Radiator Fan

[staningrimsby]

Just a quick one please folks,

I was in York recently and my 53 plate 1000 started getting really hot in the stationary traffic (unable to filter due to the narrow roads we were on) and were talking 4 bars hot, at the time I did think surely the fan should have kicked in by now but I never heard it at all and had to turn off the engine to cool it down.

Is there any way I can test the fan without my bike having to get as hot as it did ???

[greywolf]

Unplug the wire to the radiator fan switch. Short the contacts on the wire end together. With the ignition on, the fan should come on. If not, the usual problem is a foreign object stuck in the fan, the fan blades hitting something or the connector on the wire to the fan being unplugged. The fan itself could be bad, but that is rare.

If the fan comes on, do the test hot with the fan wire plugged back into the radiator switch. If the fan worked with the wire shorted but it does not come on shortly after showing three bars and well before four bars, replace the radiator fan switch.

[staningrimsby]

Cheers Greywolf I will have a look in the day light tomorrow, haven't got a Haynes manual so will have to have a fiddle around first see if any panels need taking off first.

[Mr Nick]

I had a van at my old work that had similar symptoms: even with the fan switch replaced it still seemed to run hot so the garage shorted the switch. I eventually found someone with an infrared thermometer that checked the radiator temp and we sussed that it was the gauge sender that was making it read well over reality.

If the fan runs when shorted out, it might be worth checking the true temp before replacing the switch as it might just be the same. Only might though: I've seen more switches fail than temp senders.

I can't recall ever being aware of the fan on my Glee coming on, even in mid summer in Edinburgh traffic, but Katie will fire up her fan & cook my left knee at the first set of lights in a town. I toy with the idea of a second fan kit: just to spread the heat.....  :violence-torch:

[greywolf]

I figure since the sight of four bars was an unusual event, it's more likely a fan problem than a temp sender problem.