Hello, Please help new to this bike have a guage that is reading real close to hot on highway running 65 miles per hour. First what is the standard reading on this bike .The guage looks like this C _ _ _ _ _ H it runs one square away from"h" is this hot . Oh the dashes represent boxes on the guage.
Second I live in south Texas Very hot on the coast has any body tried running with the thermostat completly removed from the housing . I am currently trying this it has no problem getting up to temp. Wondering it this could damage something by doing this
Thanks for all the support
Doug[/b]
I would not run without a thermostat as then the water flows TOO fast and the radiator will not work properly.
As far as the guage ready I am not sure but that does sound hot to me. I would replace the thermostat with a new one of the correct rating. Flush the fluid and replace with new. See how it runs after that, if still hot I would think about the water pump and the radiator not functioning correctly.
Hope this helps some.
Doug, my '85 V65 has a total possible 8 bars. It typically runs between 3 and 5. I don't think I've ever seen it go past 5, maybe 6 on an extremely hot day in stop and go traffic.
I would check a couple of things. 1st thing would be to see if your radiator fan starts blowing around 5-6 bars. If not, you could have a fanstat problem. See below for that fix:
Replacement Fanstat
By: Christopher Leach - Adapted from the SabMag FAQ
The stock fanstat (the Thermistor that shorts at a given temperature in order to activate the cooling fans) on the erly VF-series bikes waits a little too long before activating the fan for my taste. Honda sells a replacement fanstat which triggers at a lower temp, but for ~US$58 it's not cheap. If you would like the Honda part #, wander over to Robyn Lander's page (address in cam discussion area). However, a cheaper alternative is to order ECHLIN FS130, about $28 from NAPA. Turns on at 191-197F (ascending) and off at 182-187F (descending). The element is about 1/2" longer than the Honda one, but it screws right in and it has the two bayonet connectors found on early V4's.
Another option:
Brand name: GP Sorenson
Part Number: 40-5001
Price: $14.99 (Advance Auto Parts- prices may vary from state to state.)
Thread pitch: M16 X 1.5
Normally open
Closes at 189 to 199 degrees F
Opens at 181 to 171 degrees F
This switch is the direct equivalant to the NAPA #FS130
This switch fits many Honda car applications,
1975-1991 Honda Civic All 3 door(hatchback) and CRX models
also 1986-1991 Acura Integra, all engine sizes.
This is a pretty old post and I believe that the prices have gone up but it fixes the higher temp problem as well as what seems to have been a problem with the fanstat going out completely.
2nd thing I would check is your water pump housing. It bolts onto the bike with two bolts. Those two bolts also act as a ground for the sensor attached to the water pump. If one of those has broken (like it did on mine) your temp indicator will not registor properly. To fix that I simply stuck a piece of copper wire between the two bolts so I had a good ground.
Aside from this I would follow Greg's suggestions.
Marc
Well I may need to get a fan. Where is the best place to get one and does anybody have a part #. I will put the thermostat back in the housing but since its been out I have only seen 5 boxes on the guage. It seem to run a little cooler without it .
Thanks for all the support
Now you are talking money to replace the fan. Does it never come on? You can check it by shorting out the 2 wires connecting up the fanstat on the left side of the bike near the top of the radiator. (someone validate me here, I could be wrong.)
You are running cooler without the thermostat simply becasue you are now continuously running water through the engine.
You can go out to partsfish.com for the cooling fan motor if it is still available. It runs about 225 though.
Yeah Marc you are right if you short the two leads just take a screwdriver or something and put it between the two terminals and the fan should come on!!! if it does not then the fan is bad if you want if you take the fan out you can try to hook a12volt batt to it and then if it doe not work then it is bad.......