2013--Erratic/Random Coolant Temp Readout--Problem?

[20valves]

Pseudo-Fed, dont stress, you will be warned if overheated by a warning on your dash. You dont need to "monitor" the c.temp at all. Put that data field on your least used screen.

^^^^this

good grief people, coolant temp flucuates. The bar gauges may make it seem more constant but it's the exact same cooling system it's had since 2006. I doubt she's gonna blow pseudo fed. You should worry more about road conditions and using the cruise above 82 mph.

 

[RadioHowie]

Seriously? Cool (no pun intended). Will have to consider it.

Absolutely dead serious. No water in the system to boil at 212 degrees( or 240 under pressure)...no water in the system to rust/corrode/dissolve expensive parts...the Evans stuff is TRUE lifetime coolant. Sell the bike, drain the coolant and use it in your next bike. No corrosion inhibitors in the stuff since there's no water in it to corrode stuff. Same heat transfer properties as a 50/50 mix of water/glycol, so the bike won't thermal-runaway on you.

It's good stuff, albeit a bit pricey at $40 a gallon, but hell, some guys spend $700 for a frickin' seat! 1 gallon is JUST right for the FJR.

 

[Jack D]

It's really interesting...since the boiling point is 375 degrees, and the coolant NEVER gets that hot, therefore not hot enough to boil, the cooling system is NOT under pressure! Come off a 2 hour run in the middle of 100 degree summer temps, pop the rad-cap with NO fear. No pressure to spew boiling coolant all over the place! Oh...it's safe down to about -40 degrees, too!

So you are saying that this miracle coolant has no thermal expansion to create pressure in your cooling system? Radiator caps have a pressure limit so that the expansion of the coolant due to heat creates pressure in the system which raises the boiling point of the coolant. I think you will be unpleasantly surprised if you open that radiator cap.

 

[ionbeam]

I'll bite... Which racing teams are running Evans? And whazzup with the reports of cracking cylinder heads when running Evans?

 

[SkooterG]

Seriously? Cool (no pun intended). Will have to consider it.

Absolutely dead serious. No water in the system to boil at 212 degrees( or 240 under pressure)...no water in the system to rust/corrode/dissolve expensive parts...the Evans stuff is TRUE lifetime coolant. Sell the bike, drain the coolant and use it in your next bike. No corrosion inhibitors in the stuff since there's no water in it to corrode stuff. Same heat transfer properties as a 50/50 mix of water/glycol, so the bike won't thermal-runaway on you.

It's good stuff, albeit a bit pricey at $40 a gallon, but hell, some guys spend $700 for a frickin' seat! 1 gallon is JUST right for the FJR.

I've heard of the stuff. Very interesting. But me thinks that to initially flush the system of the water based coolant is a bit more than $40. And it is *critical* to get that water out before putting the Evans whale jizz in.

 

[RadioHowie]

Dammit, Alan....

Now I gotta go dump that shit outta my FJR!!!

 

[ionbeam]

Dammit, Alan....
Now I gotta go dump that shit outta my FJR!!!

Naa, just leave it in there and it will dump itself out through the cylinder head. I posted a link to an evaluation, there are other sites where they discuss blowing cylinder heads. Some of the Darwins blew more than one. It seems that cylinder heads don't like to reach temperatures >200º over design limits.

 

[Pseudo-Fed]

While I do not have a 2013 model (just a lowly 06' :-{ which I still love) I would have to say that I do not see any "large" temp swings in your data, nor anything in your text that I would be alarmed about.
1st off, you are riding on
a fairly cool day, so you can expect the thermostat to be working just as much to keep the engine warm as it is to keep it cool. I don't think a 140 to 190 swing is out of the question in these circumstances. In the summer time, when the thermostat is staying open longer, you will probably not see these kinds of swings..... even though the overall temps will be higher, they will be more steady.
Also add in the air flow through the radiator, cooling the water on a cool day at 60 -70mph..... the engine gets hot enough to open the thermostat, and you send chilly water into the engine..... closing the thermostat..... heating the water in the engine and again cooling the water in the radiator....then repeating the process all over again.
The main thing I would check just to make sure your baby is not "sick" is make sure you have a good 50/50 mix of coolant and water. This will help reduce temp peaks and valleys somewhat.... but in my opinion, there is nothing to be concerned about with the info you gave above.
Hope this helps.


UPDATE!

Someone said the above elsewhere and it has proven to be very true. Yesterday morning at 36 degrees I saw the wide variability and quick changes. With ambient 72 degrees on the way home however (God Bless Texas) the readout was more "normal" with smaller, less frequent changes centered around what I would think are correct temps. Then, on the way home from a shooting match at 9:00 pm, with ambient 56 degrees there was more variability than when warmer, but less than when colder. Sounds like a "feature"....

 

[Constant Mesh]

On the earlier FJRs the thermostat just starts to open at 160 DegF and is fully open at 185 DegF. Also the earlier models have a constant flow of coolant which bypasses the thermostat. The wax motor gizmo which actuates the high idle cold start system has a small constant flow of coolant.

 

[mcatrophy]

From '06-'09(+) Bin-O-Facts (Generation II)

If 1 bar = 104 (degrees Fahrenheit) and 6 bars = 248; for 10 bars >> then 248-104 = 144/10 = 14.4/per bar.

In cool conditions my (lowly) Gen II will often change between four and three bars. That could easily correspond to a few 10s of degrees F, from just above 2 bars to nearly 5.

Ride more, worry less.

 

[allcosgc]

I'm having the same issue (problem) with my FJR. The coolant level is okay so I figured it was either a bad sensor or a connection issue. There's 300 on my bike now and after talking to my dealer they'll check it out at the 600 mi service.

 

[rfespinosa]

There is no doubt in my mind that Pseudo-Fed's bike coolant temperature is really NOT fluctuating like this. Water (coolant mix) is used and works because it has a high capacity to absorb heat, you would need a nuclear reactor to really increase the temp this quickly, and maybe an infusion of dry ice might cool it this quickly.

And further, the coolant temperature is an input to the ECU, designers want this to be a slow moving number, damped down a lot. There is no way this is "normal" nor a "feature" of the bike. It is not right.

 

[TomInPA]

Brings to mind the oil light that seems to light-up on the Gen II bikes when they are cold. If riders learned to ignore that, they can handle the coolant temp variations.

 

[LAF]

From '06-'09(+) Bin-O-Facts (Generation II)

If 1 bar = 104 (degrees Fahrenheit) and 6 bars = 248; for 10 bars >> then 248-104 = 144/10 = 14.4/per bar.

In cool conditions my (lowly) Gen II will often change between four and three bars. That could easily correspond to a few 10s of degrees F, from just above 2 bars to nearly 5.

Ride more, worry less.

My experiance also. Summer or winter solid 4 bars as normal running, 3 if cool and maybe raining. Stop and go and I can get 7 lit up. Man I do not want to see a Digital read out on engine temp. Hell installing the Datel Volt meter messed with my Karma, let alone Engine Temp to worry about also.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

the gauge does stabilize after a time on steady runs. Last weekend, it would go for miles at a 161 readout. This was with the cruise set on 65 and miles and miles of open road, with external temp at about 72 deg.

 

[wheatonFJR]

All Hail the GEN 1 with the smooth averaging coolant temp indicators!

 

[SkooterG]

All Hail the GEN 1 with the smooth averaging coolant temp indicators!

Amen, brother Wheatie. AMEN!

 

[petey]

Both of you would be VERY happy with POS gen III FJR....

I would NOT trade you for a POS gen 1

 

[wheatonFJR]

Both of you would be VERY happy with POS gen III FJR....

I would NOT trade you for a POS gen 1

I'm sure I would (as long as I didn't get distracted by all that instrumentation )...in the meantime, I'll settle for riding alongside you guys and see if I can keep up.

 

[RadioHowie]

Petey,

I'm with Wheaties...would you let us ride along with you on your infinitely superior Gen II? PLEASE?!?!