Well, got my 99 1500 drifter up and running. over the winter I pulled the tank and wire bundles attached. I also drained and reserviced the radiator. nothing else involving the radiator. from initial startup all was well minus the radiator fan. my initial assumption is the temp sensor. given that the fan was working fine prior to the winter season. am I correct in my troubleshooting process or does anyone else have better ideas? thank you.
The radiator fan does not operate all the time. There is a coolant pump that circulates the coolant and only when it reaches a certain temp (can't remember now but I believe it is in the service manual on this website) the fan switches on. Ride the bike in some traffic on a warm day and if it works it will go on.
I'm on the other side of the river from you. Hasn't gotten warm enough around here to make the fan turn on, yet.
well just sitting at idle, it should turn on periodically to cool the radiator down. which it doesn't do. the ops/leak check is letting the bike idle and ensuring there are no leaks and the fan operates once it gets too hot. ive ridden it and established it being inoperative but don't want to risk damage by sitting in traffic and having the radiator and coolant overheating.
one picture worth thousand words:
So, Hubbley, jump the wires across the coolant temp sensor and the fan should run.