni Permanent Spezial as per the owners manual, Its blue.

 

[1-3-2-4]

Ah, jeez...the plot thickens! The bike was (supposedly) serviced at Fast by Ferracci, who is 'the east coast's premier Ducati, et al dealer'. The Ducati recall site lists the bike as being up to date...so maybe this is the AGIP and I don't have to worry?

Either way, I'm going to do a good flush on the bike as I think it's been more than 2 years on the current coolant anyway (the bike sat unused for the past 12 months).

I'm really hoping this pans out without much work. I didn't plan on buying a project, although I was ready to buy heads, if needed. But I'd rather spend my winter doing anything else, lol.

 

[DaveNZ]

1-4-3-2, yes its Agrip-Permanent Spezial. Its a long life product, so it doesn't need changing. (hint-Permanent) Mine is pink.

 

[MTScott2]

1-4-3-2, yes its Agrip-Permanent Spezial. Its a long life product, so it doesn't need changing. (hint-Permanent)

Ride the darn bike and fix it when and IF it breaks.
Fina a Great dealer/Mechanic and use them.
Do get to know your bike and do stop and check any unusual noise smell wobbly feeling drip leak whatever.
Seen videos when a bike is acting up and IDIOTS won't even shut it down just let it wreck itself...
I have had a suspension error. Most people would panic and turn blue with worry. a bit of research and a post by a alert member here says, Turn it off (ignition) and start again if that doesn't work unhook the battery and rehook it up again.
SIMPLE "FIX" effective.

Great bike have fun and ride safe.

Biggest Mistake buying a Multi is getting the slow color....

 

[Warrior102]

You do know a cylinder head is around $2K right? Ducati put out some bad alloy castings and is covering it with coolant chemistry changes, if you catch it in time it may be ok. 99.9% of the time it's only one head effected (vertical I believe), there have been reports of both heads replaced early on as dealers did this out of caution. I would think if you had the standard ethylene glycol installed it would be toast by now. Look under your radiator cap for a white paste substance in that area and the neck, that will be the first sign of your cylinder head dissolving.

 

[1-3-2-4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ

Ride the darn bike and fix it when and IF it breaks.
Fina a Great dealer/Mechanic and use them.
Do get to know your bike and do stop and check any unusual noise smell wobbly feeling drip leak whatever.
Seen videos when a bike is acting up and IDIOTS won't even shut it down just let it wreck itself...
I have had a suspension error. Most people would panic and turn blue with worry. a bit of research and a post by a alert member here says, Turn it off (ignition) and start again if that doesn't work unhook the battery and rehook it up again.
SIMPLE "FIX" effective.

Great bike have fun and ride safe.

Biggest Mistake buying a Multi is getting the slow color....

Uh oh...did I buy the wrong color? Is the white slower than the rest? It is less spunky than my FZ-10...

You do know a cylinder head is around $2K right? Ducati put out some bad alloy castings and is covering it with coolant chemistry changes, if you catch it in time it may be ok. 99.9% of the time it's only one head effected (vertical I believe), there have been reports of both heads replaced early on as dealers did this out of caution. I would think if you had the standard ethylene glycol installed it would be toast by now. Look under your radiator cap for a white paste substance in that area and the neck, that will be the first sign of your cylinder head dissolving.

Actually I did NOT know the cost, lol. In fact, I was quoted a MUCH lower price that made me more comfortable with the prospect. At $2k, there won't be any new cylinder heads in this bike's future! I'll check the radiator cap out today when I have some time. I did order some coolant from Faster Twins in VA...so as soon as that comes I'll put the Duc up on the lift for some quality maintenance time. Hoping for the best, because I do love riding it.

 

[1-3-2-4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ

Ride the darn bike and fix it when and IF it breaks.
Fina a Great dealer/Mechanic and use them.
Do get to know your bike and do stop and check any unusual noise smell wobbly feeling drip leak whatever.
Seen videos when a bike is acting up and IDIOTS won't even shut it down just let it wreck itself...
I have had a suspension error. Most people would panic and turn blue with worry. a bit of research and a post by a alert member here says, Turn it off (ignition) and start again if that doesn't work unhook the battery and rehook it up again.
SIMPLE "FIX" effective.

Great bike have fun and ride safe.

Biggest Mistake buying a Multi is getting the slow color....

Just visually inspected the caps. I don't see any scale on the outside...but I suppose that could have been cleaned up.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Warrior102]

I had a failed head on my 2012, the aluminum oxide was in the neck of the radiator, the overflow tank looked fine. Did you remove the radiator pressure cap? If you didn't find any you should be GTG, as I said I believe it was a casting/alloy issue and it would have failed by now. Coolants cheap and doesn't last forever despite the ad copy, drain flush and refill you'll sleep better.

 

[mollycbr123]

I had both cylinder heads and all valves replaced on my old '10 due to antifreeze erosion. The tech that did the work told me the rebuild took $10k in parts, and 20hrs labor to do it. My bike was out of warranty, but Ducati still covered it all. It ran like a champ afterwards. If you do eventually have a failure and it's due to antifreeze, there is still a chance that Ducati would cover the repairs. My tech told me these types of engine failures would be covered for the life of the bikes, regardless of warranty coverage. Of course, that was five or six years ago, so I don't know if I'd bank on it today.

Given the age of your bike and no symptoms, I'd agree with the others to do nothing more that a flush and fluid change for peace of mind, and ride away!

 

[MTScott2]

I was told that Ducati would "assist" if there were a major failure. Trick is to find a dealer with enuff integrity to go to bat for you.
Local dealer has been selling Ducati for decades and is one of the oldest dealers in North America. Always a good idea to not go off guns ablazing when an issue pops up.
Pay to play...

 

[1-3-2-4]

For the guys who have had failures, thanks for chiming in. I'm glad that Ducati took care of the issue. Who knows if they'd take care of me at this time, but I think I'll call the dealer who sold/serviced the bike (again) and re-establish contact just in case an issues arises down the road.

I'll pull the radiator cap off tonight after I get home and the bike cools to see what I can.

 

[Wolverine1]

The bike was (supposedly) serviced at Fast by Ferracci, who is 'the east coast's premier Ducati, et al dealer'.

I haven't heard much good about this shop. Avoid Fast by Ferracci in Willow Grove, PA - Ducati Monster Forums: Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum

EDIT: This is only one instance. After researching for a good shop I had a bunch of locals warn me about FBF.

 

[1-3-2-4]

I haven't heard much good about this shop. Avoid Fast by Ferracci in Willow Grove, PA - Ducati Monster Forums: Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum

EDIT: This is only one instance. After researching for a good shop I had a bunch of locals warn me about FBF.

That's why I inserted the quotes, lol. They haven't returned my calls and I've had customers with horror stories. We don't have many good dealers around here. Each one is an hour out, minimum.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[DaveNZ]

Uh oh...did I buy the wrong color? Is the white slower than the rest?

The Black one is the fastest, the other colours are just wanna-bees.

 

[1-3-2-4]

Just drained the coolant. This is what I found. Unless your keen eyes see something I don't, I'm calling this good. Going to pull the radiator for a quick drain, flush a few times, and fill with the pink.

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[Warrior102]

Looks OK from your potato pics, mine had a white paste around the radiator neck and cap, not subtle. That and the white steam pouring out the exhaust were a dead giveaway.