Coolant Light 2 Second Self-Test Poll

[indybobm]

This poll is for:
1997 to 2000 Valkyrie Standards and Tourers
2001 to 2003 Valkyrie Standards and Tourers
All Interstates

The Honda Service Manual states that the Coolant Light should come on for ~2 seconds when the ignition switch is turned on.  I would like to find out if this is true for 1997 to 2000 Standards and Tourers.

A little history:
Valkyrie Standards and Tourers from 1997 to 2000 use different circuitry for operating the Coolant Light than do the 2001 to 2003 Standards, Tourers and all Interstates.

1997 to 2000 Standards and Tourers use a Thermosensor on the thermostat housing that sends a signal to the Temperature Indicator Unit behind the left side cover. The Temperature Indicator unit uses this signal to determine whether or not to turn on the Coolant Light.

2001 to 2003 Standards and Tourers and all Interstates use a Thermostatic Switch on the thermostat housing that feeds directly to the Coolant Light. They do not have a Temperature Indicator Unit.

According to the Honda Service Manual, the Coolant Light should come on for 2 seconds when the ignition switch is turned on.

I would like for you to check your bike to see if the Coolant Light comes on for a few seconds when the ignition is turned on and then click on the Yes or No button for the year and model of your Valkyrie.

If the Coolant Light is flashing or coming on intermittently, it probably is a defective part and not the subject of this poll.

[Bighead]

97 standard no
99 IS yes

[indybobm]

I am very interested in how this turns out.
I am also suprised to a YES vote for 1997 to 2000 Std & Tourer. I expected all of thos to be a NO.

To the person tthat voted Yes for the 1997 to 2000 Std & Tourer, is yours a 2000?

[Red Diamond]

I check my bikes again today, the same results. Tourer, Standard, no. Interstate yes for the indicated 2 seconds. Red Valk had this problem posted yesterday with his temp light coming on intermittenly.

[Mapper]

Has anyone here ever overheated?  Without the sensor light, are there any indications of overheating before damage occurs?

First after I gave my bike a good wash I had a panic moment when I turned my my engine and noticed steam from the radiator (although the bike was dry, the radiator fins still had water in them)!

[indybobm]

If the coolant light comes on for a few seconds, it is an idication that the bulb is not burned out and that  the circuitry is basically working. The bike can still overheat if something else is bad such as the thermostatic switch (or Sensor) or the module itself. If the light does not come on with the key, the only indication of excess temperature is when the fan comes on and does not go off.
I fully expected that the light NOT come on for the 1997 to 2000 Stds and Tourers. I thought that there might be an error in the service manual as to how it really works.

Bottom line is, if the manual is wrong for 1997 to 2000 Stds and Tourers, the manual could have you chasing your tail for no reason.  This just a theory.

[Bighead]

Bought my 97 new and it has never came on.

[indybobm]

Bought my first Valk, a 98 in 98. Cannot remember if it came on or not. A friend has a 98 that he bought new and according to him, it has never come on, even though there is a troubleshooting section in the Honda manual that the manual says to follow if it does not come on.

[Bone]

Mine is a 98 Tourer I bought with 22k miles. I have 113k now and haven't seen it yet. I'm in Michigan but have rode to Phoenix 4 times and 100º temps in Missouri.

[indybobm]

I started this poll two weeks ago concerning the Temp Light Self-Test. Here is what I have decided.

1. All 1997-1999 Standard and Tourer Valkyries came with the Temperature Indicator Unit. It was designed and intended to turn on the temp light for 2 seconds when the ignition switch is turned on. It was evidently a bad design and does not always work that way.  The poll does show that there were ‘some’ 97-00 Valkyrie Stds and Tourers that actually did turn the light on for 2 seconds.

2. All Interstates should turn the light on because it is controlled by the ‘LCD Module’ that controls the Trip Odometer, Temp Sense, and Fuel Gauge.

3. I think that for ~2000 to 2003 Stds and Tourers, the Temperature Indicator Unit was removed and the temp circuit redesigned sometime during the 2000 model run. The light should NOT come on with the ignition switch. These Valks have a thermostatic switch that goes directly to the coolant light. No module to control the light.

There is a reason that I selected the first choice as 1997-2000 rather 1997-1999.
The Service Manual groups the 1997 to 1999 together and 2000 to 2003 together but the parts fische shows that the 2000 Stds and Tourers use the Temperature Indicator Unit, same as the 97-99. That led me to believe that a change was accomplished during the 2000 model run.

Thank you to everyone that responded.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

1997 Standard = No

[.]

My 2000 Standard temp light does not come on with the key and to this day I still have no idea if the light even works. This has been a concern for me but my fan cycles normally (meaning it runs intermittently in city traffic during the summer and never comes on at all during the winter) and the bike runs great. I've intended to put a temp gauge on but still haven't gotten to it. I'm glad to know this is a normal condition, however (the temp light not coming on - not me being too broke to buy a gauge and too lazy to install it if I did have one).