Member Contributer Terry Posted April 14, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted April 14, 2016 That looks quite like my 99 5th gen BLS. There's a reason they got called the RC46 I guess. I do like my manual fast idle lever (even more conveniently located on the left bar). Good job finding the wax unit blockage Mellowgold. I have heard of the wax units sticking in the cold position but assumed it was like a failed thermostat or a seized linkage. In hindsight maybe a circulatory failure causes most of the high idle problems. You might be a candidate for some radiator flush chemicals, if the wax unit looks like that maybe the rest of the cooling system is a bit marginal too. If you go down that route, don't forget to remove the drain bolt under the front head. I just did this on my ST1100 that I'm bringing back to life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowgold Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 BLS, A manual adjustment would work nicely yes! That said, I took it apart it too and there is no actual wax in it: There's something (metal?) inside the brass cylinder at the top of that pic that expands when heated and pushes the piston out. So short of having a blocked coolant passage like me, it should last forever. Terry, I think you're right. As far as I can tell a wax unit staying in the cold position would mean either the idle unit coolant passage is blocked, or your starter valve linkages are stuck. I could be wrong but I can't see any reason why you should really ever have to do an outright replacement of the actual wax idle unit since it is easy to clean. It's a passive device and I doubt that the thermal properties of the expanding bit will change greatly over time (not to mention that it is adjustable). (Like I said, though, I'm not an engineer and I could be wrong!) I may do some flushing chemical although I did try already run it with vinegar and water for a while. It came out clean so I'm hopeful that the rest of the system isn't too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowgold Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Had it out yesterday for an hour. Preformed flawlessly and the vtec transition is quite smooth now that the bike actually gets up to temperature! Oh how glorious that engine note is! Had originally planned on sticking with the stock exhaust for a while but already got the itch for new pipes now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted May 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 25, 2016 Seems my 6th Gen has a partially or fully stuck open thermostat as it struggles to get to 70 deg C. It's been sat in the garage for 4.5 months whilst I was away and though it ran fine for the first 100 miles or so, the water pump started leaking and after replacement the temp is now too low so I'll order a new t'stat and hoses and see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowgold Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 Yep sounds like a new t-stat is in order. Don't forget to get a replacement o-ring for the t-stat housing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Terry Posted May 25, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 25, 2016 If you're fitting a new thermostat, you may also want to replace the coolant hoses that feed into the thermostat housing as well. In my own experience, these started leaking 6 months after I changed the thermostat, and trust me you will want to remove the throttle bodies as few times as possible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFROZ Posted May 26, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted May 26, 2016 And the O rings behind the hose connections as well, only a few dollars and good for another 100000kms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted June 2, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2016 Just finished replacing the T'stat. Ended up getting a used one still in its housing so no need to open it up and change the O-ring. Got it from a Dutch website, Motoparts-online.com for about £25 ($36). Honda wanted £57 ($82) for a new one . It's in better condition than my original so fingers crossed it's worth the saving. I need to road test her to check it is working correctly but it warmed up nice & quickly on the centre stand just now. Balanced the SVs whilst I was at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowgold Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Hope it lasts for you! Mine warmed up a lot faster too after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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