temp light popping on (2000 interstate)

[bambam625]

hey there, yesterday while i was riding my bike the temp light starting popping on intermittently. usually when i was going slow or came to a stop.

my reservoir is full.
my fan pops on.
and my tel tru oil temp gauge wasnt over 200 degrees.

I will say the radiator cap has been leaking since i got the bike (around february), I actually ordered one off ebay and the guy just sent me a chrome cover, which is not what the description said. I heard about using one from a honda accord, u can pick up at oreillys but I havent done it yet. Mostly because I have heard you can get ones that have a temp gauge built into it, but I had also heard that those are known to leak, so I hadnt decided what to do yet.

Anyway moving on, after I had been riding for a bit, lately i had noticed a ticking noise, bike is quiet when first started and ridden for awhile, but spend any time on the road and youll notice it, i always check the temp gauge on my oil when that happens and its always under 230.

went through and checked the oil filter (as I had heard they can tick if they arent the honda oem one)
also heard it could be my water pump, so I put my ear up to the water pump and heard nothing.
So im really not sure what the ticking noise is coming from, its coming from underneath the bike but hard to pinpoint.

So today i started the bike up, and was doing some work in the yard while it idled and I was trying to see if i could get the ticking to start again, and when I went to check on the bike the temp gauge was lit up, and the reservoir cap for the radiator was leaking, and smoking. Now im assuming the smoke was just from the coolant hitting hot stuff and beginning to evaporate, however Id like some of your opinions, as the temp light only started coming on yesterday.

bike has about 107000 miles on it.

And I do not plan on riding the bike until I figure this out, which sucks because we are having prime riding weather right now.  

Anyway, any recommendations are appreciated

[Hook#3287]

My suggestion would be put a new OEM cap on just after bleeding/burping the system.

[bambam625]

My suggestion would be put a new OEM cap on just after bleeding/burping the system.

yea i just went out and got the aforementioned honda cap,brand new from oreillys and its still leaking.  i may have to look into how to bleed/burp the system i suppose

[Hook#3287]

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/download.html

In my manual it's section/page 6-5

[Gregory Scott 16248]

Get the correct radiator cap 19045-MY3-621. You may have bent the radiator flange tabs using the wrong cap and you are not getting the cap to seal. The noise you hear maybe the engine making noise from being low on antifreeze which is really bad. Don't rely on oil temperature, your engine is running hot from lack of antifreeze in the radiator and not the overflow tank.

Greg

[Ricky-D]

The radiator cap has dual sealing functions which are misunderstood occasionally.

So a leaking radiator cap can still insure proper cooling operation.

Inspecting the route of coolant between the cap and the reservoir might reveal the true problem.

***

[bambam625]

Get the correct radiator cap 19045-MY3-621. You may have bent the radiator flange tabs using the wrong cap and you are not getting the cap to seal. The noise you hear maybe the engine making noise from being low on antifreeze which is really bad. Don't rely on oil temperature, your engine is running hot from lack of antifreeze in the radiator and not the overflow tank.

Greg

i have topped off the coolant in the radiator (which it barely needed any) also  the cap the bike came with leaked. ill look more into things soon

[bambam625]

The radiator cap has dual sealing functions which are misunderstood occasionally.

So a leaking radiator cap can still insure proper cooling operation.

Inspecting the route of coolant between the cap and the reservoir might reveal the true problem.

***

yes ive read that the lines and or vents to and through the reservoir can get clogged and cause issues. ill look into that as well

[bambam625]

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/download.html

In my manual it's section/page 6-5

yea so i went through and apparently i had bled the system already in the past, but did it again and cap is still leaking, and temp light is still coming on after it idles for awhile..

might change the coolant i suppose.

[RWhitehouse]

Stuck thermostat, or water pump impeller has given it up?

[wingrider02]

My 01 IS had the temp light come on while riding slow through Cades Cove in Smokey Mtn Nat park, but my temp gauge read normal, so I am inclined to think it may just be a flakey sensor.  When that light came on, the fan didn’t kick in, although the fan does work.  Just something else to consider.

[bambam625]

My 01 IS had the temp light come on while riding slow through Cades Cove in Smokey Mtn Nat park, but my temp gauge read normal, so I am inclined to think it may just be a flakey sensor.  When that light came on, the fan didn’t kick in, although the fan does work.  Just something else to consider.

yea, once i get paid im going to do a radiator flush and put fresh fluid in. the fluid in it looks kinda dirty, so theres a possibility the radiator is gunked up, as this bike sat before I bought it. when i do that, i will double check the tabs on the radiator, and order a new oem one.

[Forge]

It wouldn’t hurt to make sure the wire connection to the sensor is clean and not corroded.