Gen 1 running hotter

[double_entendre]

I've noticed of late that my FJR seems to have been running warmer, spending a lot more time at 3 bars on the temp gauge rather than 2 bars. Unfortunately I don't have anything where I can say definitively it's the case, but my impression is that it's running hotter.

Anyone else had that problem? I just did a drain, refill, drain, refill cycle to the cooling system, but it hasn't made a difference. Any thoughts on if maybe this is just my imagination or if there's something else I can do? I had the radiator off and blasted it clean with cold water. The radiator fins are all straight and look good. What else can I check? 26 thousand miles on her.

FWIW, I Googled, but all that came up was a lot of heat fixes tied to engine heat in general.

Thanks!

Rancho

 

[Wanderer]

I swore this same thing was happening to my 03 early this summer. After a coolant flush or three, replacing the thermostat and really stressing over it and much pestering of the FJR gurus here they say it was nothing to worry about. Most owners report it running at 3 bars at over 80*

Heres a link to that discussion.

 

[ionbeam]

It could be as simple as the temperature sensor drifting as it ages, or corrosion in the sensor connector.

 

[Harvey]

My 05 normally runs at 3 bars.

The fan turns on at 4 bars and turns off when it gets back down to 3.

 

[Ignacio]

While I don't agree it's a "problem"...anything between 170 and 230 is in the temperature range the bike has been designed for.

If the difference of one bar is concern....it might be the vagaries of an aging thermostat, sender unit, coolant/water ratio difference, or a myriad of other minor things.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

My 03 very rarely runs over 3 bar. I have to be standing still for a while before it starts to climb.

Do you have a Power Commander? Have you done the Barbarian jumper mod and increased the CO levels?

FWIW I'm running a Power Commander and have CO levels bumps 10+. She runs nice and cool.

 

[wfooshee]

3 bars is fine. My '03 runs 2 or 3 bars all the time. I'll see 3 bars in slow traffic, or on the highway. Never see 4 unless it's stop-n-go and hot outside, and the fan does what it's s'posed ta do.

No worries.

 

[double_entendre]

While I don't agree it's a "problem"...anything between 170 and 230 is in the temperature range the bike has been designed for.
If the difference of one bar is concern....it might be the vagaries of an aging thermostat, sender unit, coolant/water ratio difference, or a myriad of other minor things.

Thanks for the replies, all. I figured my failed search meant "not a big deal" or "you have a previously unknown problem on your hands."

I would wonder if it is just a symptom of things to come. When that fan kicks on at four bars my legs get cooked. I mean, yeah, my wife thinks I have hot legs and all, but seriously...............

I saw a comment that suggested changing the cooling fluid from 50/50 anti-freeze/water to 60/40 or go 100% water with Water Wetter. Why would that make a difference?

Rancho

 

[Fred W]

Because water is a better heat conductor than ethylene glycol.

But unless your cooling system is maxed out it will not really change anything.

Racers have to replace their coolant with water. But that is more for track safety in case of spillage. Antifreeze is pretty slippery stuff. Naturally if it's what all the racers do then all the racer wanna-bees are going to do it too...

 

[double_entendre]

Because water is a better heat conductor than ethylene glycol.
But unless your cooling system is maxed out it will not really change anything.

Racers have to replace their coolant with water. But that is more for track safety in case of spillage. Antifreeze is pretty slippery stuff. Naturally if it's what all the racers do then all the racer wanna-bees are going to do it too...

I read that with Water Wetter it'll run cooler, gain at least 8 horsepower, make the bike achieve better lean angles, and attract Laguna Seca groupies in truckloads.

Rancho

 

[Fred W]

Worth the price of admission for that last item all alone!

 

[Grumpy]

3 bars is fine. My '03 runs 2 or 3 bars all the time. I'll see 3 bars in slow traffic, or on the highway. Never see 4 unless it's stop-n-go and hot outside, and the fan does what it's s'posed ta do.
No worries.

Gunny.....but did you notice that most of these replies are from '03 owners? Hummmmm, more hp and they run cooler? Why did they ever change?

 

[Fred W]

Pshaa!!

My B5 (Bass Boat Blue Bambi Basher) runs at 2-3 bars all year long. This time of year it never sees 3.

 

[Geezer]

I remember having the same concerns soon after the first time I changed the coolant. I realized that it was probably just because I was making the engine work harder as I got used to the power and higher speeds.

I did try the Water Wetter once, and noticed an increase in power, but the Laguna Seca groupies never showed up, so I switched back to the green stuff.

 

[Fred W]

Here's a few of them Lagoona Seeka Groopie chicks now:

 

[RadioHowie]

Here's a few of them Lagoona Seeka Groopie chicks now:

(shaking head in disbelief)

There's a shitload of wasted vagina walking around this area that looks a LOT like her.

It makes me wonder, though.....at what point in the process did that young lady look in a mirror and think "yeah....that looks good."

 

[Big Sky]

My '03 only ran at two bars only until my first tune-up at 17,000 miles (may have had coolant replaced then, too). I always thought maybe a throttle body sync, which it needed and which eliminated a surging, may have leaned the mix overall a little, making it run hotter. Since then it runs at three bars above 70 degrees ambient, and two bars below. Never see four bars unless city stop-and-go on a 85+ day. It still runs fine at 57,000 miles so I don't worry.

 

[Bogey907]

(shaking head in disbelief)
There's a shitload of wasted vagina walking around this area that looks a LOT like her.

It makes me wonder, though.....at what point in the process did that young lady look in a mirror and think "yeah....that looks good."

If there were a lot of women that looked like that around here, I'd quit drinking just in case.

 

[wingshot]

My two cents...

I noticed my 05 start running hot (three or more bars) after 40,000; changed the coolant and still riding running three or more bars. Yet, after a few minutes of riding the temp drops down to two bars. It is not something I am willing to complain about as sliding back a few inches in the seat helps the heat dissapate.

The next steps are to check the thermostat, the relay, and the water pump.