Kettle by name.

[F Body]

Kettle by nature

Been hot temperature testing the Honda in the house



Well it was raining outside

Normal Temp :



High Temp :



Boiling, good job I put those rags over the carpet :



New fan over ride switch fitted which brings the temp right down :





I've got a plan of action which I'll discuss in another post, we are off to the Pub now

[art b]

yeeee haaa whos a redneck,
so it does heat up a bit quick ,fan override switch is a good idea,well fitted too

[F Body]

Quoting: art b

so it does heat up a bit quick ,fan override switch is a good idea

Well it seems to stop the temp getting too high, but doesn't cure the root cause ??
So remembering that the temp gauge and fan circuit are completely separate, why is she still boiling ?
As the engine starts to get hot the fan will cut in and blow for about 30 secs until the air from the radiator is quite cool rather than the red hot to start with.
After the fan cuts out again the engine continues to get hotter and the fan will cut in another 2 or 3 times until she boils about 7 minutes later.

So the fan sender is working and turning the fan on / off but the engine is still getting too warm, the other thing to directly affect the engine temperature is the thermostat. Now as we all know the thermostat is purely mechanical and opens and closes depending on the water temperature.

Signs of a sticking thermostat would be engine overheating, but you would expect it all the time, under normal running she's fine.
If the thermostat was sticking open, you would expect the engine to run cold or at least cooler than normal.

The only other component is the water pump, but again if the water flow was impeded or too slow, you wouldn't expect the engine to cruise under load at 75/80 mph cool as a cucumber

I'm going to change the fan sender and get a price for a new thermostat, but I still can't figure out what's going on ???

[art b]

can ya rem the thermostat...?
i suppose the rad should cool the engine when your normal running,and the fan cut in when ur getting warm ie stationary, does the rad get warm when out on a run ie is the stat working..?

[F Body]

After sleeping on it I'm going thermostat first and then fan sender

[art b]

ya wanna get a bed dont sleep on ya bike....

[Roadkill]

Quoting: art b

yeeee haaa whos a redneck

I wouldn't do something like that . . . . . . .

[55starchief]

I would remove the stat and test it in a cup of hot water to see if it is operating, i would also flush the rad and cooling system to make sure there isnt a blockage

[F Body]

Quoting: 55starchief

I would remove the stat and test it in

Yeah me thinks a strip down is in order, but after 19 years a lot of the fixings are well stuck
I'll consult the Workshop manual tonight and check the water pump details, I seem to remember that you have drain all the engine oil before you remove it ( it's driven off the main crank ) therefore I'd also need a new gasket.
I'll get there in the end

[art b]

Quoting: Roadkill

I wouldn't do something like that . . . . .

yea not much......

[F Body]

A Russian Hawk Owner has sent me the workshop manual in PDF format

Here is the cooling system :



The Thermostat Housing :



I've eliminated the Water pump because it is a direct drive from the crank with a metal impeller, so there are no shear parts or pins etc

[philoldsmobile]

Quoting: F Body

Signs of a sticking thermostat would be engine overheating, but you would expect it all the time, under normal running she's fine.
If the thermostat was sticking open, you would expect the engine to run cold or at least cooler than normal.

The only other component is the water pump, but again if the water flow was impeded or too slow, you wouldn't expect the engine to cruise under load at 75/80 mph cool as a cucumber

hmmm.. not always so..

bike engines are far more exposed to the air than car engines, the cooling effect of the air around the engine would prob be enough to keep the engine cool, even with very slow coolant circulation, effectively its running as an air cooled engine at speed

[F Body]

Quoting: philoldsmobile

hmmm.. not always so..

bike engines are far more exposed to the air than car engines, the cooling effect of the air around the engine would prob be enough to keep the engine cool, even with very slow coolant circulation, effectively its running as an air cooled engine at speed

The thought had crossed my mind, I think the next course of action is to take the thermostat out and test it in hot water, it means removing the tank ( yet again ) which is a two person job and the filter box and other pipes etc.
Think I'll leave that till tomorrow night to make a start on

[art b]

take the stat out and leave it out..
the flow will improve,and the pump will have less work to do...

[philoldsmobile]

Quoting: F Body

I've eliminated the Water pump because it is a direct drive from the crank with a metal impeller

its still not failure proof, the metal impeller will be cast, and a press fit on the shaft, its quite possible for the two to separate, leaving the impeller idling, rather than turning at full speed..

[philoldsmobile]

Quoting: art b

take the stat out and leave it out..
the flow will improve,and the pump will have less work to do...

ironicly that can cause overheating too, if the water circulates too quickly, it doesn't spend enough time in the rad to cool down properly, if you ever deleate a stat you should replace it with a restrictor disc

[F Body]

Quoting: philoldsmobile

its still not failure proof, the metal impeller will be cast, and a press fit on the shaft, its quite possible for the two to separate,

True not impossible but unlikely and there isn't one single water pump failure item on the Hawk Forum  

[55starchief]

Quoting: F Body

The thought had crossed my mind, I think the next course of action is to take the thermostat out and test it in hot water, it means removing the tank ( yet again ) which is a two person job and the filter box and other pipes etc.
Think I'll leave that till tomorrow night to make a start on

ahem

Quoting: 55starchief

I would remove the stat and test it in a cup of hot water to see if it is operating, i would also flush the rad and cooling system to make sure there isnt a blockage

[art b]

lots of performance engines have the stat removed

[55starchief]

Quoting: art b

lots of performance engines have the stat removed

indeed they do but you need to add a restrictor in the place of the thermostat, you can do it by removing the middle of the stat as long as the flow can be slowed otherwise you end up with airlocks. We found this with the pinto motor in the westfield, as soon as the restrictor was fitted problem solved

[art b]

yep that sounds familiar rem the centre of the stat,left it outta my 2.1
seemed ok,also had oil cooler,and heater on to shift the heat,