Okay, I finally had a little time to get in there. The first problem of course was the fuse was bad so that was changed. That was the easy fix. After doing this we found out there was a second problem. The fan motor would kick on but the fan blade wouldn't spin. Any guess... huh....huh... You got it, the fan blade nut came off. was unusually easy to remove the fan without having to remove the radiator. Put on a lock nut with a lock washer. THis should not happer again.

I am a running fool.







Hi Guys,

I just got my bike back from having the engine rebuilt. The engine runs excellent. Took the bike to work Monday and the temp kept around 180 - 190 most of the trip. Climbed to 210 at times. Now the whole time when the temp got up to operating temp there is this clicking that drops the RPM's 3 - 400 then back to normal immediately but continuous. If it happens when your at speed it is not noticable. Well, at the traffic light at my house the temp climbed to 250 and started blinking so I shut down immediately. The mechanic will take care of the problem no sweat but I am wondering if there is a way for me to test the fan/fan switch and save me another week of having my bike tied up. The plug to the fan seems to be plugged in.

Any thoughts here would be appreciated. I'm hoping it is something dumb I can fix myself.

 

To test the fan you can just ground the connection at the fan temp sensor in the radiator - it should run when you ground it wirth the ignition on. If not check the fuse and see if it spins by hand. For testing the sensor they normally turn on around 218-220 iirc - if the fan works when you ground it and doesn't turn on at those temps I would suspect the sensor.

 

Good info, thank you.

 

If the bike has been downed first thing I would check is the sensor.

I had a 600 CBR (hurricane) that wanted to overheat. The sensor was shot - so the fan would not come on.

After the sensor was replaced, all was well.

 

Oh yeah, Where's the fuse box on these things?

 

under the seat right behind the battery

 

you obviously have a mechanical problem to resolve here but for what it's worth (once that gets solved), I run Engine Ice in my VTR and it runs cooler now that it did before, despite having Stage 1 cams and ported & decked heads (which generate more power, hence more heat too).

 

Okay I just got a case of the stupids. Do you put the ground wire on the sensor and the ground it, On the black wire then ground it, or on the black wire and then replace the plug then ground it out? I did the last one but want to be sure I did it right. If that was correct then nothing happened.

 

You want to ground the black wire on the sensor - you can probably take off the wire and ground it on the radiator. If by chance someone but teflon tape on the sensor threads that could cause you some issues as it relies on the ground of the threads to the radiator...

 

Thanks Rick. Does not look like there is tape plus it was working before. Which fuse should I check?

 

You may want to double check the service manual but I believe the fan has its own fuse... The wiring diagrams should also help you trace it out.

 

Well the problem is two fold. First the fuse was burnt. Replace the fuse and let the bike run, Fan motor came on at 228 but the blades don't turn. THe blades wiggle. Glad it is something fairly simple.

 

Could your thermostat be jammed shut? If it's jammed open it would just take longer to warm up, but jammed shut the bike will overheat. If you take it out you can test it. Per Haynes if it stays open at room temperature it's bad. You can also put it in a pot of cold water on a stove, then heat it up and use a themometer to test it. If either the thermostat or the sensor ends up being bad don't feel bad. My first superhawk, a brand new '98, overheated the same day it came out of the crate with about 60 miles on it because one of those was bad. I cant remember which was replaced under warranty now, sorry I'm getting old and it was ten years ago.

 

Thanks Cap. The problem is the fan blades not turning but the motor runs. I will replace the fan. That should do it.

 

Conclusion in the top of this thread

 

Sweet. How awesome does it feel to fix stuff?

 

Glad you got it taken care of. As I recall you hit 250 when realizing you had a problem.
My wife and I went to Idyllwyld last weekend. I rode, leaving mid afternoon, while my wife drove our Tacoma with her SV in the back, as well as luggage, etc for a 3 night stay.
Going through Hemet, with all the signals, I hit 230 for the first time with my fan running continually. It never got any higher though.

By the way, the 243 from Banning to Poppet Flat Road (7 1/2 miles) is like a race track with new pavement.

 

Fixin stuff is great when things go good.

Hey Surf, That be some hot country you went thru.

 

From Lake Elsinore through Hemet it was brutal, high was 107 that day.
Thank god for textile jackets and vented helmets.

 

Helmets and textile jackets? Come now....

Just dress up in Harley-wear, that is, shorts, tank top, sandals, and no helmet, it's all you really need.....

 

Good one.
Dressed like that you would also need a gallon of Neosporin and 20 yards of gauze and adhesive tape when the crack head cuts you off in his '84 Escort.
And think of how attractive the female passenger will look with skin grafts.