Time for a mid-winter tuneup on the F3.

Over the past year, i have encountered a growing issue with heat on the F3.
I flushed the rad 2x with Engine Ice, thought i had a bubble, burped and burped some more, but that wasn't it, oil was done (i didn't clean and charge the K&N air filter though)

I notice that at red lights i was reaching peak temperatures causing the fan to kick on and off. Now i know heat happens, especially in traffic, but it was never this bad.

I installed a switch to override the fan while driving in traffic, but the last ride in 2015 resulted in me needing a flat bad because i killed the battery with 2x HIDs, LED strip DRLs (which are always on), LED tail strips and fan going.

I did a test with my multimeter, and with all that going, i get something like 11-12VDC at the terminals. not good.

So, heat being the issue, i am wondering if wrapping the headers in a good quality wrap will help keep the radiator cooler. I have read mixed things about header heat wrap. Because of my undertail exhaust, my rear gets hot after 20 or so minutes of riding, so the wrap was going to be applied there anyhow.

But would there be an improvement on engine temp? I know the idea of wrap is to keep exhaust temps high, resulting in higher gas velocity. I don't care about the performance gains, i'm not track riding.

thoughts? comments?
Thanks!
n

 

There are millions of bikes on the road that don't get hot from not wrapping the headers. Header wrap will keep more heat in causing metal fatigue and the moisture will result in more rusting of the pipes. Fix the real issue in the cooling system.

Have you had your radiator taken apart and rodded out? Sounds like you may have a flow issue. Coolant, especially when it sits, will get solid and plug the already small passages.

 

You could pull the radiator off and run a garden hose into it, if roughly the same flow out the other end, its probably clear. If that checks out ok then its the thermostat or water pump. The only time my F2 overheated racing was because of a bad water pump and I dont have wrapped exhaust or the fan. It dont even come close to overheating ever since. And thats red lining in summer temps at track days.

 

I decided to header wrap my Buell...

...it only lasted a month or so commuting before it degraded and fell apart...

I'm not a fan and won't do it again. I didn't see any benefits, it was just as hot on my legs as before.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Well, i know that the flow is fine, i flushed the rad out multiple times at the beginning of the year, garden hosed it out.

The water pump, that's different. are there any other signs that the pump may be bad? when i burp the bike (cap off, hitting the trottle a bit), i can see the fluid in the rad being pulled down. i assume this is the natural behaviour.

As for the thermostat, I have updated my gauge pod with the F4i, so i had to use the thermo sensor off a 900RR. Although this just reports the temp to the gauge pod, but it's consistent with the fan kicking in at around 210F. It just doesn't cool the bike down as well as it used to.

obviously while riding it varies, hiway speeds are no issue. rural driving i regularly get to 200F.


I will be adding the wrap to the rear of the bike. because of the YZF-R1 underside exhaust, the side of the seat heats up a bit too much for my comfort.

I suppose there is a risk that if my air filter is plugged, i could be running a bit richer than i should be, resulting in higher temps, but i don't have the experience or education to know this for sure.

 

Well, i know that the flow is fine, i flushed the rad out multiple times at the beginning of the year, garden hosed it out.

That doesn't mean that it's fine. If half of the tubes are partially plugged, it will still circulate but won't cool enough coolant to cool the bike. Flushing it will not get out the hard stuff that builds up and plugs the tubes. It is suspect to me because it's getting worse with time, not all of a sudden.

hiway speeds are no issue. rural driving i regularly get to 200F Lack of air flow will bring up the temp. 200 is not too bad in traffic and around cars blocking the air.

could be running a bit richer than i should be, resulting in higher temps

Rich mixture runs cooler.

 

Lean is hot, rich is cooler. That's why a lot of bikes out there run bigger jets on the 2 inside carbs, to help cool them..

Have there been any fluctuations in your coolant levels? Why did you think you needed to RE- burp the system? Was it just related to temp? After a few minutes of burping (as the bike warms up), do you ever see a stream of tiny bubbles?

You can pull the water pump apart and look at it. I've seen fins on the pump break, sometimes the bearing has too much play and leaks.

It runs off of a shaft from the oil pump, so you'll need to make sure the slot in the shaft lines up with the oil pump when you reinstall it.

You can also test the thermostat by boiling it in a pot of water on the stove...

 

Did you think it ran hot with the original temp guage? As far as burping the system, I fill mine up while idleing til it cant hold no more, cap it. Then let it get way up to temp, almost to the red mark on the original guage, reving it a little here and there as the temp rises, then let it cool completely and top off the radiator.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Well, it's a 18 year old OEM thermostat. a couple years the fluid wasn't changed and it doesnt get ridden all the time.

It's possible some of the tubes are getting plugged. I have contacted a couple shops around me that do rad repairs to see if they do rodding.

I have read some people use battery acid and a neutralizer to clean out rads? I have also seen some off the shelf products for clearing scale and gunk from rads? any one ever use those?

I have another thread out there regarding overheating. is it possible that a dying or damaged stator could cause excessive heat?

thanks!
n

 

I would test the thermostat before I bother taking the rad to a shop. You could match a new thermostat up with one from a auto parts store, cheaper than Honda OEM, I would think. They're kind of a generic product. I would even consider running the bike without a thermostat and see if it actually took longer to get "too hot". There really aint whole lot to check. The cooling system only consist of rad, pump, thermostat, couple hoses and a cap. And you really dont need the fan as long as the bike is moving at a reasonable speed.