Magsz Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Ive read so much on here that i hesitate to make another thread along the lines of the MANY that ive read about engine temperature on the forum. However, alot of those threads have mentioned bikes running far cooler than mine so im wondering if there is something that i should be looking for, tweaking or simply leaving alone. So, here are the details. The bike was purchased second hand with 4500 miles on it. The prior owner had BOBBO'D an exhaust from a GSXR onto the bike and there was a horrific exhaust leak. The bike had terrible low speed jerkiness and ran basically like crap between 2 and 4k rpm. Anything over that and it ran just fine. I drained the coolant about 200 miles ago (thanks for the guide VFRD), flushed the system and then refilled with engine ice. I did my best to burp the system and i BELIEVE all of the air is gone but who knows. I followed the guide and advice here on the forum. Also, i went ahead and installed a delkevic exhaust, the mini 8 inch CF muffler version. All of the low speed jerkiness went away immediately and the bike runs marvelously. Now, the bike heats up VERY quick. Where it used to take a few minutes for anything to read on the gauge the bike goes from -- to 105 almost instantly when i turn it on. The engine temperate characteristics seems to be consistent pre and post exhaust install so i do not believe that has anything to do with it but i will leave that up to the minds smarter than mine. For the first 20 minutes of riding the bike will stay at 185-190 on the highway doing 75-80. Towards the end of my commute, once i get off of the highway i start seeing numbers in the 200's. My fan kicks on and anything in the "city" or traffic results in the "needle" pegging to 220. The bike will then fluctuate between 210 and 220 but will NOT go over 223. On my commute home, the bike will consistently stay over 210 degrees. How is that you guys are getting these things to run in the 185 degree range? Keep in mind that i am running the bike in Florida where it is routinely 90 degrees ambient. Should i stop thinking about this and just ride? Thanks gents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 3, 2015 That all sounds very familiar. I don't get it to run at 185 unless it's less than about 70 degrees or so. Once the fan has cycled a time or two, if the ambient temp is high it's tough to get the heat out of it. Nothing to worry about. If you want, you could install a fan override switch to keep ahead of it - not a bad job. The hardest part is remembering what position the switch is in while riding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelman Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Seems nearly normal to me as long as the fan kicks in at anything over about 220 F. High heat readings while cruising indicate trouble but in slow traffic heat is expected on any VFR, in Florida especially ! Engines run more efficiently at higher temps, but nothing over about 230 is OK. Manual fan switch is a necessity IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer expvet Posted October 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 3, 2015 Seems normal. I ride in frequent stop and go during 90+ degrees and 200 to 220 is normal. As long the fan is kicking in as it does not go much higher than 220 you are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted October 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 3, 2015 Compared to my 08 and similar outside temp's your about 5-10 degree's to high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 So if im running higher than the average, what can i do to remedy this? Do you run the manual fan switch Switchblade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted October 4, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 4, 2015 So if im running higher than the average, what can i do to remedy this? Do you run the manual fan switch Switchblade? No fan switch. Have to check the thermostat but first i would confirm the sending unit is correct by using a IR temp gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 What am i measuring with the temp gun? The engine block temperature or the radiator temperature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 All sounds normal, you are trying to fix an issue that doesn't exist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted October 4, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted October 4, 2015 If you see *continuous* temps higher than 220ºF or below 180ºF thentrouble shooting is in order:Continuous engine temps above 220ºF or 104ºC is also a problem and the properorder of items to trouble shoot are:1)Faulty radiator cap... system should hold 1.1 pressure ratio...2)Insufficient coolant...3)Passages blocked in the radiator, hose or water jacket...4)Air in the system...5)Thermostat stuck closed...6)Faulty temp meter or thermo sensor...7)Faulty fan...8)Faulty fan switch...Engine temps below 180ºF or 82ºC is an problem... it means that themoisture produced during combustion is not getting hot enough toevaporate out the pipe as steam... instead that moisture will migrateto the oil and produce a milky white contamination...Note normal by products of combustion is water... . Every gallon of gascreates roughly 8 pounds of water vapor... we all have witnessed waterescaping out of tail pipes on cold mornings...The sequence of events to trouble shoot are:1)Faulty temp meter...2)Thermostat stuck open...3)Faulty fan switch... (stuck on)Leaky Head Gasket Check...You can visual inspect for a leaking head gasket by pulling the sparkplugs and peering down each hole... if the top of the piston is blackthen no leak that cylinder... if the top of the piston is a brightshiny aluminum then leak detected... because a leaky head gasketallows coolant in and that produces steam under the heat ofcombustion... the net effect is a super clean piston dome and no nastyblack...On bike Thermostat CheckTo check if the thermostat is opening start the engine at its lowesttemp... open the rad cap... observe at what temp the coolant begins toflow... if the temp rises above 180F and the coolant does not flowthen your thermostat is suspect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sikwill Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 And the last time you changed your coolant was? I saw 220 all time while commuting and in traffic. The same same symptoms as you described. I thought vfr's just ran hot. Changed my coolant and haven't seen it since. Go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobtastic14 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Seems normal to me. I've been riding in Arizona lately and will see about 180ish at speed and city riding will get up to 222ish before the fan brings it back down to 210ish. As long as the fan is coming on at the correct temp and you see it begin to drop everything is in working order. -Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Honda considers Hot to be and the temp starts flashing red at 250 deg. Outside that the 6th gens run much warmer then most bikes by design, I would check your burping method to start. Welcome to VFRD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinigami Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 My. 6th gen and my 8th gen both cruise between 185 and 210 depending on ambient temps. On third gear mountains climbs I see 215 routinely. Nothing unusual, just the nature of the V4. I can understand your concern, though, as most inline 4's tend to run 20 degrees cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magsz Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 My burping method is definitely suspect. If anything, i believe that when i changed over to engine ice, i may have not done the best job burping the system. I did the following: Rad cap off Start bike Allow coolant to flow Cap rad Allow bike to cool Refill rad and over flow canister. When i did this i had the bike on the side stand. with the rear tire facing down on my elevated driveway so the nose was pointed up, ie the rad cap was the highest point. I rode the bike last night home from my girlfriends in 65 degree weather and the temp stayed around 180. Im inclined to think that my particular model may just run a little warm but i dont think anything is out of the norm given the feedback that ive received here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandyRedRC46 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 you didn't need to make another thread. Ive read so much on here that i hesitate to make another thread along the lines of the MANY that ive read about engine temperature on the forum. However, alot of those threads have mentioned bikes running far cooler than mine so im wondering if there is something that i should be looking for, tweaking or simply leaving alone. So, here are the details. The bike was purchased second hand with 4500 miles on it. The prior owner had BOBBO'D an exhaust from a GSXR onto the bike and there was a horrific exhaust leak. The bike had terrible low speed jerkiness and ran basically like crap between 2 and 4k rpm. Anything over that and it ran just fine. I drained the coolant about 200 miles ago (thanks for the guide VFRD), flushed the system and then refilled with engine ice. I did my best to burp the system and i BELIEVE all of the air is gone but who knows. I followed the guide and advice here on the forum. Also, i went ahead and installed a delkevic exhaust, the mini 8 inch CF muffler version. All of the low speed jerkiness went away immediately and the bike runs marvelously. Now, the bike heats up VERY quick. Where it used to take a few minutes for anything to read on the gauge the bike goes from -- to 105 almost instantly when i turn it on. The engine temperate characteristics seems to be consistent pre and post exhaust install so i do not believe that has anything to do with it but i will leave that up to the minds smarter than mine. For the first 20 minutes of riding the bike will stay at 185-190 on the highway doing 75-80. Towards the end of my commute, once i get off of the highway i start seeing numbers in the 200's. My fan kicks on and anything in the "city" or traffic results in the "needle" pegging to 220. The bike will then fluctuate between 210 and 220 but will NOT go over 223. On my commute home, the bike will consistently stay over 210 degrees. How is that you guys are getting these things to run in the 185 degree range? Keep in mind that i am running the bike in Florida where it is routinely 90 degrees ambient. Should i stop thinking about this and just ride? Thanks gents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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