Running hot in the Rocky Mountains

[Motorider]

Sorry I don`t have time to do a search. I am Estes Park heading for Colorado Springs. Half way to the top of Rocky Mt. Nat`l Park, Val Overheated. First time I ever saw the temp light ever come on. Is there any chance the altitude is to blame? Everything seems to be working. Val is running strong, but overheats about every 20 miles. I topped off the antifreeze, but it is disappearing somewhere. There is no white smoke so I don`t think head gasket. There IS steam coming out of the overflow, but no coolant. Am I just cooking it off because of running hot? Should I find a Honda dealer in Colorado Springs, or hope Val runs better at lower altitudes? I forgot to mention I am visiting from Pennsylvania. Thanks in advance. P.S. Sometimes I could go 50 miles with no problem, other times I could only go 10 miles and she was hot. This was all on one ride. Trip of a lifetime and Val is sick!

[Rio Wil]

I am not sure where you are topping off the antifreeze, in the overflow tank or directly into the radiator. If its in the overflow tank, you are not getting any fluid back into the radiator until the engine completely cools off and sucks the fluid back into the radiator. So if over a long period of time you lost fluid and you are attempting  to refill through the overflow tank with the engine hot....it wont work. Let it cool, fill the overflow tank AND fill the radiator.  You should be OK unless you have a leak somewhere....most likely on the upper radiator hose at the block....loose clamp.

[chrise2469]

Primary question: does the fan come on?If no that's the problem if it does come on all the next would be where I looked.

First thing I would check is the cap and rad neck.  If the cap has ever been pulled without loosening the screw on the side it may have buggered the rad neck.  

My reasoning behind this is: in an unpressurized system the boiling point is reduced at altitude.  The bike cooling system may not be keeping pressurized.  

Check the cap and neck, if it looks fine, get a pressure test done.  Make sure your coolant/water mix is correct no more than 60/40 coolant/water.
You could also check the hose clamp at the top left of the rad-that loosens up over time.

Hope this helps you.

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

My fan switch at the bottom of the radiator on the clutch side went out on me last year. I rigged up a toggle switch to turn fan on and off as needed. You just need to put the wire from the sending unit to ground to kick the fan on. It might get you home without boiling over. I have a temp guage so all I did was kick it on when I saw the need to.

[Motorider]

Yes, I was topping it off at the overflow, as I was afraid to take the radiator cap off. Tomorrow, I will fill the radiator, as well as the overflow tank. The fans were running sometimes. Should they be running whenever Val`s temp light is on? Sometimes they were, and some times they were not. Val is back in the trailer, for the next leg of our trip. We are going to Colorado Springs next. Then on to Glenwood Springs. After that the Petrified Forest. I will unload Val when we get to Arizona. Take her for a run and see what happens. Anyone know of a good Honda dealer in and of the aformentioned towns? Or Las Vegas, which is after Arizona. I will consider the toggle switch if need be, but I would like to fix the problem conventionaly if I can. I`m still hoping it`s altitude sickness. I just rode 400 miles at the Tail of the Dragon in Tenn. without a problem. It all started here in Colorado.

[ValkFlyer]

Check your return hose and nipple on the overflow, the one on the bottom, possible crack, leak, or disconnect.

[R J]

If you want a mechanic in Arizona, contact BIGBF.    He da best in the land in my opinion.

You can catch him at bigbf.com

[MarkT]

There is an outstanding Honda dealer at Aurora Honda, in Aurora.  It's between you and CO Springs, slight detour to the East side of the Denver metro area.  They have a great Valk mechanic, are honest and will help a guy on a road trip.  Tell them Mark Tobias sent you.  

This route stays at 8-10k altitude until you get past Blackhawk, then it comes down in Clear Creek Canyon.  You could come down first if you really need to, but then you'll be dealing with traffic and not a scenic ride.
Leaving Estes Park, take the Peak to Peak highway south, Hwys 7, then 72, then 119 - one of the best roads in the foothills.  Turn East at the fork 5 miles S. of Blackhawk on Hwy 6.  At the stoplight as you come out of the Canyon, just W of Golden, Hwy 6 turns rt, Hwy 58 is straight.  Go straight on 58 past Coors and between N and S Table Mesa ( small mountains ), 58 merges with I70.  BTW, right after passing N Table Mesa, you'll be going past the CO Railroad Museum on the left - steam trains, a Galloping Goose - worth the stop if you're a steam train buff.  Continue on 70 past Denver a dozen miles or so, then take the I-225 turnoff S.  Go approx 5 miles and get off at the Alameda exit. Turn right across the bridge, turn rt immediately on Potomac.  Aurora Honda is one block ahead on the right.

If you need to come down in altitude right away, you could take Hwy36 out of Estes, and stay on it through and past Boulder until you get to the 36 - I25 - I270 interchange N of Denver.  Follow the signs to I-270 SE, then merge with I-70 E - then continue to I-225 as per the above.

BTW2 - in Co Springs - Pikes Peak is now paved to the top.  Spectacular view at 14,110ft, the "Purple Mountain Majesties" inspired the song America the Beautiful by Kathyrn Lee Bates in 1893 - which nearly became our national anthem instead of the Star Spangled Banner.  Great donuts at the top.  Helluva hike if you want to walk up the Barr Trail from Manitou Springs - also the lower terminus of the cog railway.  I walked up the trail about 23 years ago - 7,000 ft of vertical and 13 miles - quite a hike for a smoker (quit 20 yrs ago).

[Motorider]

Thanks Mark  -T. We are on our way.

[Motorider]

Aurora too busy to help, did what he could over the phone. Glad I called ahead! I have decided to wait until we hit a lower altitude and see what happens.

[RP#62]

Your fan should be coming on before you get an overheat light.  The set point on the fan is much lower.  If its not, then either something is wrong with your fan, or something is wrong with your overheat indication system.  What year is your bike?  Do you think you're getting an actual overheat or could it be indication?  The 97-99 models have a temp indication unit that has been known to five false indications.
-RP

[Motorider]

2000 Interstate, Yes it is definetly getting hot. Fans were coming on sometimes, I`m not sure they are coming on EVERY time they are needed. As I said earlier sometimes I could ride 50 miles before it over heated and sometimes only 10 miles. No ryme or reason. The tech I talked to on the phone said, it could very well be related to high altitude. That is why I am hesitant to work on it until I am at a lower altitude. I have everything I need to trouble shoot this problem back home in Pa. But not here with me.

[longrider]

One previous poster said it right.  If you are not filling directly into the rad cap you are really only topping the over flow tank and the rad could still be very low.  when the engine is cold remove the cap and top it off.  start the engine for a few seconds and top it off again.  install cap and then bring up the overflow tank to the lower mark.  \Even though you've had no trouble for some time \i'll bet you have been running low on antifreeze for a long time.

[MarkT]

I called Aurora at 09:10 just after they opened, as I know their day fills up fast - but their schedule was already full.  Their excellent service is known and they didn't have open slots this time.  They usually squeeze me in, but I could just be lucky - and I typically call some days ahead and have the bike there before they open.  Not to mention I've been a customer for 15 years, have bought 4 motorcycles and a tractor there, and grease the skids with a big bottle of hooch periodically... But they do try to help a rider out in a bad situation, like on the road.

[Ricky-D]

There have been times when riding out in the "high country" where my speed is augmented by strong tailwinds seemingly like riding in a vacuum.

These times when examined through the perspective of the motor provides very little air flow for the cooling system.

I think it is very possible to ride with the wind and have little to no cooling for the motor.

Jus sayin'

***

[Motorider]

I finally took a day away from driving, pulled into a KOA and worked on Val. The fan was NOT coming on. Sometimes a man has to eat his words. I followed Mr. Bubbles suggestion and wired in a toggle switch. Bummer that the temp. switch gave out on this trip, but at least we can keep riding. Thanks to all who posted!

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

After I got my new sending unit I left the toggle switch in service so if I see that I"m gonna have to sit in traffic for awhile I'll kick the fan on early so the engine heat doesn't get so unbearable.

[valkyriemc]

After I got my new sending unit I left the toggle switch in service so if I see that I"m gonna have to sit in traffic for awhile I'll kick the fan on early so the engine heat doesn't get so unbearable.

I wired a switch in parallel just like that and if I'm sitting at an extended light here in Florida I flip it on rather than wait for the engine to heat up and activate the fan via the thermo switch.

[BigBF]

Motorider
Are you in AZ yet? I can check it out and see what it need to be done.

You can text me see my number under profile picture?
I live in north Phoenix.
BigBF

[Motorider]

BigBF, Thanks for the offer! I am now in California. I have Wi-Fi for the first time since you posted. I put in a new temp sensor while in Las vegas. Still have the same problem, the fan dosen`t come on at all. I am running it with a toggle switch. Now I have two problems. 1, the fan dosen`t run unless I make it run and 2, Even with the fan running, I`m still running hot. The thermastat seems to be opening as the entire system is hot to the touch. I took the radiator cap off and it seems like the water pump is circulating the coolant. I have worked on four strokes most of my life, but this one has me stumped. If I was home, in my own garage, this would be much easier to trouble shoot.

[BigBF]

BigBF, Thanks for the offer! I am now in California. I have Wi-Fi for the first time since you posted. I put in a new temp sensor while in Las vegas. Still have the same problem, the fan dosen`t come on at all. I am running it with a toggle switch. Now I have two problems. 1, the fan dosen`t run unless I make it run and 2, Even with the fan running, I`m still running hot. The thermastat seems to be opening as the entire system is hot to the touch. I took the radiator cap off and it seems like the water pump is circulating the coolant. I have worked on four strokes most of my life, but this one has me stumped. If I was home, in my own garage, this would be much easier to trouble shoot.

Ok
I will be out of state end of this week and going to see my brother in MD soon...

[Blackduck]

Did you use a genuine Honda switch?
The thing to remember with the sensor set up on these and a lot of other bikes it is on the discharge side of the radiator not the engine outlet side.
Therefore the engine is pretty warm before the fan will kick in.
You can use a lower temperature sensor to bring the fan in earlier, just need to go to an auto parts store and peruse their sensor catalogues to find a lower one with the right thread connection.
Most engines have a temperature rise of 10-15 degrees ( centigrade if I remember correctly) above the inlet temperature which can help in trouble shooting a temperature problem.
Had a similar problem with a Magna, actual engine temperature was around 225 with the standard sensor, fitted a lower rated unit and dropped it back to just over 200.
Cheers Steve

[Motorider]

I did indeed use a Honda replacement part. I checked all the radiator hoses this morning. None are collapsed. We are at Mommoth Lakes Cal. I`m going to head out for Yosemite and see if I can control the heat with the toggle switch. If not, I will turn back and use my truck instead.