COOLING SYSTEM EPISODE

[WALLY]

Good day to one and all.
I have 1998 valkryie std, with 10500km (6562 miles) on the clock.
I returned home from work, 35km (21.9 mile) trip, very hot day, 5 minute stop at toll gate, travelled at 130km/hr (81.25 miles/hr.
Once i switched the bike off, i heard a strange noise. Upon inspection, it was the water in the reserve tank, boiling. This lasted only about 5 seconds and stopped. The water level was high.
Fan and temp light never came on.
The next morning, the water level was back to nornal. I ran the bike a short time, all seemed normal.
I bypassed the fan switch and the fan ran fine.
Am i wrong in thinking that the fan switch is faulty.
I have not riden the bike again. I have since added a toggle switch to switch the fan on manualy.
I am also in the process of organizing a temp guage for the bike.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
WALLY

[R J]

Absolutely nothing wrong with it.   Leave it alone.

Question:    Have you ever got out of your cage and heard a snap pop?

That sound on the cage and your reservoir gurgling is the same thing.   You shut a vehicle off after running them and you create a hot spot in the system.    Normal procedure, NUTTIN wrong, go take a ride or take a nap, whichever suits ya bestest.     

[valkyriemc]

My cooling system re my 2000 I/S has had a workout here in Fla. where it has spent all of its life. Especially Daytona bike week traffic jams and I've never seen my coolant boil. I'd be all over that fan thermal switch, and the whole cooling system second.
You can sit your bike outside and idle it and the fan will either come on and keep the bike from overheating or it will overheat - with no air flow through radiator. I added a Motosens temp guage years ago with an aluminum adapter made by member rp brown (I think) that fits in the top radiator hose and holds a temperature sender for the gauge. I like to keep an eye on things...G/L

[AussieValk]

I've got into the habit of turning the key back on after turning the bike off on hot days, the fan comes on for about five to ten seconds then when it switches off I turn the key off.

When was the last time you changed the coolant?

[John Schmidt]

Another thing to at least consider; the radiator cap. They're responsible for keeping the cooling system on engines running under pressure, which in turn raises the boiling point. As I recall, it's about 3 deg. per lb. of pressure but don't quote me on that. Barring any other anomalies, it could be as simple as your radiator cap. RJ is correct re. the "boiling" and other disturbing sounds....but if the fan isn't coming on when it appears to be too hot, you might have a problem. A good flushing every couple years is a good idea, replace coolant with either the Honda mix or commercial stuff with no junk in it to ruin the water pump.  Somebody help me out here what that junk is called....my dementia kicked in this morning. Phosphates and other crap!!!

[Chrisj CMA]

Another thing to at least consider; the radiator cap. They're responsible for keeping the cooling system on engines running under pressure, which in turn raises the boiling point. As I recall, it's about 3 deg. per lb. of pressure but don't quote me on that. Barring any other anomalies, it could be as simple as your radiator cap. RJ is correct re. the "boiling" and other disturbing sounds....but if the fan isn't coming on when it appears to be too hot, you might have a problem. A good flushing every couple years is a good idea, replace coolant with either the Honda mix or commercial stuff with no junk in it to ruin the water pump.  Somebody help me out here what that junk is called....my dementia kicked in this morning. Phosphates and other crap!!!

silicates....which is really sand.....most solutions on the market are silicate free now, but I wouldnt buy one that didnt specifically say it was.  Also have you ever had a leak, been low on fluid and topped off with water?  If so water "waters" down the mix so its more prone to boil, and if you didnt use distilled water you could have corrosion building up in the radiator

[Daniel Meyer]

Normal behavior.

[Gryphon Rider]

You run your bike at higher speed on a hot day, with the radiator doing its job using airflow to cool the coolant.  You pull up to a stop and shut off the bike.  The hot engine continues to heat the coolant, which expands and exceeds the 15 PSI restriction of the rad cap.  Some coolant goes into the expansion tank, and because it's not under pressure, is permitted to boil.  Natural and normal.  Next time you're in the same conditions, don't shut off the bike, but let it idle and see if the fan comes on before the hot engine light has a chance to.  If the hot engine light comes on first, shut it down, let it cool, and THEN start troubleshooting.

[Friagabi]

Mine has not done that since I fixed the bad cap.

Orange anti-freeze GM uses it and my new Ford also uses a orange fulid. It has a life of 5 years and no silicates. Repeat NO silicates.

Make sure the top of the radiator where the cap goes is not bent. Remember it is soft alumiumn.

It takes a 120 dregree day to make my bike boil into the tank. IS Model two up and pulling a tent trailer.

If you let is sit and run after it warms up the fan should come on before it boils into the radiator overflow tank. If not go after that fan switch. Expansion into the tank is normal, I used to think that some noise associated with that expansion was also normal. No longer think that unless it is over 100 degrees and the bike is being worked hard. You might install a motosens guage. They work well and look nice.

[valkyriemc]

Good day to one and all.
I have 1998 valkryie std, with 10500km (6562 miles) on the clock.
I returned home from work, 35km (21.9 mile) trip, very hot day, 5 minute stop at toll gate, travelled at 130km/hr (81.25 miles/hr.
Once i switched the bike off, i heard a strange noise. Upon inspection, it was the water in the reserve tank, boiling. This lasted only about 5 seconds and stopped. The water level was high.
Fan and temp light never came on.
The next morning, the water level was back to nornal. I ran the bike a short time, all seemed normal.
I bypassed the fan switch and the fan ran fine.
Am i wrong in thinking that the fan switch is faulty.
I have not riden the bike again. I have since added a toggle switch to switch the fan on manualy.
I am also in the process of organizing a temp guage for the bike.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
WALLY

Here's some links re the adapter for the temp. gauge, if you go that direction.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/tech_archive.cgi?read=885464

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/gauges.htm

[WALLY]

Thank you one and all. Great comments and suggestions.
I will be doing a coolant change this weekend.
With reference to installing a temp guage, i have read two posts.
The first suggests in the top radiator hose and the second in the plugged hole by the exhaust headers. Which position would be best.

Once again thank you all very much. Safe riding.

WALLY

[valkyriemc]

Try this link for one answer to your placement question.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/forum/tech_archive.cgi?read=885248

[Friagabi]

My sensor has been in both places. Somewhere I have the brass adaptor for the head mount (by the headers. If some wants it I might still be able to find it.

If you mount the sensor under the thermostat ( in the block or head or lower radiator hose) you will get a temp relating to the cooled water returning to the engine. The closer you mount it to the underside of the thermostat the closer you will know just what the thermostat is doing. Mount it just above the thermostat and you can watch the thermostat open and close. You can also keep an eye on the system when the radiator cannot any longer keep the engine cool enough to let the thermostat close. In which case the discharge tempature of the engine will start to climb. That climb will be reflected on the reading of the guage. At about 260 degrees you will start to seriously think that a shut down will be necessary. The upper radiator hose is as close as is necessary (and accessable) to read the highest temp of the engine. I read and looked at all of the machined adaptors for the upper hose. Went over to the autoparts store and bought a section of exhaust pipe about 6" long and a diameter thast would fit the upper hose. Bought a metric nut that had the same threads as the sensor. Mounted the hut in the lathe (this process not necessary) and turned a shoulder on the nut, On the other side machined a releif for a O ring to seal the sensor to the nut, drilled a hole in the center of the pipe to receive the shoulder. the shoulder keeps the nut in place, and brazed the nut to the pipe. fitted the sensor to the nut and then fitted the adaptor to the upper hose. Took it apart and painted the outside of the adapter and mounted it after the paint dried. The metal protectors in the long term anti-freeze keeps the inside of the adapter free from rust. If no lathe is available then mount the sensor in harding permantex. Wait for it to harden and carry on from there.

[MP]

Wally,
Have you carefully and completely cleaned out the radiator itself?  Bug guts hang on very tight.  Use some good Simple Green or similar, soak thru the radiator, let is sit for a while, and FLUSH it our, with LOTS of water, warm or hot preferably.  It is amazing how much GUNK can be in there, preventing proper cooling.

Good luck.

MP

[Gryphon Rider]

IMO, the best location for a temperature sender for a gauge is right at the thermostat housing.  There is an unused boss on the right side of the housing that can be drilled and tapped for a sender.  Using this location allows you to see the temperature in real time before the thermostat opens, unlike having the sender in the upper rad hose further from the engine, where before the thermostat starts to open you are relying on heat transfer through the coolant up the hose to your sender, thus a lower, later reading.

BTW, coolant flows out the thermostat, up to the top of the radiator, through the radiator and out the bottom hose to the water pump.