hey all...wondering if any1 can lend some help for my 99 f4 (lack of) coolingdilemma the weather has been on the cool side (around 40-50 degrees F) so it hasn't been a big issue one day I noticed my temp guage was climbing above the halfway mark. when I rode on the highway, the needle sits back at the normal position (right under the halfway mark) riding in locals and the stop and go, the needle climbs back up again. I got back home to check the coolant and it was low. Filled it with the 50/50 mix and thought that was it. Problem remained and later realized the fan wasn't working. I would beat a stop light on the bikeand when the needle passes the halfway mark, it would sputter at idle and sometimes stall. (starts right backup tho)Checked the fuse whenI got homeand it was still good. so question is, any1 have an idea as to what caused the fan to stop working and suggestions to fix it and whether the bike stalling at the red light has anything to do with the overheat issue?? appreciate all the help, thanks!

 

Past the halfway mark isnt overheating. Any bike will rapidly increase in temp when stopped or moving slow. the fan will not kick on until the bike reaches around 220 deg. Im not sure how that relates to your gauge as Im assuming you have just a C and H with a few lines between., but Im sure its near the upper range of the gauge.

I would think your bike isnt hot enough for the fan to kick on. I would let the bike get a little hotter and see. If the fan hasnt kicked on when the needle reaches the upper portion of the gauge, take it for a quick spin to cool it off, dont just shut it off as that will actually create hot spots within the motor, and then consider either the fan is faulty, or the relay.

You can pull the fan and test it with a 12 volt battery. One hot, one ground. If it works, it must be the relay.

I doubt the stall has anything to do with the bike running warmer, unless it is truely overheating and you have antifreeze pouring out of it, then it might be. You might just be in need of a good carb cleaning.

 

thanks for your insight!

I let some harley guys help me out today. Today, weather was well above 60 and riding the bike for 30 mins or so...the fan still wouldnt kick in. I depended on the air to cool the bike down on the highway.

The guy who took a look at the bike took out the connector plug to the switch and grounded the prong. The fan instantly turned on and was spinning fast.

He most likely said that the thermocouple switch has gone bad. Do these switches go bad easily and if so, any websites I can purchase these switches from?

And btw, my situation with the tachometer bouncing a lil when its at idle, and then stalling deals with the gas getting too warm and igniting, or least thats what I'm told.

Thanks for the help again guys.

 

oh noes.... not taking advice from harley guys........ and not on liquid cooling... oh no....................jk...

How hot did the bike get? the fan really wont kick in until around 220 deg. They get pretty warm before the fan kicks in.

You can buy a thermo switch at the dealership. It will probably cost around 35 bucks.

if your like me and want to see how things work,You can remove your switch from your bike, take your battery out of your bike and get a test light. Bring your battery, the test light, and your switch into your kitchen. geta small pot of water, with about a half inch of water,add some salt to it so the water gets hotter before it boils. Place the end of the switch into the water. hook up the positive wire to one end of the switch and the other end to the battery hot. Then, hook up the the test light hot to the other switches prong, and the ground of the test light to the battery ground. start the water so it boils.

If all is working, you should see the test light activate when the water begins to boil. If this happens, then your switch is working. If nothing happens, then you are probably on the right track and will need a new switch. It not that uncommon for these switches to go bad, just make sure yours is bad before you replace it.

 

I would still like to know just how hot it got? My 98 has a C and H guage and my fan doesn't kick on till it's a little more than 3/4 of the way up. If you haven't done so, just wait it out and let it get hot. if it's not kicking in by the 3/4 or a little more mark, take it for a spin. It will be cool again in less than a minute.

 

i can have the bike at idle til the temp gauge goes a lil past the halfway mark.

the fan won't come on and then the bike will start to sputter and stall out.

from what i heard, this is from the gas gettin too warm.

if the fan would have come on, the bike wouldnt get to a point where it starts to sputter i guess.

 

sounds like you have more problems then the fan coming on. My bike will get 3/4 of the way up and not sputter. It never starts sputtering or cutting off due to heat.

Good luck