Engine shut down

[Jigger]

As many of you know from a previous post. I recently purchase my Magna. After a ride it does not matter how far I travel. When I go to shut down the engine. I let the engine idle for a few moments on the stand. While I remove my helmet,gloves etc. I do this with every vehicle I've ever owned. It is a habit that has been driven into me. During my 35 years as a truck driver. To allow the cylinders time to cool down so they are all the same temperature when I do shut the engine off. Is this a good practice to continue with or should I try to change my ways ?

[lragan]

Probably not a bad idea.  Don't see that it hurts, and it could help, as you point out. 

I don't do this -- but I do shut the engine off with the "kill" switch before turning off the ignition.  I don't believe there is any difference electrically, but it keeps me in the habit of knowing where the kill switch is so if I put the bike down, it is automatic to shut it off.

If you have been riding at high speed, with air over the cylinders, it seems to me that the temperature could actually increase during the idle phase.   The only time my fan comes on is when the bike is running and standing still.

[TLRam1]

Shame on you!



I mess around a little....I speed up than shut off my motor and coast to my driveway at times, sometimes I let it idle for a minute when I open the garage door, mostly just shut it down. At idle it could heat up a little as Lawrence mentions.


Do what works for you, I don't think it hurts much with whatever you do as long as you are not at one end of the extreme. No reason not to just come in and shut it off though. 

[Jigger]

My highway travel is about 15 minutes away from my house. Other then that it is rural driving with speeds of 35 mph. Then when I get close to my home it is about 5 minutes of speeds of 10-15 minutes.

[hootmon]

My highway travel is about 15 minutes away from my house. Other then that it is rural driving with speeds of 35 mph. Then when I get close to my home it is about 5 minutes of speeds of 10-15 minutes.

With this scenario, I think the motor is pretty well cooled down.. You can let it idle if you want, but just turning it off should be fine with the cool down on the way in..

[Magnum Magna]

I don't have the habit on the bike as mush as my truck but in the truck I will give the engine a little revving and turn it off so it will push out some of the trapped heat in the cylinders. I do it mainly in the summer.  I don't remember the numbers but the compressed heat will get hotter for a while.  I remember in the 80's the Chrysler K car it had an electric fan and it would blow for 15 or so minutes after the car was turned off.

[Jigger]

This was taught to me by my father and others back many a moon ago. Back when I use to drive B model Macks with 250 turbo desiels and quad box transmissions. Wish I had a temp prob then I could see exactly wat was going on with it when I do let it idle for a few.

[lragan]

In  order to remove the latent heat from an engine with an engine driven fan and water pump, it was wise to let it idle a bit.  Under the hood of a car or truck, little or no air cooling was available, so letting the coolant circulate a while to cool the engine down was a smart move.

Our Magna engines are derived from air cooled predecessors, even though they are water cooled.  I am reasonably sure that most of the heat is removed by air over the fins.  The electric fan runs, on my bike, only at idle and only when the ambient air temperature is high, like 80 degrees or more.  So the motorcycle engine is a whole different breed from big burly diesels in confined air spaces.

I have never figured out the circulation system on vehicles with electric fans.  Does the water circulate naturally?  I don't think the water pumps are electric, are they?  I have heard fans running in cars for some time after the driver has left the scene, apparently cooling the water in the radiator, and, I suppose, circulating a bit of air over the block.  I have never noticed whether the fan on the Magna runs after the ignition is turned off...

[TLRam1]

I have never figured out the circulation system on vehicles with electric fans.  Does the water circulate naturally?  I don't think the water pumps are electric, are they? 

Water pumps are unchanged and run via a engine powered belt.

[LIMagna]

There are some automobiles that have electric after-run coolant circulators.  I think it's more popular with some of the turbo-charged European cars since they really need to cool things down after a drive.  I'm pretty sure my wife's 06 Audi A4 Avant had one ... haven't heard it though on her new 2011 model though (might just be quieter). 

[Chad in Michigan]

"I have never noticed whether the fan on the Magna runs after the ignition is turned off..."

It can run with the key off. it has constant +12v at the fan. what determines if it runs or not is if the fan stat reaches a certain number of degrees and passes the ground to the fan by opening the switch.

[Chad in Michigan]

I have never figured out the circulation system on vehicles with electric fans.  Does the water circulate naturally?  I don't think the water pumps are electric, are they? 

Water pumps are unchanged and run via a engine powered belt.

I've seen some electric water pumps on race cars. they want every bit of hp from that motor without the water pump taking away some.

[Jerry G Turner]

I have had the fan running on my magna when I pull it into the shed and it stops as soon as I turn off the key.

[Magnum Magna]

The stock Magna fan turns off with the key.  The first summer I had the Magna I parked the bike in the back the fan was going so I left the key on for a few minutes to let it cool it down.  Well I forgot the key and found the battery dead the next day.  That was the last time I let it run for a few minutes after turning off the bike.


It would be cool to put a big capacitor on it so it would run until the cap was drained but it is not necessary to cool it after riding it.

[Chad in Michigan]

ya know, i think i wired mine to +12 constant when I added that keyless starting thing to my bike, that's why I am remembering that it kept running after I turned off the key. D'Oh!