Bike is running really hot.

The two pictures I posted earlier are of the cooling system that were in my repair manual. I have an owners as well as a service. I do not know if it is the haynes or not. I can check in 2 hours when I get home.

 

What controls my temp gauge? Is there a sensor somewhere that I can check?

 

Right my friend, 2 nuggets of info for you. First, if you can take your tank off, your thermostat is under there, the thermostat housing looks similar to a car one (well the cars in the uk anyway), and if I remember correctly, it's above your coils.

secondly, the sensor for your temp gauge is in the same place and it's just a single wire coming from it.

If it wasn't pi**ing it down with rain here, I'd have gone out to my bike, took the tank off and took a pic of it for you. If you get really stuck, I'll nip out, lift the cover and try and get a pic for you, let me know.

I hope that helps my friend.

 

I will take a look tonight thank you! Dang I wish it was raining here. It has been around 99-105 degrees the last two weeks.

You have a maxim x as well! Where does your bike generally operate temp wise on your gauges? Mine has always been just a tad under red but lately it likes to venture up there.

 

Normally mine operates at between 1/4 to half way. In standing traffic it goes right up to virtually in the red, then the fan cuts in and it usually drops to around the half way mark, until I start moving again, then it goes back to between 1/4 and 1/2.

 

Hmmm that is a good deal cooler than mine. It normally runs halfway up or more. That would be nice.

I tried just starting it in the driveway and revving it to 1-3k every 30 seconds or so. Sure enough the fan kicked in after it had been just a tad over half. It then gets up to the red then starts to get into it and I shut it off. It appears to get hotter at idle not something I like. My friend who has been an ase mechanic for 10+ years and owns a garage has offered to check the cooling system for me.

I'll get it to him on Sunday.

 

Could the fact that I did aftermarket exhaust and an air filter mean that it is running lean and burning hotter? Uni air filter and MAC 4-1.

 

if it's running hotter due to the mods, it would mean that the thermostat and water pump would be running more. Your bike should not be running that hot. check your thermostat + water pump

 

Will do that.

I was able to ride 30 miles at 75mph and the gauge stayed dead center. I had to stop at a light and wait 2 minutes to turn left and it went from mid to starting to touch red. So it seems to do well at speed. But not at a light. A friend is going to help me check it out. We'll be sure to check the plugs, thermostat, and water pump. Anything else I should take a look at?

 

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=74&pcid=10

 

I had seen that stuff and was going to ask if anyone had tried it.

 

Can someone with a maxim x check something for me? should my maxim x cooling fan be blowing toward the radiator or toward the engine?

 

I've never seen any radiator fan on any vehicle that does anything other than blow toward the engine from behind the radiator. That is, it pulls air though the radiator from its position between the radiator and engine.

 

Okay turns out It looks like I wired the fan backward (palm to face) Would it blowing TOWARD the radiator be whats causing this? Sounds right to me...

 

I the fan is blowing toward the radiator, it would be pushing against the air trying to come through naturally when you are moving. My fan comes on a little bit before the red and only comes on if I haven't moved for more than five minutes.
I also know that adding more anti-freeze doesn't increase the coolant properties of water, it just increases the boiling point, and also adds some lubrication for the pump. This is why most racing engines use straight water, for maximum cooling.

 

So it may not be a bad idea to move the mixture a bit heavier water based till winter? As well as it is obviously urgent that I switch that fan back over.... Question I have... I have taken this cooling system off probably 2 times in the last month and am sick of draining and refilling... Could I just swap the wired at their connector? The fan wired run up to a grey connector that clicks into another one which I am assuming goes to the thermostat.. Can I just switch the wires around to make it run correctly? As opposed to taking the radiator off, draining the coolant, removing the fan, and re-soldering?

 

Another thing you could try is the latest greatest in radiator tech. They're known as wetting agents. You can run it with Ethylene G and H20 for both cooler operation and anti-freeze or run it with H20 only for even cooler operation.

I tried it in my '74 Toyota. I was betting it was 'snake oil' but its an old truck with an old radiator (which I plan to replace) so I gave it a try. It lowered my high temp (sitting in traffic) by 15 degrees F-and that was with Antifreeze still in there. It works by decreasing the friction and increasing the contact with the radiator surfaces to improve cooling. I was pleased and a little surprised by the results.

 

So the stuff you added is the "ethylene g"? Are there any drawbacks to running just straight water till after fall? the cooler it will run that happier I will be... I realize a lower boiling point but will that matter? Maybe just go to like an %80 water %20 anti freeze?

 

No, Ethylene glycol is the sweet tasting chemical which when mixed with water raises boiling temp and lowers freezing, aka antifreeze. The wetting agent is the stuff I added. I tried Royal Purple's 'Purple Ice'-got it at the auto parts store.

Link:
http://royalpurpleconsumer.com/product- ... t-additive

Just water as you know will boil at 212F or 100C; a drawback since many engines will top that temp while sitting, but your bike may not. Most will tell you plain water can lead to corrosion and result in rust/or calcium (tap water) in your water chambers/radiator so I wouldn't If I were you. A little antifreeze will prevent that corrosion and race motors have run that way for years safely.

You could get the Purple Ice and run it alone with water for better cooling but you wouldn't have any antifreeze protection that way. Of course you could just switch out your coolant and add antifreeze in the winter.

Personally I would run 40/60 or 30/70-antifreeze/filtered or distilled water and add the wetting agent per instructions. Should give you plenty of anti-freeze, boil over and cooler running.

 

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Man bot had recommended "water wetter" which sounds like pretty much the same thing. So a tad less coolant, more water, and add a "wetting" agent