High temperature light

rob f · May 30, 2018, 20:50:43 PM

Red Green would have been proud !
Some of the best inventions come out of farm boys

Stroker Deuce · May 25, 2018, 07:34:41 AM

The OEM fan switch is on back order so I've been riding with the faulty switch which was fine until yesterday. Yesterday I got caught up in some stop and go traffic near down town Denver. When the high temperature light came on again, it was about lunch time so I pulled into a popular burger joint to let it cool off. While I was stuffing my face with a greasy burger and "wild" fries, three forest service rangers came to join me on the patio to do the same. I didn't have any tools with me but knew if anyone had a knife or leatherman tool it would be one of these guys. I explained my situation and sure enough one of the rangers produced a Gerber folding knife. A quick snip, snip and striping of the switch wires allowed me to jump out the switch and run the fan at will. I stopped on the way home and bought a single pole toggle switch so I won't have to twist the wires together to run the fan. Farm boy, red neck engineering comes through again!

Zoar · May 03, 2018, 09:34:27 AM

Quote from: CDNRatMan on April 30, 2018, 23:49:51 PM
Stroker after you have finished beating yourself up over your being cheap, then take a very deep breath and laugh out loud because I am sure we all have fallen prey to the same issue........

A Truer or more helpful statement has never been made.

Laugh at ourselves.

mittico68 · May 03, 2018, 01:36:42 AM

Quote from: Tfrank59 on May 02, 2018, 12:49:01 PM
Mine comes on when it's supposed to. It won't come on in the winter months and it stays on if it's running when I kill the engine. Sometimes I can't tell when it's on especially if I happen to be moving but most often it comes on when I'm sitting at a red light or something

Same thing for me.

Tfrank59 · May 02, 2018, 12:49:01 PM

Mine comes on when it's supposed to. It won't come on in the winter months and it stays on if it's running when I kill the engine. Sometimes I can't tell when it's on especially if I happen to be moving but most often it comes on when I'm sitting at a red light or something

CDNRatMan · May 02, 2018, 10:28:29 AM

I can honestly say that I have only heard my fan come on once and it was in stop and go traffic on a really hot summer afternoon on Highway 69 outside of Perry Sound I heard it and felt it, otherwise I have never felt it or heard it coming on......so was not sure till I tested it that I knew it was working.......

rob f · May 02, 2018, 08:06:31 AM

I have stock pipes and still can't hear the fan run. At a stop I can feel the extra hot air coming up.
And have heard it run after shutdown so i know it works.
The light would give me peace of mind. Never was a fan of water cooled engines. My air cooled Virago's never give me grief but can't imagine what the engine temps get up too at a traffic light with 80+ degrees
R

greenbarn · May 01, 2018, 20:32:21 PM

Quote from: rob f on May 01, 2018, 10:42:34 AM
, chain, tires, girlfriend.... etc. Basically anywhere excessive heat becomes a factor.
R

LOL.

Good info on the fan and sensor circuits. Not sure, though, I understand the need for the light to verify the fan is coming on? Can you not just tell by the sound of the fan running? I don't get too concerned about the temps and the fans. They seldom run, on either the 800 or the 1500. If it's not unusually hot out, as long as I'm moving, I don't expect the fan to run. If we're not moving much, and it's hot (which sucks for other obvious reasons) I listen for the fan to run, and keep an eye on the hot light. never had any issues.

rob f · May 01, 2018, 10:42:34 AM

SD: just done a bit of research in the tech manual and would like to pass it on.
This system uses a temp sensor and a fan switch. The power side, not the ground side is switched off and on. Power up to switch is live all the time hence the fan may come on after you shut the bike down.
The sensor which only turns on the indicator light should come on at 235F.
The fan switch which turns the fan off and on comes on at 205F and shuts off at 196F.

I am contemplating installing a green indicator light to the power on side of the fan. Would be a good way to see if that fan is coming on. I also carry a little hand held infrared heat gun and check out the bike once in a while. Gives you a good indicator as to how things are working. I take a reading at the switch location, bottom of rad, identical spots on each head, wheel bearings, chain, tires, girlfriend.... etc. Basically anywhere excessive heat becomes a factor.
R

rob f · May 01, 2018, 08:19:39 AM

Drained and filled mine with no issues.
May want to consider changing the thermostat while it is all drained.
Didn't change mine because of the low mileage and would have cost more money.
Looks like we all ride the "Cheaper is better " wagon.
After all, if cost was not an issue we would all be riding "real" Indians.
Am I right?
R

CDNRatMan · April 30, 2018, 23:49:51 PM

Stroker after you have finished beating yourself up over your being cheap, then take a very deep breath and laugh out loud because I am sure we all have fallen prey to the same issue........

Stroker Deuce · April 30, 2018, 23:08:10 PM

Thanks for the replies. I received the fan switch ordered from eBay today and of course it was wrong, even though it was listed for all 800 Drifters, it was not close.

So now, after pulling it apart and draining the coolant, it's going back together while I order up the correct OEM replacement fan switch, then do it it all over again.

Should have known better than to buy replacement parts through eBay, trying to save a buck. Not the first time this scarcity mentality wound up costing me more than it would have cost, had I done it right the first time.

CDNRatMan · April 28, 2018, 01:57:01 AM

I have drained and cleaned both the rads on my 800's, used the water and whiter vinegar in both cases and as for refilling them not an issue, just let them burp and fill slowly to allow the air to escape, and check at the overflow tank, not hard.

Bucko · April 27, 2018, 23:14:59 PM

If you're going to drain the cooling system anyway, pull the sensor out and bench test it to see if it needs to be replaced.

greenbarn · April 27, 2018, 21:34:49 PM

I have flushed both my 800 and 1500, had no issues, didn't have to do anything special to bleed them out.

Stroker Deuce · April 27, 2018, 18:56:46 PM

I rode slowly through the down town section of a neighboring city only to have the high temperature light of my 2001 800 come on. The radiator fan was not running which helped isolate the issue. Removing the seat and fuel tank I checked the fuse then located the connectors for the fan and fan switch sensor. Bypassing the sensor, the fan ran well which isolated the problem to the fan switch sensor. This item from Ebay will be here this next week https://www.ebay.com/itm/RADIATOR-FAN-SWITCH-SENSOR-Fits-KAWASAKI-VN800-VULCAN-800-DRIFTER-1999-2006/281829373251?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 so I should be back on the road shortly there after.

My plan is to drain the cooling system before I replace the sensor, then flush the system with white vinegar and distilled water before replacing the coolant.

Does anyone have sage advice with any or all of this project? Has anyone had issues with air getting trapped in the cooling system when refilling with coolant? Any pitfalls I need to look out for?